[slybaldguy]

As i understand it Australia's political system is a hybrid of British and US bicameralism, with the Alternative Voting System. Do Australians feel their system is superior to that of the British and Americans?

[foxdemon]

Do Australians feel their system is superior to that of the British and Americans?

The Australian system would possibly equivalent to the US system in terms of system effectiveness. Both have different strong and week points. However the British system is clearly superior to both.


The US system has an advantage of serious competition between two different views of how things ought be done. In Australia there is an unhealthy consensus. I would say the Americans have a deeper sense of the values their system is built on. The US constitution spells out those values and makes it easy to identify what American politics stands for.


The Australian system has a British style executive that avoids dead locks form too many 'checks and balances' where as the US system can get bogged down in a crisis. Also, compulsory voting avoids low turn outs and the 'hanky panky' that goes on with voting in America. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is a world standard organization. So the process of voting is superior in Australia.


The British system has the same appreciation of the values underlying the system as do the Americans, but they also have the advantage of the Australian system- executive with enough power to deal with a crisis (the Australian system is very close to the Westminster system). Voting in the UK is simpler than in Australia. There doesn't seem to be much advantage to Australia's preferential system compared to the first past the post system in the UK. Only it is more complicated.


In short, the Australian system could be superior to the US system if there was a well developed civil culture that upheld the values the system is based on. Then it would be equal to the British system.

[slybaldguy]

I see. What's voter turnout like in OZ? In the UK it averages at little over 50%.

[AVT]

I see. What's voter turnout like in OZ? In the UK it averages at little over 50%.

Voting is compulsory with the occasional fine being issued against people who don't turn up, it is generally around 93 - 95 %.

Source: http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/austral ... urnout.htm

I like the preferential system as it lets me choose exactly how my vote is distributed, eg I can vote for a minor party and still direct my preferences to a larger party that is more likely to win instead of splitting the vote. Also I would not argue the UK system is superior, their upper house is comprised of churchmen and hereditary peers (mostly)! It is a relic from a long past age.