On 27 March 2024, the House of Representatives called an inquiry into civics engagement, education, and participation in Australia.
Australian workers are disengaging from politics at an alarming rate. The 2022 Federal Election recorded the lowest turnout in the history of Australian compulsory voting. All workers should be able to access democracy so they can have a say on the issues that affect them. A variety of barriers are holding back workers from political engagement and civic participation, which include:
- Disinvestment from public education
- Insufficient focus on civic engagement in the Curriculum
- New stressors facing teachers
- Heightened economic stress and insecurity
- Misinformation
- Concentrated media ownership
- Barriers to voting for remote and disadvantaged communities
- Oppressive queues at polling booths.
- Lack of cultural and linguistic diversity in electoral materials
- Lack of faith in political institutions to meaningfully improve social conditions
We are deeply proud of the role that workers in union played in Australia's democratic development. Victorian Unions are committed to ensuring the survival of an active democracy for future generations of workers.
The challenges facing civic engagement in Australia are deep, interconnected and years-in-the-making. VTHC's submission is a program of systemic change and urgent reform capable of taking these challenges on.