About the Taskforce
The Department of Home Affairs established the Strengthening Democracy Taskforce in January 2023, recognising that our democracy is a national asset that should be protected.
Democracies around the world are under threat from a range of anti-democratising forces, including foreign interference, rising disinformation and discord online, polarisation, and declining reserves of public trust.
Australian democracy is strong, but it is not immune to a range of emerging and evolving threats. Some threats are acute, others more chronic in nature; some emerge locally, others from abroad. Collectively, they challenge three historic strengths of Australian democracy:
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Trusted institutions: the security, integrity, legitimacy, responsiveness, and performance of democratic institutions
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Credible information: the accuracy, relevance, responsibility, accessibility, and civility of information flows within a deliberative public sphere
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Social inclusion: a society that is connected, cohesive, participatory, engaged and respectful, reinforcing and reflecting a sense of common purpose and shared identity
Drawing on Australia’s tradition of democratic resilience and innovation, the Taskforce’s mission is to determine what can be done – practically – to strengthen Australian democracy.
How the Taskforce works
The Taskforce is engaging across the Australian government and with state and territory governments, as well as with research experts, civil society organisations, cultural institutions, business communities, and professional and community groups.
Through this engagement, the Taskforce is exploring possibilities for safeguarding and sustaining Australia’s democratic resilience, in the near term and for the long term. Its ongoing work is informed by research, data and evidence, and by consultation and engagement.
The Taskforce is focused on understanding the challenges and opportunities facing Australian democracy over the coming decade.
Taskforce report
On 15 July 2024, the Minister for Home Affairs the Hon. Clare O’Neil MP launched the Taskforce’s report entitled
Strengthening Australian Democracy: a practical agenda for democratic resilience at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra.
See Minister O’Neil’s website for a
transcript of the Minister’s keynote address.
Expert Advisors
The Taskforce has benefitted from high-level advice from four independent Expert Advisors with diverse experience in academia and business, in Australia and internationally:
- Professor Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Stanford University
- Professor Rod Sims AO, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
- Ms Leila Smith, CEO of Aurora Education Foundation
- Professor Ngaire Woods (CBE), founding Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
Their role is to help guide, challenge, test and support the work of the Taskforce during its foundational phase.
More information and resources
