How Australian Democracy Works: And why we need it more than ever

by Amanda Dunn (Editor)

The real story of how power works in this country ...

In recent years, the trust in Australian politics and politicians has been at an all-time low. From political polarisation and the spread of disinformation to the lack of trust in the public institutions that underpin our government, the truth can often be hard to find.

How Australian Democracy Works is a pulse check of our country's political health and a helpful guide to understanding our nation's political history and our place in the world, from government, parliament, the Constitution and pressing policy issues.

Discover the best, most current analysis from people with valuable experience and expertise to better understand who we are, how we got here and where we might go next. From The Conversation's top academic writers comes an honest and informed call to examine, rethink and safeguard Australia's unique democracy.


'This is the book I wish I had when I enrolled to vote for the first time! Accessible and essential reading for all Australians.' ­- Bridget Hustwaite, presenter and bestselling author of How to Endo


'A comprehensive look at Australian democracy, past and present. How Australian Democracy Works covers absolutely everything you need to know to ensure you go into vote as informed as possible.' - Leo Puglisi, 6 News


'Thoughtfully conceived and artfully curated, How Australian Democracy Works provides a compelling argument for why the humanities, their scholars and their disciplines, are not only relevant in today's town square, but also vitally necessary. Rigorous, insightful and critically engaged without a hint of jargon or affect, these essays collectively and cumulatively demonstrate the value of polyvocal a hallmark of democracy itself. How Australian Democracy Works deserves a place in every school library, and on a few politicians' and journalists' bookshelves too. Superb.' - Professor Clare Wright, Professor of History and Professor of Public Engagement, La Trobe University and author of the Democracy Trilogy


'It's more important than ever that Aussies are equipped with the tools they need to feel empowered to engage with the world around them. How Australian Democracy Works does just that - it takes the meatiest topics that underpin our democracy and package it up in a way we can all understand and learn from. We all need to play a role in moving this country forward, and this book gives you the toolkit to be part of that solution.' - Zara Seidler, The Daily Aus

'How Australian Democracy Works pools some of our country's most prized journalists into a thorough and engaging account of Australia's political system. This is a fascinating and hugely vital book, one that simultaneously recounts our country's political history and current structure, while proving how pivotal it is to safeguard democracy. Complex concepts are broken down into layman's terms, and reading this left me feeling smarter and more encouraged to be an engaged political citizen. I wish I had this book earlier!' - Maggie Zhou, writer, editor and podcaster

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Australia

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘… trust in politics and politicians is low and shows no sign of recovery.’

Speaking of Australian politics … during the six days it has taken me to read this book, the LNP coalition split, and now seems on the verge of a reunion. And, in the seat of Bradfield, a recount is guaranteed: with 100% of the vote counted, only 8 votes separate the Liberal and Independent candidates. Once upon a time, Bradfield was considered a safe Liberal seat.

The most recent Australian Federal election was held on 3 May 2025, after this book was published. While Labor was returned to government, with a majority in the House of Representatives, it did so with a small increase in primary votes. Preference flows have been critical in both determining the Labor win and the LNP loss. I’ll leave the analysis to the experts.

This book, a collection of articles by academic authors published by The Conversation, is divided into seven parts:

Part I How Parliament Works
Part II The Constitution
Part III How Government Works
Part IV Shaping Australian Life
Part V Democracy and Accountability
Part VI Key Challenges Facing our Democracy
Part VII The Politics of the Present

Because this book is focussed on the history and processes of Australian democracy, it is worth reading. It contains especially important material for those unfamiliar with the history of the Australian Commonwealth, including those who (apparently) no longer learn about Australian civics at school.

While the entire book is valuable, I would particularly recommend Parts VI and VII for those looking to the future.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Alex Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely and very informative read - exactly what we need right now, a tight, well written book on what we have here in Australia, one of the most functional democracies globally. Its easy to be complacent about it, and quite frankly many of us don't really understand how it works. With democracy under threat by oligarchs, dictators and fascists, its on us to really understand why Australian democracy is a bit special, and why its worth defending and improving.

A collection of chapters on various aspects of democracy from its historical background to its current status, its both authoritative and interesting - downright entertaining in places. Its written by some of Australia's top academics from The Conversation, and well-edited into a coherent flow by Amanda Dunn. It works on several levels - its a great educational resource for students, immigrants and any citizen who just wants to understand how our democracy works - and it does exactly what it says on the tin, in that regard. Its also a very useful reminder of what a gem it is in comparison to say the USA's archaic, threadbare and under-siege constitution - while not shying away from its defects, and supplying practical ideas for defending and improving it.

A triumph by the Conversation team, and i hope its widely read.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The shorthand story of politics is that it is a perennial struggle between hope and fear"

Loved this! It's a collection of articles from numerous authors published together to form a comprehensive guide to how our (Australian) democracy works. I think the authors and editors did a fantastic job condensing the history of Australian politics and history into digestable and segmented formats. My absolute favourite portion of the book was the section that focused on the Australian constitution and its long withstanding influence on politics in the modern era. My own skepticism towards our current major political parties brought me to reading this but I came out of it a whole lot more appreciative for how we stand compared to other major democracies around the world.

Whilst Australia is still a very young country, I gained a lot out of reading the material found in this book and yet still remain confused as fuck about where to go from here - If anything, I feel more disillusioned about the major political parties than before picking this up. I guess my sentiments align very well with the book's sprawling description of Australia's political landscape in the 21st century.

To summarise, "Australia has been obsessed with being one that any hint of difference has been denied. Denying difference has disavowed diversity."

[Phillip Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book prior to the Federal election of 3/5/2025.
It’s Friday afternoon the day before the election. Having read this book I sit more comfortably in my intended voting. Also somewhat comfortable that our democracy on balance is stable. It will wobble while the major parties and their actors get their act together. Both the major parties are still looking at the past and not significant reforms for the future. The minority parties and independents will be needling both the majors for some time to come. That ugly duckling for me is our democracy at work.
I was spooked by the politics of the USA and Europe and wondered if Australia could follow the pattern. I am less spooked now.
The most significant lesson for me out of this book is the realisation that the First Nations people are wanting to work with our system, the 3 tiers of Government ( cumbersome though it is) notwithstanding the recent no vote. That is democracy ( our democracy) at work.
The authors of the chapters are to be congratulated for their writings. It was a history lesson containing many basic facts that get missed in today’s news cycle. I learnt and relearned much from this book.

You can read it after the election the book has a lengthy shelf life.

Enjoy.

[Liam McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what it says it is, a timely pulse check on our political landscape prior to the months ahead. A good refresher/introduction in the initial chapters to bring everyone up to speed before delving into the more specific topics and the “here and now”.

Would highly recommend to anyone not knowing where to start or wanting to build upon what they understand prior to election season.

On a less serious note: get the National Press v MP all star cricket match on Kayo PLEASE.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of articles by authors contributing to The Conversation, in 7 Parts: How Parliament works, The Constitution, How Government works, Shaping Australian Life, Democracy and accountability, Key challenges facing Democracy, The politics of the present. Mostly factual and informative accounts which ordinary citizens should be aware of. The final chapter, a 5 star job, on the present state sums it up well in the title “Between the bloodless and the nasty”.

[Tom J · Rating 4 out of 5]

generally quite good, covers most of what the average person needs to know. unfortunately has the problem a lot of academics get when talking to a general reader where they need to show off their vocabulary and it gets in the way of the information that they're trying to communicate. words like "obliquy" should not be in a book that is intended to inform the average person, and it's genuinely bizarre that so many pointlessly obscure terms made it through the editing process

[Gede · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good refresher with a wide variety of authors explaining Australian democracy but nothing in particular new that I learnt. Felt this book was published solely for the purpose of educating those on the lead up to the 2025 election rather than an in depth explanation.

[Carola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good intro book for new citizens like me (or anyone not so familar with Australian politics). The essay format means it is a bit repetitive but engaging overall.

[SLAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely explained concepts I haven’t understood. Essay format meant ideas were repeated and pictures/graphs/maps would’ve helped but otherwise illuminating.

[Charles Doquile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starting point for me. Could have used some more in depth analysis of policies and bills, but that’s clearly not the point of the book. Very educational, very easy read. loved it.