Australia

The environment, encompassing issues such as pollution reduction, energy transition, and biodiversity maintenance, is a long-standing concern that is becoming increasingly urgent. Australian governments have shown a reluctance to consider policy changes in this area that might jeopardize the economy in any way, even when environmental management dividends would be significant. Equally problematic is their unwillingness to commit substantial effort to developing sustainable growth mechanisms. At the heart of the challenge is the country’s economically large and politically powerful resources industry. Energy and mining are major components of the economy, and these sectors have been politically active to the extent that campaigns by the energy industry have been critical to the removal and replacement of Australian prime ministers who dared to propose what were construed as “radical” environmental measures. Somewhat ironically, Australia is rich in renewable resources and is well-positioned to benefit from a global shift to clean energy. However, the lack of a sufficiently powerful incumbent renewable energy industry to counter the arguments of fossil fuel industry lobbyists has likely been a barrier to progress.

Recent years have seen a significant shift in the Australian government’s approach to environmental issues. Climate and the environment were prominent topics in the 2022 election, and the new Labor government has expressed much stronger commitments to environmental concerns, adopting a range of new measures to improve Australia’s environmental sustainability. However, this remains an area of relative weakness in the country’s overall sustainable governance performance. Decarbonization continues to be a politically challenging issue due to the political strength of the energy industry. This challenge underscores the need for measures to create a more favorable climate for environmental policymaking. Such measures might include reforms to political finance and lobbying to shield policymakers from the influence of energy sector agents, or the development of new, more collaborative mechanisms for establishing and maintaining stronger environmental commitments.

While Australia’s systems of governance perform strongly in many respects and generally retain high legitimacy, these social resources cannot be taken for granted. Steadily declining trust in political elites and institutions indicates that many Australians have diminishing faith in their governance processes as a means of representation and achieving meaningful policy reform. The strong evidence of marginalization and inequality based on geography (urban versus rural), gender, and ethnic/racial identity further illustrates a political system that is not delivering satisfaction across the board. Addressing these democratic deficits will require new modes of inclusion, activism, and deliberation to enable established institutions to listen and respond more effectively to groups of citizens – and non-citizens – whose interests have generally been neglected in Australian political discourse. Additionally, there is an urgent need for policies to materially improve the lives of those at the margins, including policies to boost housing affordability and facilitate economic opportunities beyond major cities.

Another pressing challenge facing Australia, like many other democracies, is the rise of disinformation, fueled by the internet and social media. Disinformation prominently featured in the recent constitutional referendum campaign for a Voice to Parliament, influencing many Australians’ perceptions of the likely effects of creating the new body. This episode demonstrated the potential for disinformation to impact major political events, in this case, the most significant debate in decades about the future of Indigenous affairs in the country. Two Australian subnational jurisdictions – South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory – have introduced truth in political advertising regulations. The government is currently developing a set of rules in this area to apply to political communication at the federal level, a move which current polling suggests would be welcomed by most citizens (Karp 2023).

Australia also faces significant uncertainties in its geopolitical context. Its relations with China – the country’s biggest economic trading partner but also a geopolitical competitor – have become increasingly complex. Navigating Australia’s dependence on Chinese markets alongside the oftentimes sharp differences between the countries’ political values is, and will continue to be, a major diplomatic challenge that will shape the geopolitical landscape for Australia and influence the dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region. Connected with the Australia-China relationship is Australia’s relationship with the United States and traditional European allies, especially Britain, which it has historically relied on for security. Increasingly, Australia is having to engage more closely with countries in its region (e.g., India) and interpret its interests in line with the requirements of its geography. Therefore, Australia’s priorities may not always align with those of the United States and Britain, even if they often will.

Besser, L. 2023. “The Voice campaign was infected with disinformation. Who’s in charge of inoculating Australians against lies?” ABC News October 17. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-17/voice-referendum-infected-disinformation-australians-lies/102981108

Karp, P. 2023. “Almost nine in 10 Australians support plan to outlaw lies in political advertising, poll shows.” The Guardian October 19. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/18/almost-nine-in-ten-australians-support-plan-to-outlaw-lies-in-political-advertising-poll-shows

Lahart, J. 2023. “Has Australia Solved the China Puzzle?” Politico October 23. https://www.politico.eu/article/australia-solve-china-puzzle