OPINION
Tuesday 15th September, 2026
Luca Belgiorno-Nettis in The Mandarin
Today is the International Day of Democracy, a day to reflect on what probably defines the free world more than anything else.
Notwithstanding, Winston Churchill famously described democracy “as the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”. Perhaps the future holds more promise.
lections and political parties remain central to how we understand democracy. Electoral competition is meant to incentivise politicians and parties to understand and respond to citizens’ concerns. Political parties are then supposed to turn those concerns into coherent programs and policies. The contest encourages political actors to identify and respond to public policy issues — and offer voters meaningful alternatives.
Between election dates, the political marketplace continues to boil — different interests make themselves heard, and the government’s job is to deftly manage the angry and the articulate. Public disagreement and free speech, as uncomfortable as they may sometimes appear, are welcome features of a healthy democracy. Good democracies aggregate and align multiple perspectives with minimal friction.
Elections provide the authorisation and ultimate accountability for the elected party or coalition. The whole process is designed to connect citizens with political decision-making and convert public concerns into executive action.
Political parties might make the system work, but public disdain for them is clearly growing. Political parties exacerbate the partisan divide. The inherent adversarial dynamic obliges parties not to collaborate. Indeed, collaboration is shunned as it dilutes the party’s ‘brand’.
Yes, Mr Churchill, not great.
In the long-running Australian Election Study, the first survey in 1969 found that 51% of Australians trusted “people in government to do the right thing”. In the 2025 study, that figure was 32%. Less than a third of Australians now believe that our political leaders have our interests at heart. I think our democracy would benefit from reform that reduces partisan friction and fosters collaborative governance.
Australians would seem to be open to such a reform. In the 2025 study, the researchers decided to ask respondents what changes to the political system people would prefer to see. The most strongly supported proposal was for a citizens’ assembly, defined as “a body made up of randomly selected citizens who consider important policy issues and advise the government”.
Today, to celebrate the International Day of Democracy, at the United Nations in New York, a handbook is being launched as a testament to the evolving nature of democracy. The publication. titled Democracy Beyond Elections – a Handbook on Citizens’ Assemblies, outlines several successful citizens’ assemblies from around the world.
Over the past decade, many countries have had national citizens’ assemblies, but not yet in Australia. The UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Ireland, among others, have all taken this step.
In the UK, a citizens’ assembly called Your Voice on Immigration concluded its findings this month. Commissioned by the House of Commons, it was undertaken to inform the government’s immigration policy.
Earlier this year in France, the French parliament took up the primary recommendation to legalise assisted dying, following a national citizens’ assembly on the ‘End of Life’.
As trust in politics continues to fall, so too does the belief that our present institutions can do anything to arrest their own decline. By tapping into the community’s considered views, citizens’ assemblies can cut through years of political deadlock and help rebuild confidence in democracy.
Mr Churchill, the future of democracy has arrived; not just in Canberra yet.
About the author
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Luca Belgiorno-Nettis
Luca Belgiorno-Nettis is the founder and director of the newDemocracy Foundation.
