Is Australia, a deliberative democracy? By Arundathie Abeysinghe
Deliberative democracy or discursive democracy is a type of democracy in which deliberation is central to decision-making. Deliberative democracy pursues quality over quantity by restricting decision-makers to a representative sample of the population with time and resources to focus on one issue. German philosopher Jürgen Habermas is extensively regarded as the philosophical father of deliberative democracy, whilst American political scientist Joseph Bessette who first used the exact phrase “deliberative democracy” in his 1980 essay, “Deliberative Democracy: The Majority Principle in Republican Government.” and American political philosopher and theorist Joshua Cohen (specializing in democratic theory and deliberative democracy) created the formal academic framework for the concept.
Australia is a representative democracy which functions as a constitutional monarchy as well as a federal system. In a representative democracy, citizens vote in regular elections to choose candidates to represent them in the Australian Parliament (the Senate and the House of Representatives). Yet, Australia is recognized worldwide as a significant innovator and a dynamic participant in deliberative democracy. Deliberative democracy gives prominence to informed, reflective as well as inclusive public discussion in order to outline political decisions, instead of relying exclusively on politicians or elections. Australia encompasses this through several vital avenues such as Citizens’ Assemblies (which have been trialed to address complex public policy challenges) and Parliaments.
Meanwhile, Citizens’ Assemblies utilize sortition, including random selection in order to form a representative cross-section of the public entrusted with reviewing precise policy dilemmas. Australia has also hosted notable experimental forums, for instance, the national public gathering explored in John Dryzek’s review of “The Australian Citizens’ Parliament: A World First.” Currently, discussions with regard to how these participatory bodies harmonize traditional legislative houses continue through civic groups and academic panels.
Moreover, Australia has initiated large-scale deliberative forums, for instance, the historic 2009 Australian Citizens’ Parliament, in which everyday citizens are randomly selected to debate issues as well as advise the government. In states such as Victoria, the local governments are legally required by the Local Government Act 2020 to utilize deliberative engagement processes with arbitrarily selected panels regarding decisions on long-term Community Vision and Council Plans besides Indigenous Deliberative Systems.
According to recent studies conducted by the Centre for Deliberative Democracy allude to robust public enthusiasm for more ‘talk-centric’ governance, with most Australians inclined to participate in such forums.
Meanwhile, as a Federal System, power is divided between the central national government (the Commonwealth) and the six state governments.
Australia is a federal, representative parliamentary democracy where citizens have the power to elect their representatives in parliament. Enrolling and voting is a right as well as a responsibility of each Australian citizen and effectiveness of Australia’s democracy is subjected to active participation of all Australian citizens.
Although, the process is usually the same for state and local elections, there are differences as each state as well as territory has its own electoral laws, which include funding, campaigning, and systems to choose parliamentary members. For instance, in the Australian Capital Territory, canvassing for votes is illegal within 100 metres of a polling place and New South Wales has rules with regard to donations for parties and candidates.
Even though, Australia is considered as a “Constitutional Monarchy” as King Charles III is the Head of State, with limited powers by the Australian Constitution, the monarch’s duties in Australia are carried out (locally) by a Governor General.
Yet, Australia’s parliamentary government is mostly based on the United Kingdom model (frequently known as the Westminster System, a democratic parliamentary system of government), where the executive government is drawn from within the parliament.
The Australian Electoral Office (AEC) is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums as well as maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll.
