The privilege of living in a democratic country comes with responsibilities for each individual – responsibilities to, amongst others:
- participate in elections (to vote),
- be politically active – attend meetings, attend protests, communicate with elected representatives to influence decision-making
- make informed political decisions – take the trouble to find out who stands for what policies, who just gives lip-service to stated values and policies, and find out whether the incumbent party in government has broken election promises
- respect the rights of others with differing views, and
- hold elected officials accountable – don’t re-elect those who have broken election promises or ignored their stated values.
Those who meet their responsibilities should have the privilege of participating in the democratic process by voting, but what about the others? What about those who have no interest in politics, those who are apathetic, those who have scant knowledge of which political party is offering what, those who vote for a ‘team’ regardless of what they do and regardless of changing their policies, and those who vote for a candidate because the person ‘has nice eyes’ or is of a particular sex? What about those who through age or illness are suffering mental decline, those whose capacity for rational and critical thought is still developing and what about those who cast their vote at the direction of their religious leaders? Should they be compelled to vote, excluded from voting or left to decide for themselves?
Classic Liberals’ view is that every adult citizen should have a right to vote but voting should be voluntary. It should be up to each eligible voter to decide whether to vote and who for. It will however encourage people to embrace their democratic responsibilities and remind people that if they don’t vote they lose the moral right to complain.
I would like Australia to have a conversation about the preferred frequency of elections, whether there is a way to significantly reduce the costs of holding elections, whether the resignation of a prime minister should trigger an election, and whether those elected on a ticket, representing a political party, should be permitted to ‘cross the floor’, vote against the decision of their party. There is merit in holding elections every 5 years but subject to the people having the right to call an election after 3 years. Also, since the leader of political party is crucial to its success at the ballot box, the loss of a prime minister should trigger an election. Also, since most people these days vote for a political party, the candidate should adhere to party directives. If they want the right to cross the floor, then they should stand as an independent.
Written by: Mark M.J. Morris (May 2026)