By Andrew Mackinnon

Last updated: 9th April, 2024

Australian citizens have little say in the direction in which the Australian federal government takes Australia and have had little say for decades.

Australian citizens urgently need a formal, structured mechanism for making their views known to the Australian federal government about policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) that necessarily affect their interests as Australian citizens and the health of Australia as a nation.

In the interests of protecting and enhancing democracy in Australia, the Australian federal government should operate a discussion forum on the internet as an Australian federal government service to Australian citizens, which is exclusively concerned with policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) that necessarily affect their interests as Australian citizens and the health of Australia as a nation, so that Australian citizens can participate in such a discussion forum on the internet, in order to make their views on policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) known in good faith and discuss policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) with other Australian citizens, as a means of effectively and efficiently informing their elected Australian federal representatives in the Australian federal parliament and Australian federal government employees in Australian federal government services (collectively known as the Australian Public Service (APS), ideally named the “Australian Civil Service (ACS)”) of their views as Australian citizens regarding policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government).

Since such a discussion forum on the internet would be operated by the Australian federal government, Australian citizens would hopefully be motivated to participate in good faith and ensure that the views they make known and the discussions they conduct conform to high standards of integrity.

Obviously, it would be in the best interests of Australian citizens participating in such a discussion forum on the internet to make their views known and conduct discussions in the best possible manner, in order to convince other Australian citizens participating in such a discussion forum on the internet to adopt their views.

However, by enabling Australian citizens to discuss policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) with each other, such a discussion forum on the internet would provide Australian citizens with opportunities to learn from the views of other Australian citizens about policy, legislation and issues (associated with the Australian federal government) and adjust their own views when they realise that the views of other Australian citizens better serve the interests of Australian citizens and the health of Australia as a nation.

The name for this discussion forum on the internet could be “Australian Discussion”.

The website for this discussion forum on the internet could be “australian-discussion.gov.au”.