Runner's Citizens Initiated Referenda sounds a good idea. Essentially feedback or initiatives. Lexi is right that we may misunderstand. To get a greater choice of leader we need to elect better MPs.Praxidice, name calling leaders does not help. Let's do the job properly and elect a good parliament. I am not sure how many of us would do a better job than either of them.Let the people elect the pollies. Let us decide what they should do. For Philip S, independents and minor parties are the answer. Tony Windsor has been the best MP at responding to voters from all around Australia who sent Votergrams, for 3 parliamentary terms - nearly a decade - on any issues at all. He is a superb performer and with few staff. Think of John Hatton, Ted Mack. But what do we want those we elect to do? Houellebecq, what can pollies do to help your relaxation and comfort?

'For very good reasons - when even the fomer PM
got hurled with full force from his own
electorate. '

Yes Lexi and it only took 3 years for that electorate to wake up. Can't even remember the name of the ABC lady who left sour after one term. Thakfully JW had 4 terms as PM and another 25 years or so. Not a bad effort eh!

Praxidice, never mind who is pulling the strings. We the voters can do that. I have proved it in every Australian parliament for the past 27 years.It is mainly a case of asking.G'day Belly, more community input is good via referenda. We are also going to do it by Residents Roundtables. We don't have to wait for governments to set it up. We can express our own wishes and get them done. Your Nuclear power plants are a good example of an item up for community discussion. Your more relaxed housing code in rural and regional Australia is probably reality in some places, but deserves consideration.The party men, Lexi, will have little say when voters vote on performance, objectively assessment instead of party prejudices.Let's all check out Larry Hannigan's website.You are not dreaming Chris Ho. In 1986 we established Votergrams to allow all citizens to communicate directly with all MPs. That gives them a better idea about government than reading the media ever will.Politicians will discuss policies with us - when we ask, which most Australian voters mostly don't.Philip S - what do we do to combat homelessness? Why would we not have a maximum wage as well as a minimum one to stop the super execs becoming fabulously wealthy at the expense of ordinary staff?

So, rehctub, what was it about 6 years ago that you particularly liked that we are missing now? The point about war expenditure is well made. Is there a better way of resolving disputes and territorial claims of leaders than a battle to the death between their respective citizens?

Thank you all for joining this discussion. Let's get more ideas up and more people involved so that we really can zoom in on some items we would all like and then get them put in place. First to work out what is wanted, but then to get it. NO point working out what we want without doing our best to get it. We are hoping for what the vast majority of the community wants. There will be plenty we agree on.

Rechtub is not the average,he loves to hate the present government,and is unlikely to give sound reason for it.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/not-a-judas-in-sight-but-its-not-over-yet-20130618-2ogun.html
This link shows why this thread is timely, I can say without fear, my party the ALP and its birth parent the union movement, have for some time not been listening to those who they need the most.
Believe me, it is true, this has lead us to the edge of disaster and while we have refused true reform, we now force it on our selves.
I ask the true thoughtful people to consider my words.
A structure has been allowed to grow within both movements, that promotes from *outside* the core.
It then fills seats, but with folk not linked or even understanding, the thoughts and aspirations of both those who once sat in those seats, and of far more importance, those who owned the power, the average person, who they climbed over to get there
My country first needs to be able to trust its governments and oppositions to understand what we want.

chris_ho - if the same party has a majority in both houses

Thats effectively what we have in Queensland (same effect albeit differently arranged). The LNP with a MASSIVE majority, ALP with 4 or 5 members (thus not even a true party), no upper house & an AWOL governor. Furthermore, most of the super-councils are LNP dominated, consequentially democracy & accountability are merely esoteric concepts. We do have the odd independent however given the extent of the LNP majority, they might as well not exist. Hopefully Clive Palmer will wade in after the federal election & kick some heads, he certainly won't be siding with either LNP or ALP so he could well restore at least some balance.