Exploring Australian Understanding of Politics, Power, and Ideology

This essay delves into the Australian understanding of politics, power, and ideology, examining the level of public knowledge and attitudes towards these concepts. It explores the reasons behind political disengagement, particularly among Australian youth, attributing it to factors such as economic insecurity and a perceived lack of government responsiveness. The essay defines key terms like politics, power, and ideology, and analyzes the Australian political landscape, including the roles of the legislature, executive, and judiciary. It presents three sub-arguments focusing on declining satisfaction with democratic structures, the debate surrounding same-sex marriage, and the complexities of immigration policies. The essay highlights the diverse perspectives within Australian society on these issues, emphasizing the importance of considering citizen opinions in a democratic context and the need for the government to address the concerns of its populace. The conclusion underscores the significance of these political debates and the need for ongoing dialogue to shape the future of Australian society.

MEDIA, POLITICS &DECISION MAKING
Students Name:
Student Id:

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................................7
Reference List..............................................................................................................................................8

1. Do Australians understand wider meanings of “politics”, “power” and “ideology”? [Tip:
define “politics”, “power”& “ideology”, and explore Australians’ knowledge &
understanding of, and attitudes towards, politics (consult the Australian Election Survey
database)].
INTRODUCTION:
Politics and its knowledge is important for a simple reason. As inhabitants of a society one must
know what is going on around one and in order to have a say in it. In general view politics is
associated with the government and the laws it formulate. Politics is often associated with the
concepts of power, ideology (Dowding and Martin, 2017).
In recent times young people are often heard saying that they are not interested in politics.
However in actuality we all are politicians. Politics dominate every segment of one’s life stating
from how they will be taught to what kind of jobs that will be available. Living in society brings
politics in one’s life by default. We all become a part of it by following the laws of the land rules
and policies (Chen, 2013). In this context, Australians in recent times have moved away from
politics. This is particularly because people feel that the political system excludes them. Studies
have shown the lost of interest among Australians, given the current political structure. They feel
that such a structure will not lead to any improvement in their lives in the next five years
(Martin, 2012).
The political disengagement of the Australian youths is a matter of concern. Surveys reveal that
most young people between the ages of 16-20 are not “very sure” about which political party
they would cast their vote for. Whereas others feel that their opinion doesn’t really matter. Their
political disinterest has been traced to their economic insecurity and other related problems. Fifty
percent of the young Australians are engaged in part time or casual work. Amidst this economic
insecurity, the Australian youths perhaps fail to divert their attention to politics. Another reason
for their lack of interest in politics is that they feel highly neglected by the policies and decisions
taken up by the government. In the following essay the political disengagement of Australians in
general and the youth in particular will be focused on and aided by three sub arguments. But

before that it becomes important to understand the concepts of politics, ideology and power in
general and in relation to Australia (Wanna et al. 2013)
Politics can be said to involve five integral parts which includes decision making, catering to
ones area of interests, resolving conflicts, allocation of resources for the benefit of the groups,
exercising control and resolving conflicts. Politics has been considered as both an art and
science. It is an art of leadership, i.e., leading the groups towards a common goal in way that
there is harmony and peace of all (Aly, 2010).
Thus its becomes important for people o understand the actual meaning of politics and the other
elements which are attached to it
The word ‘Politics’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Politika’ which means ‘affairs of the cities’
It means the use power in a structural manner to in order to maintain law and order. It is
associated to the governance of an organization, state and/or country. The primary focus point of
politics is associated with power and its uses. Power is also science in a way that the human
behaviors can be judged and apprehended taking account of the usual trends and behaviors using
statistical methods (Vromen and Gauja, 2016). However it is will be difficult to act on the
quantified data as human behavior, trends and demands are never constant. Many theorists have
defined power in politics in a diverse sense. However it is augmented that the idea of power is
associated in all form of social relationship as defined by Foucault. According to Robert Dahl
power can be understood as a relationship that exists between capability and control.Karl
Deutsch opines that power in politics involves the capabilities of the authorities to involve in
confllits and to resolve it. Though this concept finds prominence in the international politics, it
can be used in national polices as well. A pluralistic society is characterized by competing group
who engaged in a constant struggle for power and influence. (Robinson, 2015)
It can be noted that political power has certain well defined characteristics. Firstly power is
relational, it is established when an individual tries to influence the ideas of others. Secondly
power is spread out among the various groups or political parties of the society (Kefford, 2013).
Thirdly in a class society each diverse group influences power according to their interests.
Finally the fifth character of power is that it is a conditional idea, which highlights the ability to

dominate the services from others (Uhr and Walter, 2014). It is believed by many that power lies
only with the most influential people. However, it is often augmented that power is also
exercised by people in the lower level of a political structure.
The word ‘ideology’ originated from a Greek term during the French Revolution in 1976.
Political ideologies enable those in the government by giving explanation of how the power can
be exercised and how to use power in an influential position. The book on political ideologies by
Heywood gives a deeper understanding of role of ideas in politics and concepts like feminism. In
his books Heywood sees people as political thinkers and that political ideas and concepts are
used by people when they express their opinion whether consciously or sub-consciously. Words
like freedom, equality, justice or right is used in day to day language of common people which
suggest that political ideologies are ingrained in their thought process (Heywood, 1998). The five
important ideologies of Politics are: Absolutism, Conservatism, Anarchism, Liberalism and
Socialism. Ideology is marked consistency, flexibility and complexity. In the light of the above
mentioned facts, it is often augmented that the actual ideology followed by the nation is always
layered under justifications. Ideology sets the goals of the nations and also provides the means
for fulfilling those goals. Each nation uses a combination of multiple ideological explanations for
justifying its actions and decisions (Grube, 2014)
Australia has both a representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy headed by Queen
Elizabeth II. The Australian government is characterized by three aims. Firstly it is the duty of
the legislature to host votes as and when new laws are introduced under the power bestowed
upon it by section 51. The executive section of the Australian government stands responsible for
upholding the established laws. Finally the judiciary functions as a system independent of the
other to and ensures the maintenance of law and order (Gascoigne, 2015). It is the duty of the
judiciary to monitor the power exercised by the legislature and the executive.
The combination of liberalism and democracy in Australia is an extensively augmented one.
There are diverse opinions associated with it to this combination. Some opines that such a
structure gives way to public accountability while others argue that such a system could put the
country in great perils (Held, 1991). Democracy, in the recent times, has come to be criticized by
majority of the Australians. This is particularly because the politicians have failed to engage the

Australian youths in the country’s politics. In this context the following three sub-arguments
have been presented (Steen, 2015).
Part A (sub-arguments)
The level of satisfaction about the democratic structures, trust in the government and the loyalty
towards the political parties has gone down to a great extent (Wright, 2014). As the survey
conducted by the Australian National University reveals, majority of the population has lost its
faith on the government. 40% of the Australian population is unsatisfied with the democratic
structure of the country, the lowest since 1969. Roughly 30% of the populations have lost
interest in voting; where as 70% of the population opines that the government policies and power
on finance make a little difference (Heywood, 1998).These views are challenged by the
arguments placed by another section of the survey which reveals that not everyone in the country
hold the same idea. The survey also noted that many Australians feel that the country is not
downright corrupt. However they feel that there are certain “grey areas” which may require the
attention of the politicians (Davidson, 2014). On a positive note the changing attitudes of most
Australian can be seen in the payment of taxes, social welfare, and same sex marriage and so on.
Part B (sub-arguments)
One of the major ideological concerns of the country is whether or not to accord to same-sex
marriages in keeping with the ideology of marriage equality. Though many countries have
legalized same sex marriages, Australia, has still not been able to do it. The country gives same
sex partners a wide range of rights such as civil partnership registry in states like Tasmania and
Victoria (Highfield, 2013). Gay and lesbians couples in Australia face a lot of difficulties due to
the political ideology present in the country. Though the labor party in 2013 made it illegal to
discriminate between people on the ground of sexual orientation, marriage equality has still not
been reached (Warhurst, 2015). The arguments take an interesting turn as, the inability to reach
marriage equality for same sex couples in Australia stand in contrast to the ideology of the
majority of Australian population. Around 47% of the population is demanding equality and
marital rights for same sex couples (Robinson, 2017).This inability of the government to take up
appropriate actions has been met with multiple arguments. Some people opine that barring same

sex marriages will foster discrimination in the society. In addition to that Australia may be
viewed negatively in comparison to other countries that have legalized such marriages. Though
these arguments are on one side of the coin, others argue that marriage can only be a “union
between a man and a woman”, any shift from this established paradigm is seen as anything but
“natural”(Rhodes and Hart, 2014).
Part C (sub-arguments)
In the recent years the number of immigrants landing in Australia has increased to a great extent.
Whether or not these phenomena must be controlled has met with quite a few arguments. Firstly,
according to a survey conducted, many Australians opine that the immigrants who are reaching
the country through sea routes must apply though normal immigrant channels. The current
government policies too controlling the immigration rate has also be criticized. This is
particularly because one section of the society feels that the immigration policies are way too
harsh. In addition to that welcoming immigrants will lead the country further in the problem of
unemployment (Hybel, 2010). The other argument presented holds that the country is in an
absolute need of immigrants to increase the per capita value. The country requires hard working
immigrant individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds to contribute economically, financially
and socially to the country (Clemens et al. 2013).
Conclusion:
Through this article the diverse arguments presented for the three particular political concerns of
the country has been underlined. Out of the three, marriage equality is the most prominent
concern among the population. This is particularly because even though Australia is very
progressive in many spheres it still lags in this genre. The concern gets intensified as other
countries have made same sex marriage legal. In addition to that diverse views have been
observed concerning the recent immigration policies of the country. Whereas some feel that
immigration policies must be made strict and the number of immigrants coming to the country
must be controlled, others argue that hard working immigrants are required to contribute to the
development of the country. It is important to take into consideration the opinions of the citizen
particularly in a democracy since it is a people’s government.

As revealed by this essay, the Australian youths are engaging themselves in a lot of social issues
such as marriage equality, race and gender. In order to engage the Australian youth in politics it
is important that the political parties respect their opinions by making way for marriage equality
and relaxing the immigration policies. In addition to that the government along with the various
political parties must act effectively to address the various economic concerns being faced by the
Australians.
Reference List
Chen, P.J., 2013. Australian politics in a digital age. ANU Press.
Clemens, A.C., Crespin, M.H. and Finocchiaro, C.J., 2013. Research Note Pork-Barrelling in
Australian Politics: A Reconsideration of Leigh. Australian Journal of Political Science, 48(2),
pp.221-232.
Davidson, R., 2014. Not now, not ever! Gillard's misogyny speech.
Dowding, K. and Martin, A., 2017. Introduction. In Policy Agendas in Australia (pp. 1-10).
Springer International Publishing.
Gascoigne, R., 2015. The presence of Catholics in Australian politics: An ecclesial
perspective. The Australasian Catholic Record, 92(1), p.3.
Grube, D., 2014. 5. The gilded cage: Rhetorical path dependency in Australian politics. Studies
in Australian political rhetoric, pp.99-118.
Grube, D., 2014. 5. The gilded cage: Rhetorical path dependency in Australian politics. Studies
in Australian political rhetoric, pp.99-118.
Heazle, M., 2013. “See you in court!”: Whaling as a two level game in Australian politics and
foreign policy. Marine Policy, 38, pp.330-336.

Highfield, T., 2013. National and state–level politics on social media: Twitter, Australian
political discussions, and the online commentariat. International Journal of Electronic
Governance,6(4), pp.342-360.
Kefford, G., 2013. The presidentialisation of Australian politics? Kevin Rudd's leadership of the
Australian Labor Party. Australian Journal of Political Science, 48(2), pp.135-146.
Rhodes, R.A. and Hart, P.T. eds., 2014. The Oxford handbook of political leadership. Oxford
University Press.
Robinson, G., 2015, January. Marxists in the age of Palmer: a genealogy of ‘anti-politics’.
In Conference Abstracts of the 14th Biennial Labour History Conference: Fighting Against War:
Peace Activism in the Twentieth Century. Australian Society for the Study of Labor History.
Robinson, G., 2017. Christianity does not play a significant role in Australian politics, but
cultural conservatism does. The Conversation.
Steen, J.T., 2015. What the mining sector and Australian politics have in common. The
Conversation.
Uhr, J. and Walter, R., 2014. Studies in Australian political rhetoric. ANU Press.
Vromen, A. and Gauja, A., 2016. The study of Australian politics in the 21st century: a comment
on Melleuish.Australian Journal of Political Science, 51(2), pp.355-360.
Wanna, J., Nethercote, J. and Arklay, T., 2013. Australian Political Lives: Chronicling political
careers and administrative histories (p. 130). ANU Press.
Warhurst, J., 2015. The normalisation of lying in Australian politics. Eureka Street, 25(13), p.58.
Wright, B.D., 2014. Asylum seekers and Australian politics, 1996-2007 (Doctoral dissertation).
Gascoigne, R., 2015. The presence of Catholics in Australian politics: An ecclesial
perspective. The Australasian Catholic Record, 92(1), p.3.
Wanna, J., 2014. The Tribalisation of Australian Politics Continues: out with the old" Fueding
Cliques" and in with the new" Partisan Gang".

Martin, A. 2012. ‘Confidence in Political Parties in Australia: Evidence from Australian Election
Study’. APSA Conference, University of Tasmania, pp. 1-18.
Hybel, A. R. 2010. The Power of Ideology: From the Roman Empire to Al-Qaeda. 1st ed. Routledge
Advances in International Relations and Global Politics, New York: NY.
Heywood, A. 1998. Political ideologies: An Introduction. Macmillan: Basingstoke, UK.
Held, D. 1991. (ed.), Political Theory Today. Cambridge: Polity, UK.
Aly, W. 2010. ‘What's Right?: The Future of Conservatism in Australia’ [online]. Quarterly
Essay, No. 37, 2010: 1-110