Podcast: Democracy under siege

Posted on 12 Nov 2024

By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

A leading democracy advocate has warned that the US election result serves as a cautionary tale for Australia about the fragility of democratic institutions and trust in government.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Community Advocate podcast, the CEO of the Australian Democracy Network, Saffron Zomer, said the re-election of Donald Trump, with his autocratic agenda, highlighted that democracy can’t be taken for granted, even in Australia.

“If there is one take-away [from the US election result] it is that our democracy that we have here in Australia is precious, you can’t take it for granted and it’s within all of our hands to engage in ways that make it stronger,” said Zomer.

“Every single democracy, including ours, needs constant care and attention, because the line between democracy and autocracy is not as clear as you would think it is.”

Australian Democracy Network CEO Saffron Zomer.

Nurturing democracy's foundational principles was key, she said.

“The principles of democracy are so heavily reliant on equality, that when people see deep inequality around them or see it getting worse, of course, they’re naturally going to be less enamoured of the idea of democracy,” said Zomer.

“I think that’s a big part of what we have just seen happen (in the US).”

Zomer said that while she believed Australia's democracy was less fragile than the US's, now is not the time to be complacent.

“I think, really, we already know what the solutions are.

“If we invest in communities and our community organisations, then together, we can push for better policy outcomes, better funding outcomes, and hold the government to account when we don’t get them.

“That means that there are less people left behind, everyone’s doing better, and you don’t see that gaping inequality that unpicks a democracy.”

“When people see that the system looks fair and open, is transparent and accountable, then they have more reasons to trust and care about the system.”

Zomer said it was also crucial to increase integrity, make politics fairer, remove the influence of cashed up donors and make lobbying transparent, thus negating the perception that the political system doesn't serve the people.

“When people see that the system looks fair and open, is transparent and accountable, then they have more reasons to trust and care about the system.”

Zomer said she hoped the US election result would be seen as a call to treasure the things about our democracy that make it work so well, such as compulsory voting.

“There are so many aspects of our electoral system that protect us from extremism and polarisation and on the whole, we have a lot to be really grateful for.

“But we can’t take it for granted and the democratic system was never designed to be set-and-forget. It’s designed to be constantly under contestation and renegotiated by all of us.

“And if we’re not engaged in public life, then of course that’s not the outcome that we are going to get.”