Where did all the Democrats voters go?

The Democrats also need to be aware that the shrinking “left” of the political spectrum is becoming very crowded as the Greens become more and more entrenched. Competing with the Greens and the ALP for a shrinking left vote might not be in our best interests. By contrast, the contest for the “small l liberals” might not be so earnest. In 2004, this group showed they will not cross to the Greens in large numbers, as the Greens are perceived as “too left wing” for half of Democrat voters. Family First polled lowest where the Democrats historically have done well, suggesting that Family First is “too conservative” for ex-Democrats. They are left with the uncomfortable choice between the two majors, who, constrained by the need for a majority vote, will seek out the “lowest common denominator” rather than aspiring to liberal-progressive values.

Eminent journalist George Megalogenis makes an interesting attempt to define the values of this “middle group” in his 2004 book Faultlines. He defines the group as Australians aged 20-40 not enjoying representation by the older generation of leaders of the two major parties. Working women and the children on post-war migrants are a key part of the group, and their attitudes are yet to be properly represented by the current generation of Australian leaders:

Generation W is Australia's double-edged demographic. It sets in the middle of the nation's income table, is located in the centre of the nation's capital cities, and is in the prime of life - the twenties and thirties. It is the least political generation that Australia has known, but it has led the largest rallies we have seen for reconciliation and peace. It is a generation that vindicates the working woman and proves that immigration works, but it is not large enough yet to decide who leads the nation. It has already proved its work by forcing a conservative government to deal with the reality of the professional woman and to boost the regular immigration intake above 100,000 a year. It vindication will come with a time lag, in the next decade or so, when one of its own inevitably becomes prime minister and the nation finds an acceptable formula for the republic.

Similarly, Greg Barnes talks of a new category of “reluctant liberals”, a group largely unrepresented in the current political environment focused more on the promotion of human wellbeing and strengthening the concept of public good.

I would suggest the following eight principles as a basis for forming a new progressive liberal movement:

1. Socially progressive - get government out of people's private lives while maintaining a solid social safety net to lift people out of poverty;
2. Environmentally sustainable - good environmental practice is good economic practice;
3. Economically liberal - we should recognise the benefits of economic liberalism while insisting that the winners do more to compensate the losers;
4. Internationalist - we should be demanding that Australia is a good global citizen, promote global economic relations and promoting peace, civil society and environmental sustainability through international co-operation;
5. Pro-freedom - defend civil liberties, human rights and freedom, even in an age of national security, and deliver reconciliation with Indigenous people;
6. Pro-community - encourage more decision making at the lowest possible level and ensure that governments are more responsive to local community needs;
7. Pro-democracy - insist on open and accountable government, media and public institutions and a republic; and
8. Service orientated - search for the most effective, creative and efficient means of delivering government services, minimising the draw on revenue while maximising the public benefit and accountability.

The Democrats need to reach out to other potential partners in building a new progressive movement. The party is too bruised and battered to do it on its own. Other partners could be other small political parties (for example Liberals for Forests, Unity, Progressive Labor), independents, disillusioned sections of the majors, the reconciliation, peace, environment and refugee movements, ethnic and indigenous communities, the regions, local government leaders, progressive church leaders, the business sector and so on. At 2 per cent, the Democrats constitute just one fifth of a viable political movement - we will have to reach out to other groups who could add the other 8 per cent.

Misdiagnosing the current problem and assuming it can be fixed with “more of the same” policies and practices will ensure that the Democrats does not survive the 2007 election in any form, and that the liberal progressive segment of the Australian population continues to be disenfranchised.

As Kevin Costner discovered in the movie the Field of Dreams and as our party's founders discovered back in 1977, "If you build it, they will come".