Since colonial times Australians have looked to the United States as a model for developing a wide territory. The founders of federated Australia looked substantially to American federalism for guidance. Yet in recent times, prominent American authors have lamented a decline in civil society while noting an increasing disengagement from politics. In Australia commentators likewise notice a growing alienation from our political system, and attribute this to a growing subservience to the market ideology imported from the United States. To the extent that such observations are true they signify a decline in our trust in the democratic system.
The central theme of this book is recognition of a classical conception of democracy that puts actual 'government by the people' at the heart of democratic conversation and practice. In modern Australian terms this is embodied in a 'dialectical' democracy whereby the two-party system ideally embraces the broad range of political values and needs of the people. When functioning well, the Australian polity is a far cry from the American.
