Justin Ryan and James Robertson join Democracy Sausage to discuss the rise of the independent, the pressure on the two-party system and how to get the best out of democracy. 

Is the declining support for a two-party system a good thing? Can the Liberals and Labor adapt to this new environment? And how can we make sure that our community’s best and brightest end up in parliament?

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Justin Ryan and James Robertson from think tank, Progressive Action Lab, join Dr Marija Taflaga and Professor Mark Kenny to discuss two-party systems, independent candidates and how to make these processes work for communities. Their discussion paper is From Decline To Dormancy: The Major Parties, Community Independents And Australia’s Void Of Democratic Participation. 

Justin Ryan is the co-founder of the Progressive Action Lab, a think tank focused on promoting public participation in politics and reshaping the political landscape.

James Robertson is a media consultant at Progressive Action Lab and author.

Marija Taflaga is the Director of the ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Senior Lecturer at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. 

Mark Kenny is the Director of the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the University after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times. 

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected]. 

This podcast is produced by The Australian National University. 

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