For me, genuinely desiring to be involved in local and national politics, i think our 'democracy' is rather inadequate. Once every three years i get to vote for one of only six people who will supposedly represent my interests nationally. But that day my vote is one of 70,000 (or thereabouts)... so if i dont agree with the majority of those 70,000 people, my vote is completely wasted. it usually is. might as well go home, consume for another three years then repeat...

Lets say hypothetically my candidate did get in. If they aren't in one of the major two parties their influence in decision making is severely limited. Party politics restricts free speech, asks MPs to vote against their personal conscience and the interests of their electorate and devolves political consicousness by suggesting only one of two options, both of which are aimed at lowest common denominator vote-gaining.

So the party with a majority gets to form a government, who then controls both laws and the public service. Why would essential services like health, education, NRM be at the whim of the current government, who gets to say how much money is spent, how it is spent and who gets to make decisions as minister. Why not have apolitical experts in those roles?

Our society is based on a pyramid... those at the bottom of the pyramid support those higher up, the higher you are the richer and/or more powerful you are. In politics the pyramid has a very very large base, quickly rising to the Prime Minister who above all people gets to say where and how Australia's power and money is directed.

I am not suggesting all politicians are evil, what i am saying is there are over 20,000,000 individuals in this country, why should we willingly give over our money and power to less than 100 people who are seriously compromised in their capacity to make unilateral decisions. We could be making our own decisions every day! Not pissing our vote away every three years...

I have a few ideas on alternatives but first... comments?

welcome to the democracy club. now we are two, so don't expect much progress.

What do you think of voting by delegable proxy?

http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/electoral-reform.html#direct-democracy

"Party politics restricts free speech, asks MPs to vote against their personal conscience and the interests

Only because that is what the public wants - they want people who will stick to a predetermined plan, not make it up as they go along.

"Why would essential services like health, education, NRM be at the whim of the current government

How else should we go about it?

"I am not suggesting all politicians are evil, what i am saying is there are over 20,000,000 individuals in this country

i suspect this is the real reason why you feel so disenfranchised. No democratic system can get around this.

actually fd, every democratic system gets around it. it's the undemocratic systems that don't. find out what democracy is, it makes discussion more fun.

Hi Freediver

The delegate proxy system looks a lot fairer than our current one because one of the things that frustrates me most about now is that as i said my vote is effectively wasted every three years, but proportional representation would mean it wouldnt be. Seems like a step in the right direction.

As far as having pollies run our essential services, i think an alternative might be to have peer-elected experts in those roles instead, with emphasis on being apolitical. The minute it is ok to be representing your party and be running the nation's health care system i think things have the potential to go awry.

You're right that the most compelling reason for my disenfranchisyness is the massive disproportion of people to decision makers. Again i bring it back to the pyramid system we have evolved, which has served a purpose in centralisation and nationalism. Where a small number of people controls a big number, there is potential for corruption. There are many benefits to centralisation but it has also served to morph humanity into a super-organism, expanding and destroying in the name of nations and corporations.

My suggestion is to re-localise government into thousands of (relatively) tiny councils that receive all taxes and rates. Larger apolitical groups (made up of council reps) such as counties, states or nations apply for funding from these councils. This would mean people have a much greater say in where their money goes locally, they have a chance to know their representatives personally, they're encouraged to work and spend locally. Globalisation and the pyramid system receives a gut blow.

Ill be the first to admit there are lots of holes in my suggestion but i honestly think we need to re-localise our govt.

I would note we vote to elect not just federal representatives in two houses. We also elect State politicians and local councillors, the latter of which we should have good accessibility to.

If I had my way, we would also elect judges and other key civil servants. The Americans are much maligned of late but they do have that bit right. Elected judges are forced to follow the publics expectation for sentencing or be removed from office. Thats alot better system than some stupid bint who lets child rapists go free.

I will never accept the idea that a 10 year old girl has a sufficiently developed sense of self to know if she is or is not giving consent for sex with one adult, let along a gang of them.