Democrats plan return from political wilderness
Image: Australian Democrats President (NSW Division) Drew Simmons
The Australian Democrats are hatching plans for a major comeback, with the intention of running a candidate in every lower house seat in Australia.
In a bold bid to regain their former glory, the Democrats aim to field candidates in all 150 House of Representative seats, in addition to running Senate candidates in each state and territory at the September 14 federal election.
Drew Simmons, Australian Democrats President (NSW Division), said the ultimate goal was returning the Democrats to its former status as Australia’s third largest political party.
“More and more people are expressing dissatisfaction not only with the Labor and Liberal parties, but also with the Greens,” said Mr Simmons.
“We have done extensive consultation with the community, and the feedback we’re getting is: ‘Where are you guys? We need you.’
“The time is right for the Democrats to re-emerge as Australia’s third political force.”
Mr Simmons claimed the two main parties, Labor and Liberal, had lurched too far to the right, while the Greens were sitting at the “extremist left” of the political spectrum.
“We’re not left, we’re not right,” said Mr Simmons. “We’re a centrist party which sees things from both sides.”
Australian Democrats National President, Darren Churchill, upheld the party’s ability to negotiate, claiming it was a major counterpoint to the Greens.
“Unlike the Greens, the Democrats would work harmoniously with the ruling government to negotiate the passage of legislation through the Senate,” said Mr Churchill.
“We’re not about blocking legislation; we would work with the government to ensure legislation passes, but with appropriate amendments.”
Mr Churchill conceded the party’s best chance for electoral success lay in the Senate, not the House of Representatives.
“We’re aiming high but we have a piece by piece approach. Senate representation would probably be our first step,” he said.
But former Democrats National President, Dr Nina Burridge, said the party would have to overcome significant obstacles in order to survive, let alone win seats.
Dr Burridge, a Senior Lecturer in Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney said the party had ingrained issues around coherence.
“The main problem with the Democrats has always been achieving consensus, and that’s why it basically fell apart,” she said.
“In a centrist party, you’ve got people from both ends of the political spectrum, left and right, trying to find common ground – and from personal experience, I can tell you that’s not easy.”
However, Dr Burridge said the party had played an important role in providing political balance.
“I hope they can come back from the political wilderness because the Democrats played a key role in applying checks and balances to the major parties,” she said.
Mr Simmons, meanwhile, said the party had chosen 22 candidates so far in NSW alone.
He would not reveal candidates’ names but said all would be announced by July.
The Australian Democrats was founded in 1977 and enjoyed success in the Senate from 1977 to 2008, holding nine Senate spots at its peak.
The party, which has never held a lower house seat federally, has not had a senator in Canberra since 2008.
