The three-body problem of Australian politics

Our emerging system of deliberative government and the resistance it is likely to meet

Australia already has a multi-party system, though most political discussion carries on as if the choice were still between Labor and the Coalition. It’s time that changed. We are heading towards a federal election that will be unlike any previous election, and to maximise its democratic potential, we need to think about how multi-party power might work. Our own three-body problem, if you like.¹

To make the point, let’s begin by considering what happened at the 2022 federal election.

Not only were six community independents elected in previously safe Liberal seats, the Greens picked up more seats than they have ever had, winning them from the Liberals and Labor, mainly in Queensland. Well-established crossbenchers like Andrew Wilkie and Rebecca Sharkie consolidated their position, while Labor came a buster when independent Dai Lei cut the strings from the parachute Labor had attached to their “star” candidate Kristina Keneally and won the “safe” Labor seat of Fowler. The crossbench retai…