Political system bogged down

While the economy is still performing reasonably well in Australia, the political system is a major problem.

It is often frequently hopelessly bogged down in adversarial controversy resulting in delays, no policy at all and loss of confidence by the voters in the system itself.

The refugee crisis is a glaring case in point.

Strangely very few commentators ask what seems to be the obvious questions: Why is it so and what can be done about it?

The straight jacket of the two-party system is certainly not helpful.

Large minorities in both parties have fundamental differences with their party platform.

The recent ALP National Conference was little short of a disaster.

Major unresolved policy areas remained entirely undiscussed.

One wonders when the progressives will break away from the ALP and form their own parliamentary party.

After the major inquiry about intra-party reform and the declining membership, nothing was decided.

In the Coalition, party support for Abbott's negative campaigning would drop away overnight if the polls changed.

The dysfunctional two-party system in Australia is the direct result of the current electoral system.

A change to proportional representation (open party list system) would bring about an entirely different political culture, bring flexibility into the parliament, create more parties, diversity and quality of representational governance.

There are alternatives.

New parties would quickly emerge and grow.

Why is there no public debate about this?

Where are the reformers?

Email, 21 Dec 2011 Klaas Woldring, Pearl Beach