Australia’s democratic problem is not simply poor civics knowledge among citizens, but a political class too willing to avoid scrutiny, resist transparency and govern behind closed doors.

In a recent interview the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, reflected on the state of Australian democracy. She warned of a potential catastrophe resulting from poor understanding of the tenets of our democracy that make our country work, especially among the adult population.

I agree with the governor general. There is something amiss in the state of Australia’s democracy and it should concern all of us. However, I’d argue that the fault does not lie with the citizenry. Rather, it is the nation’s political leadership that must shoulder the blame. All too often, as soon as it proves inconvenient, the leadership of both political parties undermines or disregards the obligations needed to support a vibrant and spirited democracy.

As the saying goes, ‘a fish rots from the head down’.

We have all witnessed the embarrassment that is question time, in which members use the sanctity of the Parliament to slag each other when they are not patting themselves on the back in response to a ‘Dorothy-Dixer’. In the upper chamber, Senate Estimates is a theatre of avoidance as questions are skilfully dodged or ignored, denying the........

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