Auditors move in on Australian Democracy and find no room for complacency

 Forthcoming reports include an audit of political parties by Dean Jaensch of Flinders University and Peter Brent of the ANU, a study of Australian parliaments by John Uhr of the ANU, and a report by Mark Lyons of the University of Technology Sydney on Australia’s non-government organisations.

The key concerns to be addressed in the final report of the Democratic Audit of Australia, due for publication in early 2005, include questions of great importance to all Australian citizens, both those residing at home and abroad; permanent residents and short-term visitors; and concerned observers beyond our shores.

Amongst other things the report will examine issues of civil, political, economic and social rights; assess government accountability and political corruption; gauge electoral freedom and fairness; explore the role of political parties in Australian democracy; the range and degree of general political and civic participation; the influence of the media on Australian democracy and public opinion; and Australia’s commitment to democracy beyond the state, including its support of United Nations’ treaties and respect for international law.

There is nothing to suggest that problems similar to those that plagued the 2000 US presidential election will be identified in Australia, but most Americans probably saw few hints in the lead-up to 2000 of what was about to make a mockery of their claim to the title of “world’s greatest democracy”. Nor are Australia’s future elections ever likely to be as drawn out or as contested as the current Indonesian presidential election; nor are they likely to be marred by the violence that will almost inevitably accompany Iraq’s general election when it finally takes place. But that is not to suggest that Australian democracy is perfect: for example, we have fallen behind other Western democracies in the regulation of political finance and in areas such as appointments to public bodies. The purpose of the Democratic Audit of Australia is to ensure that we maintain our democratic tradition, move with the changing times and technologies, and improve on it when deficiencies or flaws are detected.