Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Political impasse

By Peter McMahon - posted Thursday, 10 July 2014


Neoliberalism seemed to work relatively well in Australia because there was a confluence of some of the important global forces and national political trends which happened to coincide with the rise of rise of China and the associated increase in demand for Australian minerals and energy resources.

Neither major political party gave the electorate any alternative to what was ultimately a classic neo-liberal programme. The policy convergence of the Liberals and Labor eventually squeezed out the always limited Australian Democrats and the rise of wider environmental issues generated the Greens. The Greens soon became a genuine third force but have since stagnated somewhat.

The more recent development is the rise of populist and single issue parties. The most important populist party has been Clive Palmer's organisation, which now holds power in the Senate. This is mostly an Australian version of US populist politics: funded by a billionaire presenting ideological dispersed policies with an overall intent of optimising conditions for certain business interests. This has been matched by the other most prominent proponent of big business in Australia attempting to more directly influence the mass media, that is Gina Reinhart's move into Channel 10.

Advertisement

Notwithstanding Palmer's capacity to generate sometimes quixotic political media attention, these initiatives, which reflect the growing colonisation of Australian politics by American politics, further damage the chances of creating a mature national political landscape.

The power of the emergent political power structure was well illustrated by the collapse of the mining tax and the demise of Kevin Rudd. The mining tax was not really a belated attempt by Labor to recapture some sort of nationalist development initiative but more an attempt by the Treasury to rationalise taxation generally in Australia. Even so, it was easily shot to pieces by mining interests presenting a populist case.

As a result of all these changes Australia no longer has a political system capable of facing the hard issues and developing big solutions. It has gone from a leader to a laggard in dealing with global warming, has no humane answer to the migration problem, and once the mining boom winds down will become a plaything of global financial sharks (although our national energy resources will not depreciate in an increasingly energy-starved world, as long as we can maintain control over them).

What then are the possibilities for the short to medium term? Americanisation, especially as the US 'pivots' militarily against China, may increasingly produce the kind of dysfunctional politics the US currently suffers where rabid partisanship undermines all attempts at meaningful policy change. Or alternatively some overtly global dynamic, such as a UN or G20 centred effort to respond to the emerging environmental crisis, might swamp any real political process in Australia. Both developments would represent a basic loss of national sovereignty.

Perhaps the best option is to try and open up political debate and policy formation within Australia, and here the fragmentation of political parties and voting might help. Within the party system the ALP actually tried to be innovative (but in essence following the lead of the Australian Democrats) by bringing the rank and file into the leader-choosing process. This was then negated by the politicians opting for Shorten when the rank and file had preferred Albanese. It was telling that Shorten was no more than another ALP machine man, while Albanese was one of the last of those who had some principled positions.

But what is really needed is an opening up of the whole process so that politicians and parties no longer feel safe to present a fake image at elections and then do what expediency demands once elected. Of course, it was supposed to be the job of the mass media to maintain communication between the public and the political system, but the established media have utterly abrogated this role in recent decades and a new internet–based media has not yet consolidated itself. Thus far it is too fragmented to play a role in generating an effective information base for ongoing discussion and debate. It is coming, but it needs a capacity to integrate different viewpoints to enable effective policy making.

Advertisement

There are two changes to aim for, at least initially. One is to get more talent into the formal political process. The major parties are replete with hacks seeking nothing than their own promotion and focused on internal party machinations. A refocusing on issues, which small parties can do, should bring in more competent staffers in terms of knowledge of issues.

The second change is to make the whole process more generally accessible. Previously this was difficult to do simply because it took too long to achieve genuine consultation and integrate feedback. Now, the general acceleration in information flows and capacity for instant feedback presents new possibilities. So called e-government has a mixed record, and certainly effective use of new technology is only part of the solution, but if there is serious intention to developing greater participation then we can do a lot better.

If we can't make such changes to the formal system itself, perhaps we could establish a parallel process of discussion to pressure politicians to think more creatively. Perhaps an annual 'people's congress' , a sort of summit of experts and activists, where the big issues are thrashed out and possible alternative policies put forward could be tried. Websites could maintain the discussion so that the summits work towards a consensus. There is increasingly effective software for this sort of thing. The production of a final policy document would provide some discipline, and hopefully elicit a meaningful response from government.

Of course the degree to which this works would ultimately depend on the willingness of more people to participate in a useful way, otherwise any new structures and processes will be taken over by the same old vested interests. The electorate has been switched off for decades, and getting decent numbers to take the political process seriously (and thus provide legitimacy) would not be easy. Further, an engaged electorate would require a new media to provide information and analysis, which should promote the development of such outlets. And of course the only real response to the partisanship that has all but wrecked the American political system is a better knowledge base and more sustained debate in relation to the big issues.

This all seems pretty idealistic but if we don't make some big changes we'll stagger along with ad hoc decision-making that can't address underlying issues and we'll ultimately lose any national independence as the big global issues roll over us.

Our national politcal system began well enough, got us through two world wars and a global depression reasonably well, then went into cruise control as we settled into a comparatively stable post-war development model. It is all but moribund, and we need to renovate it to deal with the big problems facing us now. It is no longer a matter of a few percentage points here or there, but getting the fundamentals right in an increasingly threatening global context.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

19 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Dr Peter McMahon has worked in a number of jobs including in politics at local, state and federal level. He has also taught Australian studies, politics and political economy at university level, and until recently he taught sustainable development at Murdoch University. He has been published in various newspapers, journals and magazines in Australia and has written a short history of economic development and sustainability in Western Australia. His book Global Control: Information Technology and Globalisation was published in the UK in 2002. He is now an independent researcher and writer on issues related to global change.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Peter McMahon

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Peter McMahon
Article Tools
Comment 19 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy