Yes, we're politically illiterate. As are most western nations, and surprisingly, our government when measured against the performance of others, holds up quite well - in our favour, we established the RBA and had a robust banking sector during the recent crisis and numerous studies have indicated that when it comes to ascending through class barriers, Australia has one of the least restrictive societies in the world (granted, there are communities where people remain locked in a single class, but again, all things are relative and this holds true worldwide).

So when people politely disagree with your assessment that this political illiteracy is ultimately awful, don't chalk their disagreements up to more political illiteracy.

As I said before - more politically engaged populations don't necessarily lead to better outcomes.

It's just frustrating for people who like to discuss politics, but secretly a boon for those who like to discuss politics, but mostly just like to lord it over others.
The public aren't as stupid as you think.

I'm quite pleased that Australians tend to reject *exciting* candidates and go for boring ones. It shows that by and large, they don't trust exaggerated claims, don't go for simple advertising and showmanship, and prefer a steady hand. Far from the manipulated masses they are often made out to be.