Voting is a precious right

Can it be organised differently? Absolutely, but don’t expect change to come from the major parties!

Australia needs many more Independent and minor party representatives in the Parliament to break the dominant two-party culture and bring about major reforms to the system of governance. Especially those who have system reform in their platform, as distinct from single-issue parties, should be encouraged. It would be a great bonus if the coming election would produce a hung Parliament and a Senate in which such representatives hold the balance of power, exactly the opposite of what major parties prefer. Many of the ignored or avoided problems are far more important than those raised in the election discourse engaged in by the major parties and echoed by the mainstream media.

The few Independents that have operated in Canberra in recent years have generally been supported well by their constituents, Peter Andren being a particularly successful example. If more are elected like him together they could be the circuit breakers of the future.

Until the 2004 election the Senate performed very well as a critical House of Review. That situation should be restored in the forthcoming election. It will require that voters make a careful study of the non-major party candidates and Independents. To think that the basic choice is just to choose between the ALP and the Coalition is a serious misunderstanding of what is on offer. In almost every seat, and for the Senate, there usually is quite a wide range beyond the major party candidates.

Compulsory voting does not just mean a duty to attend a polling booth but, more so, it also implies a moral duty to cast an informed vote. Voting is a precious right that is the basis of democracy but needs to be exercised thoughtfully to be really effective. The importance of that is probably lost as a result of the massive over concentration on the major parties in the media. That imbalance needs to be addressed urgently.