The article makes some good suggestions as far as it goes, but I suggest it offers no workable plan for implementing any of them. Fair enough to describe the woeful government we get from the political party system, but if we were to want to fix that by outlawing political parties, who would do it? Government, consisting of one or a gang of parties? The Governor General or Queen perhaps? Not likely!

Same with many of the other reforms the majority of our population would probably support, if such matters were ever considered. Unless it suits the governing party's agenda (and those who influence it), nothing gets done.

The Australian population is too comfortable to do any more than have an occasional grizzle about the way we are governed. Those in charge are careful to keep it that way. Those who really want change have few workable options other than to get some good guns and start assassinating the corrupt politicians and their servants who betray the rest of us to the USA, Israel, big business, and others who control the world. John Howard foresaw that years ago when he took away our guns.

ASIO please note this is not an incitement to violence!

On the contrary our politicians have already passed legislation for renewable energy targets, which will begin the process of crippling this nation. Our politicians may seem a little coy about further steps, because they know that the public backlash from soaring electricity prices will eventually erupt. The elephant in the room in this election is the carbon tax or ETS.
It was hilarious watching Swan and Hockey perform a little ping pong with it last night on the 7.30 report. Last years 'greatest economic, environmental and moral challenge of our time' is this year's 'back burner' issue. Is the earth in danger of catastrophic global warming, or not? There were all sorts of alarmist threats 8 months ago, when we only had a couple of weeks to save the planet. Was someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes then, or now.
If the public's attention span only lasts for a few weeks and they let their politicians get away with this sort of inconsistent and curious behaviour, if they have not yet become a little sceptical, I guess they can only blame themselves, when global enslavement tax finally arrives.

One of the great things about democracy is that it often returns governments, on the right or centre-left, that activists don't like. Most of the reforms suggested by the author give activists mechanisms by which they can target particular MPs or whole governments that they don't like.
Activists would be constantly pushing for these recall elections, whether they had a case for doing so or not.
Fortunately its never going to happen.

Paulo Friere’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” can be seen as having a challenging concept that relates to the notion that the Australian political system is not serving the interests of Australians, that is the oppressed are part authors of the oppression!

In a political sense Australians are not the helpless recipients of the claimed failings of government/politicians. The expectations and aspirations we hold alongside our lethargies have created the political process we experience – and that includes the ethics/morality of those running or supporting government.

It is insightful to consider the maxim that makes large scale fraud possible – “if all the pigs have their mouth full none will squeal”. Whilst individuals' self interest is served the wider interests of society are ignored.

2 strands may hold the key, and these strands start with the population as individuals.

1. Self interest versus group interest – this is a paradoxical pairing. A return to the concept of “a fair go” may help, and that is a fair go for everyone not just myself.

2. Adopt the construct citizen responsibility – we have to be active in the political process rather than passively sit by and think politicians have to win our interest. Those who turn up decide government; if you don’t turn up don’t complain.

These two strands must work together. Kerry Packer informed a parliamentary inquiry that government was there to do things for him not to him. That view of the world ignores strand 1 above.

The author’s suggestions have merit, but the start point is with citizens themselves. Whether we like it or not governments reflect the society they occur within.

Well said Adam.

I think a deeper reform is required - public funding of all candidates, no private funding at all. No advertising. Free air time slots for candidates. Just them and their policies.

Our democracy is systemically corrupt. The major parties do nothing to offend the big money, and big money pays the pipers.

Forkes gets my vote. Dig up ya guns!!

Just kidding ASIO.

People get frustrated when Governments don't do what they want them to, and anyone with a hint of cynism must look at our electoral system and see it is structurally corrupt.

Transparency of people and process with a healthy dose of the 2 strands set out by Paul@Bathurst sounds like the answer.

Now, if I could just find 76 MHRs and 39 Senators who would agree to forego their privileges and institute the necessary changes we could really move forward.