Why Australia has the Best Democracy in the World
🕑 Added 2025-06-29 03:20:19 +0000 UTC[Early Access]
Hello Patrons,
In the last poll we got a lot of responses saying you want an explainer on how the Australian senate works, so here it is. Since the election there have been some loud voices talking about how we need a proportional voting system like the one we have for the senate in the lower house as well. We use this video as an opportunity to show how our current system is the best.
We've gone through a large chunk of the popular topics from the last patreon suggestion poll, we'll be collecting new suggestions tomorrow so tune in then to suggest videos you want to see.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for the support,
The FJ Crew
Comments
Greenlach7
Is it bad that Iβm a green member but enjoy Jordies slamming the greens
Just A Cultist
What's there to say, really? If Woodside's extension is fully legal under the EPBC Act, then Labor's Environment Minister can't say no to it without facing potential legal action. The EPBC Act is a creation of Howard and Labor's attempts to update the act with the "Nature Positive Plan", which was killed by Former Labor Senator Fatima Payman due to opposition from WA's Mining industry Labor intends to bring back the 'Nature Positive Plan", again, a plan that would drastically expand environmental protections and potentially prevent future extensions of Gas and Minerals like that of Woodside
Alexandra Kalivodova
Hmmm, still no peep about the Woodside extension. C'mon Jordan, we know it matters to you. Unsubscribed.
Dec Gleeson
Mate that's every country in the world that isn't Russia or China
Matt CLARKE
Hannah Thomas: Former Greens candidate charged after injury in arrest at pro-Palestine protest https://share.google/vAC1OrULuhnOvcoTn
Matt CLARKE
Peaceful upstanding citizens protesting a business profiting from genocide, met with violence from police thugs.. because their paperwork wasn't in order. IDK, sounds more like a dictatorship π€·
Matt CLARKE
A democracy to the extent we don't slightly annoy the United States of America/Israel, their wealth extraction and genocidal ambitions. Albo, Wong and Watt have made that clear.
Jesse
I used to buy into these proportional arguments, but more in favour New Zealand system of Mixed-Member Proportional. Either way, effectively these systems would be similar to abolishing the lower house (which is redundant) and just keeping the senate. Which arguably wouldn't make much difference to the current system given we would still have the same grid lock but just without a second redundant lower house. The reality is these 2 systems do not function that much differently in outcomes. The main outcome of the lower house being the house of government is ministers come from major parties. So the make up of the executive does not have to kowtow to minor parties (except of course, the Nationals hahaha). And yes, obstructionist minor parties also can't just terminate and blow up the government so easily or hold them to ransom, but this is also why the Liberals are forced into a hard Coalition agreement with the Nationals. And yes, look at where that has got them. So I take Jordan's point, arguably the Australian electoral system of 2 houses with the review house being proportional (thus limiting the influence of fringe groups), may arguably be better and outperform New Zealand. The thing is, this is all irrelevant of course. Why has the Australian electoral system evolved this way? It's because the constitution requires 2 houses, so the senate can represent states. Anyone with half a brain can see constitutional change (for better or worse) in Aus is near impossible. So instead of adopting New Zealand's model of abolishing one house and going to MMP, we just created a watered down version of it using 1 of the 2 houses so we didn't have to bother with a referendum. And if we were to make one constitutional change to the electoral system, it would be 4-year terms not changing the electoral voting system.
Greenlach7
letβs make this a series
Jacob van Acker
But muuuuum, I want permanent gridlock from maccasss
Jo
There is a degree of the greens having a use as filtering out the far woke left out of the labor party into them. In UK Labour they are inside the labour party and in combination of Tony Blair disconnecting union power the party is culturally very weird and disconnected from the working class.
afruitlesshippo
Username checks out
Putz
Factually incorrect video! That beeping sound is from McDonalds, not KFC!
Nathan Croucher
Means little when hands on healing, god made me PM, evangelical, liar from the shire, morrison gets in. He's comparable to that orange and they only got 2 choices.
stolenshortsword
i think you were distracted by the temptation of shitting on the greens so much that you forgot to substantively explain the powers and duties of the senate in much detail
Ains
Ugh, every time I hear someone use the word neurospicy I flinch.
KazTastic222
But it works in Canberra* - Max Chandler-Main Character, probably. *Because they vote for us
Alex Isaac
There's been two independent Australia articles arguing for proportional voting. Two different authors. Both using the nationals as the comparison. And the simps who agree with it will argue all day in the comments but dismiss reality about the nationals only targeting seats it's likely to win unlike the greens. Or that people vote Labor 2 knowing the other party isn't likely to win but they want them to get some funding.
Sir Jo
Do a live after this, good content
Selwyn Bore
Politics is the art of compromise
Nick Evans
Props to the editor for the crab rave π€
Ooga Booga
Explain what democracy is in Caveman terms