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The 23 objectives of the Australian Democrats were balloted by the membership in 1997, and represent an attempt through participative democracy to codify the overall policy aims and objectives of the Australian Democrats.

Background and rationale

Participatory democracy was a founding principle for the Australian Democrats. For instance, the inaugural leader Don Chipp stated in 1977 that the Australian Democrats were founded on the premise that members be given the opportunity “for a greater say in the decisions that affect them”,Chipp, D. 1977, cited in Gauja, A. 2004. The Internal Organisation of the Australian Democrats: Lessons for Participatory Parties. Refereed paper presented to the Australasian Politics Studies Association Conference. University of Adelaide. 29/9/04-1/10/04. p.1.weblink . Retrieved 31 August 2016. and the importance of participatory democracy is also a theme in Chipp’s 2004 memoirs.Chipp, D. 2004. Keep the Bastards Honest. Brighton, Don Chipp Enterprises. Political scientist Anika Gauja writes that the Australian Democrats “strived to present novel opportunities for individual political participation. In contrast to the organisation of the major parties, the membership is intended to be the driving force of the party: formulating policies, selecting office-bearers, pre-selecting parliamentary candidates, and deciding party leadership”Gauja, A. 2005. The Pitfalls of Participatory Democracy: A Study of the Australian Democrats’ GST. Australian Journal of Political Science. 40(1). pp. 71-85, and p. 71 for quotation. Gauja argues that, insofar as the Australian Democrats used membership ballots as the basis of their intra-party decision making, “they represent an unusual example for a party that has sought to promote direct participation in policy development ...”Gauja, A. 2013. The Politics of Party Policy: From Members to Legislators. New York and London, Palgrave. p. 147. Similarly, researcher Cathy Madden wrote in 2009 that the Australian Democrats “established a practice of participatory democracy unusual in Australian politics”Madden, C. 2009. Australian Democrats: The passing of an era. Research Paper. Parliament of Australia, Department of Parliamentary Services. Parliament Library. 27 March 2009, no. 25, 2008-9. {{ISSN|1834-9854}}. See p.3 for quotation. According to GaujaGauja. 2005. p. 73. and Madden,Madden, 2009. p.73 the commitment of the Australian Democrats to participatory democracy originated from the new politics movement of the time, which emphasized participation in democratic decision-making,See for instance Kaufman, W.A. 1968. The Radical Liberal: The New Politics: Theory and Practice. New York, Simon and Schuster. and the existing commitment to participatory decision-making as already established in the Australia Party, an important predecessor to the Australian Democrats.See also Warhurst, J. 1997. A party of new ideas: the Australia Party. In: J. Warhust (ed.) Keeping the Bastards Honest: The Australian Democrats First Twenty Years. (25-26). Sydney, Allen and Unwin. The balloting of the objectives, that is, having objectives formulated, discussed, and voted upon by the membership, was a way of putting this participative democracy into practice, as well as codifying the basic aims and direction of the Australian Democrats. In 1997, the objectives were formulated, discussed, voted upon, and duly published.The Australian Democrats National Journal, June, 1997. See also A Comparison of Party Values. The Australian Democrats. The Ethos Centre. Retrieved 14 September 2016, and WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, . In subsequent years there were at times differing interpretations within the Democrats as to how the 23 objectives were to be interpreted and applied,Gauja, 2005. although, in his 2004 memoir, Don Chipp vigorously defends the right of individuals within the Australian Democrats to reach differing interpretations of the objectives as a rightful function of conscience.Chipp, D. 2004. See also Madden 2009.

Coverage

The 23 objectives cover a range of policy issues, including animal rights, Objective 18, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, the arts, Objective 7, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, education, Objective 16, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, the environment, Objectives 2,4,8,22, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, health, Objective 13, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, inclusivity,Objectives 3,7,9, inWEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, income security, Objective 18, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, indigenous rights, Objectives 7,21, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, individual enterprise,Objectives 15,19, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, industrial democracy,Objective 5, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, media policy, Objective 17, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, national planning,Objective 8, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, participatory democracy,Objective 11, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, peace and international cooperation, Objective 3, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, political independence,Objective 1, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, population, Objectives 2,12, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, political values, Objective 9, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, sustainability,Objective 4, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016, and rural development.Objectives 6,10,13, in WEB,weblink Australian Democrats National Constitution And Regulations, 15 January 2000, AustralianPolitics.com, 6 September 2016,

References

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