The Illusion of Democracy

Smoke, Mirrors — and the Ballot Box

Democracy — from the Greek demos (the people) and kratos (rule).
Literally, rule by the people.

Democracy — We’re told we live in one.

But if our government is meant to reflect the will of the people, something isn’t adding up.

At the last federal election, the Labor Party secured just 32.6% of the primary vote — barely a third of Australians. The Liberal Party, meanwhile, slumped to just 23.9%.

Together, barely half the country still backs either so-called major party — a total collapse in public faith.

Yet despite recording its lowest primary vote in over a century, Labor swept into power with full control of government.

Australia's “two-party preferred” model, backed by a preferential system distorts reality and buries dissent.

It manufactures consensus where none exists — a political magic trick that gives the illusion of majority rule, even when most voters didn’t vote for the winner.

That’s not representation — it’s redistribution.

Tick a box, or spin a wheel? In Australia’s preferential system, your vote might go further than you think — and perhaps not in the direction you intended.

And at its core, democracy depends on choice — real choice. Not just between candidates, but between ideas, directions, values. That only works when there’s a meaningful distinction between the parties.

Today, Australia has no effective opposition. Just factions of the same political class, offering variations of the same directionless drift.

And if you think that’s bad, consider what happened after the Voice referendum.

Australians were asked a clear question: Should there be a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament?

They answered — loudly and clearly — “No.”

Across every state but one, Australians rejected the idea. The national vote wasn’t close. There was no ambiguity. And yet, state governments like Victoria and South Australia have moved ahead with their own legislation to implement Voice-style advisory bodies anyway — as if the referendum never happened.

Democracy, or just a hall of reflections? The performance is polished, but the choices are more illusion than substance.

How can a system that bypasses the public will at every turn still call itself a democracy?

What has become clear is that we’re no longer governed by public consensus — we’re managed by political machines.

Machines that consult us when it’s convenient — and sideline us when it’s not.

And all the while, they rely on one thing to keep it going — the inherited belief that government still acts in our interest.

Most Australians grew up thinking public servants serve the public. That democracy protects the common good. But that trust — quiet, automatic, and passed down through generations — has been exploited.

Trust has become the grease in a machine that no longer serves the people and only provides the illusion of doing so.

Trust was never the lubricant — we were. The gears of modern politics grind on, powered by public faith… and fed by the people it was meant to serve.

Despite everything, many still believe that those in power are acting in good faith. That the system, while flawed, is fundamentally fair.

But unless we’re willing to confront just how far things have drifted, we’ll keep handing over our power to those who don’t deserve it.

And it raises a deeper question — one we can’t fully explore here, but can no longer ignore: Who are our politicians really working for?

Incompetence only gets you so far. The rest? Ground Control’s Planned Decline begins to pull back the curtain.

Who's really pulling the strings? When both sides of politics dance to the same tune, the outcome feels rigged no matter who you vote for.

But here’s the thing — the system is still ours.

The mechanisms of democracy haven’t vanished. They’ve simply been obscured, distorted, and handed over to those who’ve mastered the art of manipulating them.

That doesn’t mean we abandon the process — it means we need to understand it more deeply than ever before. We must sharpen our awareness and learn to use every lever to our advantage— local councils, community movements, independent candidates, referendums, and particularly preference flows.

Democracy isn’t something you vote for once every few years. It’s something that must be defended daily.

It’s time we stopped treating elections like they're the end of our say — and started treating them as the beginning of our responsibility. If we don’t hold the system to account, it will continue to operate in someone else’s favour.

If democracy really means rule by the people,
then let’s stop pretending — and start participating.

At some point, the audience becomes the opposition. A system built on silence only works until the people find their voice.

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Signal Boost

If this hit home, don’t keep it to yourself. The more people who understand how far Australia has drifted, the harder it becomes to ignore.

Consider sharing this post with friends and family to raise awareness — or better yet, start your own conversation.

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Disclaimer:

All views expressed are the personal views of Darren Kelly. They are independent of any official role or organisation and reflect an ongoing commitment to open discussion and democratic integrity.