By Denis Hay
Description
Political Change in Australia. The two-party system blocks social justice. Discover how meaningful political change is possible – and what voters can do now to shift power.
Introduction
Picture this: It’s election night in Australia. You’re watching the results roll in – again. Familiar faces, recycled promises, and little hope for genuine change. A sigh escapes as you recall the past decades: increasing inequality, privatised essential services, environmental inaction, and corporate influence on policy. Your neighbour lost his job last year. Your granddaughter can’t afford rent. And all you hear from Canberra is spin.
This cycle of disappointment isn’t just bad luck. It’s the product of a broken political system – one dominated by two major parties that serve the same entrenched interests. If you’re wondering why social justice in Australia always feels just unreachable, it’s time to understand why the two-party system is holding us back – and how we can break free.
The Problem – Why the Two-Party System Will Not Deliver Justice
Entrenched Interests and Party Donors
In 2022, over $100 million was poured into Australia’s political campaigns – much of it from undisclosed sources. Corporate donors fund both major parties, securing favourable policies in return.
“It’s like choosing between Coke and Pepsi,” says Melbourne-based teacher Karen Hughes. “Different branding, same ingredients – corporate interests first.”
From fossil fuel subsidies to privatisation contracts, both the ALP and LNP often align where it matters most: protecting wealth and power. It’s time to think about political change in Australia.
The Illusion of Choice
Remember when Labor promised to support welfare recipients? Then backtracked. Or when the Coalition promised housing affordability – yet property investors got richer?
This isn’t dysfunction – it’s design. With both major parties beholden to the same economic ideologies, real alternatives are systematically shut out.
Media Monopoly & Misinformation
Six corporations own 90% of Australia’s media, including Murdoch’s News Corp, which heavily influences political narratives. Independents are often ignored or vilified. Debate is stifled. Truth becomes optional.
The Real-World Consequences of Political Inaction
- The end of free university education. A young student, hopeful and inspired, signs up for a HECS debt.
-
That student is now 45, a nurse, a single mum. She stares at her balance: “$38,000 still to go.” “How will I ever own a home?” she wonders.
Multiply her by millions. Australia is now a country where:
• 1 in 6 children live in poverty.
• Renters are paying 60% of their income on shelter.
Key Findings:
- High-Income Earners Facing Rental Stress: The Everybody’s Home campaign group’s Priced Out 2025 report reveals that even individuals earning $100,000 annually are experiencing rental stress, defined as spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
- Severe Impact on Lower-Income Renters: Those earning $70,000 per year are spending over 50% of their income on rent, while individuals earning $40,000 may spend up to 100% of their income on housing.
- Regional Disparities: In Northern Western Australia, tenants are spending 55% of their income on rent, with the Gold Coast and Sydney following at 54% and 48%, respectively.
• Public health waitlists stretch for months.
Yet parliament debates tax cuts for the top 20%.
This isn’t mismanagement. It’s a deliberate system of exclusion. And the longer we wait for the two major parties to fix it, the more damage they do.
What It Will Take to Bring About Meaningful Change
Dismantling Neoliberal Ideology
Neoliberalism promotes privatisation, deregulation, and austerity. It’s baked into both major parties’ policies.
We need a shift towards public-first economics. That starts with recognising Australia’s monetary sovereignty. As the issuer of its own currency, Australia is never financially constrained. The limit is political will – not dollars.
Learn more: Modern Monetary Theory in Australia
Political Education & Civic Literacy
Most Australians don’t know how the economy actually works – or how political donations distort outcomes. Education campaigns, community forums, and alternative media like (Social Justice Australia) can shift this.
Systemic Reform Through Collective Action
• Community assemblies: Citizens collaborating on local governance.
• People-powered candidates: Independents with grassroots support.
• Policy platforms: Centred on justice, not donors.
Real change doesn’t start in parliament. It starts at your kitchen table.
How Voters Can Rapidly Bring the Best Outcomes
Make Every Seat Marginal
In Warringah and Indi, independents won against the odds. Why? Voters organised, door-knocked, and challenged the system.
Safe seats allow complacency. But when every vote counts, politicians listen.
The next federal election could see the LNP return to power – not because voters support their policies, but because of frustration with Labor’s failure to deliver meaningful change.
To avoid this, Australians must strategically vote for independents and minor parties who represent their values. Every independent elected reduces the major parties’ stranglehold.
Recent polling data indicates a tightly contested landscape between the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Liberal-National Coalition (LNP) as the federal election approaches. The latest Newspoll reveals a national two-party-preferred split favouring the Coalition at 51-49%. Similarly, a YouGov poll from March 21, 2025, shows an even 50-50 split between the two major parties.
Despite these figures, the Coalition faces challenges in converting this support into a parliamentary majority. The Newspoll analysis suggests that, due to regional variations and seat distributions, the Coalition might struggle to secure enough seats to form a government if an election were held today.
Given this context, strategic voting for independents and minor parties could play a pivotal role in shaping the next government. By supporting candidates outside the traditional two-party system, voters have the opportunity to influence policy directions and promote a more representative democracy.
Note: Polling data is subject to change as the election date approaches. For the most current information, refer to reputable news sources and polling organisations.
Links to other Polls:
Vote for Policy, Not Personality
Review of candidates based on:
• Transparency and community ties.
• Support for free public services.
• Climate action, housing justice, and political accountability.
Use tools like Vote Guide to compare policies, and They Vote for You to see how politicians vote in parliament on issues important to you. Additionally, searching the Facebook pages and other social media of new candidates can help you identify what they stand for. Also, make sure you vote wisely and strategically.
Demand Electoral Reform
Push for:
• Donation transparency
• Truth in political advertising laws
• Proportional representation
Citizens can reclaim democracy – if we demand it.
Support Independent Media
Independent voices break the two-party illusion. Share content from:
• Many other independent media here
What True Political Reform Looks Like
Imagine an Australia where:
• Everyone has access to free, quality housing and healthcare.
• Education is publicly funded and lifelong.
• Politics is shaped by people – not profit.
• Government invests in a just transition to renewable energy.
That’s not utopia – it’s democracy at work.
But to build it, we need to move beyond the duopoly.
Political Change in Australia: Time to Reclaim Our Democracy
Australia’s political system isn’t broken – it’s working exactly as designed: to entrench corporate power and silence real reform.
Yet, the power of political change in Australia rests with us. Through strategic voting, civic education, and organised community action, we can dismantle the grip of the two-party system.
You don’t have to wait for politicians. They’re waiting on you.
Question for Readers
What steps are you taking to help break the two-party cycle in your electorate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Q&A Section
Q1: Do independents have a real chance of winning seats?
Yes. In electorates like Warringah and Indi, community-backed independents have successfully challenged major parties by focusing on trust, integrity, and local issues.
Q2: What is Australia’s dollar sovereignty, and why does it matter?
As a currency issuer, Australia can fund public services without relying on taxes. This undermines the myth that we “can’t afford” justice or reform.
Q3: How can I influence change outside of elections?
Join local community groups, write to MPs, attend forums, and support media that challenges the status quo. Real change is constant – not just electoral.
Call to Action
If you found this article insightful, explore more about political reform and Australia’s monetary sovereignty at Social Justice Australia.
Share this article with your community to help drive the conversation toward a more just and equal society.
Click on our “Reader Feedback”. Please let us know how our content has inspired you. Submit your testimonial and help shape the conversation today!
Support Social Justice Australia – Help Keep The Platform Running
Unlike corporate-backed media, we rely on reader support. If you value independent, in-depth reporting:
👉 Donate now to help fund research, hosting, and future content.
This article was originally published on Social Justice Australia
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
Effective voting for independents requires some knowledge of the preferential voting system. This link will help you make your vote count.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiLAx7kp4Rc
The voting system is quite complicated here. I have always tried to study each candidate in Federal, or State, or Local council elections.
In Britain they have a general “First past the post” system.
Where I lived for 20 years – Hong Kong- the Governor was designated to be the representative of the British Crown and the judicial system and everything worked like clockwork. ( The 4 Governors who were there during my time were very popular with the – mainly Cantonese people of Hong Kong).
There was no such thing as voting and there still isn’t with the new Chinese order. No pension system either.
I wish the voting system here wasn’t so complicated- with preferences going hither and thither. I know it’s better that the the British system and the American system where people may just not vote at all, but it is quite complicated and I’m sure some people are confused by it.
“In 2022, over $100 million was poured into Australia’s political campaigns – much of it from undisclosed sources. Corporate donors fund both major parties, securing favourable policies in return.”
Funnily enough, Independants (and the lnp) voted against changes that would limit and expose these donations. Because they wanted more.
Maybe vote for the party who wanted to actually do something about it, instead of the party, and Indies, who wanted more?
OMG, is that THE Tom R?
Judith, I disagree, the voting system here is really quite easy.
The candidate who wins needs to have 50% plus at least one vote, so needs to get a clear majority.
That is easy when there are two candidates, but more often that not there are a few more.
So there are several ways to achieve the 50% plus one score, each voter gives their first preference, the number 1 to their preferred candidate. If that candidate does not get to 50% plus one, then the second preference is considered and then the third…., until there is a clear winner.
So get to know who you want to win the election and then consider the other candidates in order of your preference.
The alternative voting system can either be first past the post, but in a seat where there may be as many as say ten candidates, to achieve a number which reflects the voter’s desires may be hard to find, in fact the winner could get in with less that 20% of the vote…. or even 10% plus one vote. (i didn’t do the maths, but clearly it would be difficult to achieve 50% plus one vote)
The other way of achieving a mandate, a clear winner, is to have a run off election when no clear winner is found in the first election. This occurs in some European countries, such as France, as the last time when there was no clear winner, but the right wingers had achieved a scary (to many) amount of votes. The run off election, two weeks later saw the centrists win.
The negative in that system is that we would need to vote twice in two weeks.
How to vote cards are handed out by the political parties here, as an indication how your favourite party would distribute the preferences, but that is merely a guide, the vote ultimately is yours…. and there is no need to come back in two weeks and do it all again.
Another important feature of our system is the voting is compulsory. By having a system where by the winner MUST have a clear majority, ie at least 50% plus one vote, and that all citizens get to vote, and that the elections are run by an independent body means with scrutineers from each party on hand as votes are counted, that the results are accepted by the parties involved and the electorate as a whole.