Governance system reform should start now

The failed Vocal Referendum was a fatal demonstration of the adversarial nature of our two-party electoral system, he writes Doctor Klaas Woldring.

THE PRIME MINISTER is clearly very disappointed with the outcome of the Voice Referendum. But this should really be an impetus for major system reforms. Why did this Referendum really fail?

The failed Voice Referendum clearly demonstrated the negativity of the electoral (two-party) system as well as the serious lack of knowledge about Australia’s political system and Constitution. The result was completely different from the result of the 1967 Referendum. How can this happen? Here’s an excerpt to show the difference:

The removal of the words ‘…other than indigenous people in any State…’ in section 51(xxvi) and throughout section 127 has been viewed by many as representative of the prevailing movement towards political change in Indigenous affairs.

As a result of the political climate, this referendum saw the highest YES vote ever recorded in a Federal referendum, with a 90.77 per cent change vote. It is interesting to note that a NO case was never formulated to be presented as part of the referendum campaign, as the majority of parliamentarians supported the proposed amendment.

The recent Vote NO drama was more than half a century later. Of course, this might have been a more logical step in supporting Indigenous people, but the “Opposition” officially opposing the Uluru proposal was a major step backwards and a particularly fatal demonstration of the contentious nature of the two-party electoral system based on Single Member Districts.

Therefore, a series of electoral system reforms should be started as soon as possible. The present Constitution expressly recognizes this special power as the prerogative of the Federal and State Parliaments. So why don’t you continue this, Mr. Prime Minister? Could it be system conservatism and/or ALP self-interest? If so, this would bring absolutely no benefit to the country and thus lead to false self-interest.

Proportional representation is used successfully by 90 countries around the world, especially in the Scandinavian countries. Contrary to the claim of supporters of the two-party system, the Single Member District system is not only an undemocratic system that favors the major parties, but also encourages negativity. The latest result of the 2025 federal election is a prime example of the injustice and polarizing nature of the system. Yes, this worked well for the ALP, which gained slightly more votes and almost two-thirds of the seats.

Seating arrangements in Parliament further encourage contentious debate and culture. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, always dominated by the major parties, failed to deliver the most important reform and proved not to be a reformist committee. Another advantage of this electoral system reform is that it does not require constitutional amendments, which is a big plus. This reform will greatly increase the chances of all other necessary reforms as it will eliminate the hostile nature of the current political system.

The second major reform would be the Constitution itself, which is old, complex and largely based on colonial relations with the United Kingdom; This situation is now far behind us. A new Constitution should create a multicultural, easily amended Republic that leaves room for reform or the end of the federation. Federation made perfect sense in 1900, but it now stands in the way of effective national legislation-making; Improved communication makes it easier for the central government to make decisions.

The gist of the final VOICE proposals to be included in a Republican Constitution would be proposals that were largely turned down as a result of the typically hostile campaign after the other major party decided it should formally oppose what was/is actually a solid proposal.

Can this task be left to the conservative coalition parties? No sir, this is the ALP’s job, your job really!

Carpe DiemPrime minister.

Changing the electoral system could even be done during the current parliamentary session and would only be welcomed by voters, although the ALP may have to form an electoral coalition with the Greens and/or some Independents. Most PR governments are, of course, coalitions. The big change for the republic could be in store for the next parliamentary session. My view is that the ALP would really benefit from such measures; but what really matters is the strengthening of democracy in Australia, including by more conservative parties.

Lack of knowledge of the Constitution is due to very inadequate citizenship education. In 2003/4 there was a major Federal Government Inquiry into the reasons for the failure of the 1999 Republic Referendum. Lack of civics knowledge and inadequate university education are often seen as the main reasons. Young people in particular, as well as new Australians, are poorly informed about the Constitution and the electoral system, and even less about alternatives to current systems of government. In fact, despite the findings of this major study, the situation has not improved, perhaps even worsened. So yeah, how can this be fixed?

ABC can do a lot of good here, but it hasn’t done enough so far; commercial publishers are even fewer. Social media doesn’t seem to care much about this situation. Therefore, it is primarily the duty of the Government of Albania to enlighten the public about the political organization of the country through ABC educational programs. This could start with programs on what has actually been done on the findings and recommendations of that Committee (2003/4).

It would also be useful for Australians to see how other countries organize their systems of government: the electoral system in non-English-speaking countries, the fact that Prime Ministers and other Ministers are often not elected but appointed by members of Parliament, but by the ruling parties in society as a whole. Information about non-British democratic political systems in Australia is deplorable.

There is a lot of material and examples to be discussed on radio, television and social media. There are also many subject related books that should be available in Libraries but are often not there. Frankly, there is much more to know about what is going on in the Westminster system, which itself faces serious problems, and also about the US system, which has produced a president of questionable quality. The commercialization of universities since the mid-1990s has greatly damaged the study of governance systems. But in the short term the Government itself could certainly publish purely educational materials.