How Do We Affect Change in a Climate of Political Tension?

It’s been a tumultuous few years in politics. With Australia’s constant Prime Minister swapping, the Trump presidency, a rapidly accelerating climate crisis, and the pandemic breeding a new generation of conspiracists, people are rapidly losing faith in politics. Australia’s current geopolitical climate is difficult. We have insurmountable tensions with China right now, tensions that some have theorised could be the tipping point in a coming war. However, there is too much complexity in the world of geopolitical relations to cover in a single article. It would be a daunting task for anyone, even if they had a Master of Public Policy. Instead, what we can do, is offer a little bit of hope in a trying time. When things are so chaotic and frightening, how does the common man affect change? 1 - Finding Good Sources Under Australia’s democracy, our citizen’s right to free speech is protected under the law. In fact, there are two human rights treaties, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERP). Both of these treaties protect the signed countries’ citizens the right to freedom of opinion and expression, so long as doing so does not vilify persons based on a national or racial profile (Article 20 ICCPR), or spread ideas promoting racial superiority, racial hatred, or inciting racial violence (Article 4a CERD). Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch has an infamous and hotly contested stranglehold over the nation’s media. Since inheriting a newspaper at the age of 22, the nonagenarian has a veritable monopoly over Australia’s media networks, owning a significant number of assets in our news media across print, digital, film, and television. The Murdoch Media Empire has had huge effects on our political position. The power of the Murdoch empire has sent a clear message to the people who know of it - Australia’s media is for sale. Of course, when such a powerful entity exists and that entity has a clear political ideology, there is next to nothing to stop them from saying whatever they want! Except, for other sources of media. With the freedom of the internet and our nation’s acquiescence to human rights treaties, we can look beyond what our media tells us. Use the media to get introductions to issues, but if you want change you have to do your own research. Don’t trust the publicly available news, but rather turn to credible sources such as the ABC, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and independent journalists that list sources such as Australian YouTuber friendlyjordies, who was recently stalked and firebombed for putting pressure on his local governors to answer for their corrupt and illegal activities. To affect change requires the proper information first. Make sure you’re checking and triple-checking the facts you find mass-published. 2 - Pressure Groups Some aspects benefit a nation to nearly every political ideology. Though many of these forms of government pervade or are thought to pervade a basic element of human rights, in a democratic government like ours - we have the right to peaceful protest and to form groups based on ideologies that don’t match the ruling government’s policies. Protesting is the cornerstone of several major political and social shifts in the history of the world. Although in recent years there has been a trend of protest methods that disrupt general public life, protesting remains one of the most effective ways to vocally and visually show people just how strong the desire for change in a particular direction is. 3 - Attack The Two Party System Australia’s balance of power regularly swings between two major players, Labour and the Coalition. Labour represents the left-wing (progressive) side of Australian politics, while the Coalitian a.k.a Liberal represents the right-wing (conservative) side. Despite the presence of parties like The Greens and a whole host of independents, the fiscal advantages of the two major parties prevent just about any other party from getting a decent shot at the top position. This has major implications for our country’s political landscape, as it always sets one side up to fail. No matter who gets in, a huge number of the country’s citizenry is going to be unhappy with the resulting changes, and with independent parties and other potential representatives not having the same access or opportunities as the major players, it’s a real kneecap to the diversity of Australia’s political opinion and ability. Australians are beginning to realise the flaws of this system and in 2021 distrust in the major government parties was at an all-time high. To have a real choice and a real say in our politics, we need to attack the established two-party system so that we can have an effective and diverse cast of political candidates that may genuinely represent the nation’s needs and attitudes. Where Is Your Voice? Being a part of a democratic country means that we have a right to voice our wants to our political leaders. We can write letters, attend talks, post opinions online, sign petitions, hold polls, conduct research, accuse political figures according to the law, protest peacefully, hold public demonstrations, and even publicly criticise our government. If the people want change it has to be the people that affect it. Adding your voice to the clamour is the only way to force the government’s hand and change things for real. The question is how loud are you willing to speak for what you believe?