The Absentee Dissenters

“…Members of Parliament must be more vigilant when it comes to defending democratic processes, discharging their responsibilities as elected representatives and ensuring adequate scrutiny”

Senator Kim Carr, Chair, Senate Inquiry into ‘Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy’¹

This is a tale of two Parliamentary reports. The first is the report of the Senate Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy. The second is a dissenting report by government members of that committee.

In July 2019, the Senate referred an inquiry to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee. The inquiry was recognition of a growing sense that democracy was under threat. Public trust in democratic institutions was declining. Notions of national identity, which could be the roots of a democratic community, were changing as the world became increasingly interconnected. Political divisions appeared to be increasing in the face of rapid economic, social and cultural change. Public trust in elected representatives was at record lows. The committee set out to engage with these trends in a bipartisan way.²

In February 2021, the Senate Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy delivered its official report, recommending measures which could significantly strengthen Australia’s democracy and improve parliamentary and government decision-making.

It is the outcome of 20 months consideration of submissions from 210 individuals and organisations, backed by erudite discussion papers and two roundtables with experts drawn from many disciplines. The report contains eighteen recommendations.

The Senate Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy delivered its official report, recommending measures which could significantly strengthen Australia’s democracy

Attached to this was a second document, a dissenting report from members of the same inquiry - except that this supplementary offering provided nothing constructive.