Democracy in Australia and overseas is under attack, Minister for Home Affairs Clare O'Neil says. (AAP image: Lukas Coch)
In short:
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil warns that democracy is under threat due to populism, misinformation, disinformation and foreign interference.
The democratic system is declining in both established and recent democracies, threatening social cohesion, she said in a speech on Monday night.
What's next?
The democracy of today needed to adapt to these challenges, and Australia could be "integral" to its revitalisation, Ms O'Neil said.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil warns that democracy in Australia and overseas is under threat due to populism, misinformation, disinformation and foreign interference.
Speaking the day after an assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Ms O'Neil said both established and recent democracies were declining, and the system needed to adapt to modern challenges.
"Many democratic countries are becoming less democratic. Like a virus, populists are replicating at an exponential rate," she said in a speech at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra on Monday night.
"New strains of nationalism are emerging around the world. They are personalising political power, strangling free speech, attacking diversity and adopting 'strongman' authoritarian measures—all in the name of 'saving the soul of the nation'," she said.
"It seems like the democratic project is backsliding — not only in newer, less robust democracies but also in democracy's heartland."
She said social media platforms were not neutral mediums, but "big players" that pushed people into echo chambers.
"Like many newspapers that began as sources of essential information and then degenerated into purveyors of propaganda, social media algorithms push people into filter bubbles and echo chambers that entrench polarising beliefs."
Foreign adversaries were using information warfare and psychological methods to "sow discontent and disunity" in Australia, she said, noting the case of two Russian-born Australian citizens who were charged with spying offences on Friday.
She also spoke of threats to social cohesion and the part they play in eroding democracy.
"Denying access to government services, terrorising politicians and their staff, painting symbols of terrorism in public spaces, smashing windows, setting buildings alight," she said.
"These are the measures of autocrats, despots and tyrants. They have no place in our democracy."
Australia must not become 'island of democracy in a sea of autocracy'
The democracy of today needed to revitalise and adapt to these challenges, and Australia could be "integral" in that process, she said.
"The democracy of 2025 cannot be expected to look identical to the democracies of 2005, or 1985," Ms O'Neil said.
"Every generation needs to discover how to nurture and protect their democracy."
Collective action was needed to strengthen democracy, she said.
"The project of democratic renewal can't be led by one person, one task force, or one government. It needs the expertise of our communities and businesses, our universities and think tanks, our charities and philanthropies," Ms O'Neil said.
"We can't let Australia become an island of democracy in a sea of autocracy," she said.
"We also need to defend democracy on the global stage, while learning from the efforts of like-minded partners."