The MEdia...is not 'complacent'...it is COMPLICIT.
Polycarp,
I don't disagree but the media is also very irresponsible. Austin Powerless calls it braindead.
It really is no different to industry. people complain about multi-national companies making a fortune just as people complain about politicians. Who puts them there ? People who don't think. That's who !
if you had a majority of people who cared, felt responsible etc. you'd never hear or see of a "left". Big companies wouldn't be big if morons didn't buy their rubbish & we'd have less pollution.
It all starts with the idiotic education system in australia where a moron can have a certificate without being proficient in the subject. Why, because teachers aren't allowed to let a poor performing student fail. Tafe lectures too are not allowed to fail a student. Yet especially the left labor is pushing education at every election. Where has this gotten us as a country thus far ? To near third world standard and the lowest western standard.
For crying out loud let's train people to be useful rather than useless & waste costly education on them.

It is the old story of divide and conquer.The globlised economy seduces us with lust of wealth from the share market,while we readily accept the firesale of our energy and resources to feed it.

In the meanwhile the living standards of ordinary Aussies continues to decline even with a $1.1 trillion economy.ie GDP

A trillion is 1x 10 power of 12.Divide this by our workforce of 10 million,then every worker on average should be earning in excess of $100,000.00 pa.This is clearly not the case.

I suppose you know about Getup. Politics as marketing? Online campaigns which run only if enough people click their mouses? Its a form of democracy despite the newfangledness. Here's a note I received from them yesterday:

Hi there,

Thanks for choosing to watch the Senator you've selected. By keeping tabs on this Senator, you're contributing to the creation of a more accountable and transparent democracy. Remember - your Senators work for you - Project Democracy reminds us all that Senators are responsible to the community.

You'll now receive weekly updates on this Senator's media appearances - you'll be able to keep a track on what this Senator is doing and saying. You'll also be able to tell if they're doing enough on your behalf.

Remember to come back to the Project Democracy website frequently for news, parliamentary information and commentary from other Australians on all the other Senators.

Thanks and best wishes,
The Project Democracy Team

Pretty cool, I think.

One of the biggest problems we have is the Tweedledum-Tweedledumber domination of Australian politics by two major political parties whose ideologies have been becoming closer and closer, to the point that they're now virtually indistinguishable in the major policy areas.

This has largely been facilitated by our preferential voting system and single-member electorates. If all Australian parliaments adopted multi-member electorates together with proportional representation, as opposed to the current 'winner takes all' system, then we might get something that more closely resembles democracy.

It works well in Tasmania and the Senate, but I doubt we'll ever see it in the House of Reps because it would remove the current stranglehold that the Tweedledum ALP and Tweedledumber Coalition have on political representation in this country.

CJ, Tasmania is the basket case it is, despite the hundreds of millions from the rest of Oz, because of that idiot electoral system. The votes of a small number control the voice of the majority, to the majority's dentriment.

The main problem with our federal system also comes from there. Idiots, like Brown, are ellected to the senate by less votes than it takes to be a Brisbane concillor. A prime example occured yesterday.

When you get 6 twits, controlling legislation, you are heading for the worst kind of government.

Rudd is a fool, but I would rather have his full policy [if he has any, other than paying back facvours] implemented, than have that of 6 special interest ratbags. At least people would see much sooner, their mistake, & ditch him, earlier.

If only the major parties had enough sennse to preference eachother, we could be rid of all this rabble. It is disgusting that these fringe dwellers can effect the lives of REAL people.

Hasbeen> "It is disgusting that these fringe dwellers can effect the lives of REAL people."

I find it incredible that you don't think "fringe dwellers" of any kind are not "real people". What do you mean by that "not real people"?