8/16/2019 citizens and politcs

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It has become accepted wisdom in public discourse that Australiansare disengaged with politics. But is that really the case? Morespecifcally, is this disinterest due to a lack o understanding o keyelection issues?

Many might assume that the average Australian knows very littleabout politics and that peoples general political awareness isdeclining. The growth over the last 40 years of the category of “swinging

 voter” is a reflection of a more fickle, whimsical and impulsive electorate,potentially fuelled by a lack of understanding of election issues.

!owever, there are various media outlets like "#he pro$ect, whereAustralians are guaranteed to receive an entertaining and airlyauthentic discussion o political and election matters. #his allowsAustralians to participate in the political conversation i they wantto.

 #he simple reality is that citi%ens are only interested in issues thata&ect their lives. Ma$or policy areas like ma$or ones ' the economy,health, education, cost o living and a sense o confdence about theuture ' are frmly rooted in people(s everyday lives.

More so, Many young people are very passionate about a ew policyissues and know them pretty well. But they don(t have the interestin the broader state o governance that older people do. I thinkbecause politicians have trouble understanding this, they think the

youth vote doesn(t matter, and because they don(t think it matterso course it doesn(t seem to in)uence policy decisions.

 Were !uite accustomed to thinking that "ustralians are a deeply cynical,disillusioned bunch# that we are all switching off from politics# and that thereis a deep rot setting into the fragile connections between our vital democraticinstitutions and the citi$ens they purport to represent.