Democratic security

Modern democracies are in trouble, with historically moderate political systems experiencing destabilisation from anti-establishment and radical factions. These political movements are demonstrably harmful to international cooperation and represent a potent threat to the liberal international order and the stability that order seeks to foster.    

Our current conceptions of security are ill suited to explain these trends. Concepts like traditional state-centric security models and human security may address some concerns; yet they do not explain democratic decline. What is needed is a more contemporary lens, one that focuses on democratic security. 

Despite widely held concerns about the health of democracies around the globe, the concept of democratic security has yet to expand beyond the writings of a few EU democracy scholars.

Democratic security presents a lens which demonstrates that people and the democratic system in which they live are strongly correlated. Voters who are better educated, empowered by a rigorous media landscape, and encouraged to actively participate in politics, will be more resistant to the forces underpinning democratic backsliding.

A democratic system which regulates political advertising, regulates political donations, is clear and transparent, and possesses a robust anti-corruption framework, preserves the voter as the dominant political determinant in the democratic system.         

Democratic Security in Australia 

The Economist Democracy Index rates Australia as the 12th strongest democracy in the world. However, the strength of Australian democracy has waned since 2020 and the outbreak of COVID-19. Widespread protests over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, and an increase in far-right and neo-Nazi activity have further impacted social cohesion. Australia should be cognisant of its democratic security and wary of continued democratic decline.   

Current trends in the Australian education system, including low levels of accessibility to tertiary education and the way in which public schools are funded, represent a threat to Australia’s democratic security. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority reported that school children in years 6 and 10 recorded the lowest results in civics understanding on record. A democracy in which only 28 percent of 15-year-olds have a proficient understanding of civics is not a healthy one. 

Education also protects voters from threats like mis- and dis-information campaigns, factors that have become increasingly prevalent in a post-truth media environment. ASIO director Mike Burgess highlighted these threats in his most recent Annual Threat Assessment, reiterating that mis- and dis-information actively erodes our democratic system and degrades social cohesion.    

Political Transparency and Accountability

Empowerment of voters can also be accomplished through changes to the democratic system itself. Tighter regulation and increased transparency around political donations both increases trust in political systems and bolsters voter power to influence the direction of political change. Anti-corruption policies ensure that political representatives continue to act in the best interest of the people they represent, not their own self-interest.

Australia’s poor whistle-blower protections and unreliable anti-corruption agencies are not emblematic of democratic best practice. The Australian National Anti-Corruption Commission’s failure to address results of the Robodebt scandal, is one example, showcasing that a lack of political accountability undermines the strength of the democratic system. 

Public awareness and understanding of contemporary issues largely comes from what the public see in the news or on online platforms. A diverse, regulated media landscape that encourages journalistic rigour and covers multiple issues from multiple angles gives the voting public a comprehensive understanding of contemporary issues. When voters are aware and informed of these issues, they are better able to vote in a way that addresses their concerns and interests. 

The Global Media & Internet Concentration Project report Communications, media, and internet concentration in Australia, 2019 – 2022 shows that Australia’s media concentration is the second worst in the world and that it is only getting more concentrated over time. 

Factors like the closure of small and largely rural media outlets, persistent attacks on the ABC, and the privileged access to politicians enjoyed by media moguls, all negatively impact Australian voters by reducing the diversity of the media landscape and by concentrating power and influence in the hands of a few powerful individuals. For these reasons, among others, Australia sits 39th on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, well below other comparable western democracies.    

Social media platforms and their algorithms are equally concerning. By influencing what users see, social media platforms are able to impact individual voters and the democracy in which they live; as proven by the Facebook – Cambridge Analytica scandal.

This is especially concerning when considering that some of these companies, notably TikTok, are owned by Australian adversaries; and that as politicians adopt these platforms to reach younger audiences, they hand to foreign actors the capability to manipulate and disrupt Australian democratic processes. 

Democratic Security 

In an era where democracies are increasingly fragile, understanding how to protect and strengthen our democratic systems is of vital importance. The consequences of not doing so are playing out on the opposite shores of the Pacific, as the Trump administration degrades the American system in a way that compromises both American national security and the human security of the American people.

Factors previously not included in contemporary security discourse must be brought to the fore to promote and maintain the health of Australian democracy and the enduring prosperity of the Australian nation.    

This article was published by the Australian Institute for International Affairs.