THREATS TO DEMOCRACY

Dates: Thursday, 14 November 2024, 9.00 am–5.00 pm AEDT
Venue: Live-streamed from Government House Sydney and now on YouTube
Brochure: A program brochure, comprising the program, abstracts and speaker biographies, is available from this website.

On this page:

• Summary
• Presentations

Summary

In 2024, the greatest number ever will have voted in ‘democratic’ elections, in Argentina, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the UK, the USA, and others. At the same time, there have been deep questions about the success of democracies. As the Economist put it on February 14th:

This year’s democracy index shows that only 43 of the more than 70 elections are expected to be fully free and fair…. The latest report shows that less than 8% of the world’s population live in full democracies.

Is democracy important in the twenty-first century and if so, why? From its Greek origins, through Roman republican models to the many and varied structures of contemporary states, democracy has mutated but survived. In the much-quoted phrase of Winston Churchill from 1947:

‘Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time .…’

Democracy as a political framework has been influential in creating the global rules-based order that has dominated international affairs for half a century. Now the presuppositions of the rules-based order are in question and democracy itself is under threat. Attitudes to democracy and political power have changed and the nature and structures of political communities are in flux.

Pressure on that order comes from many directions. Global issues such as shifts in political power, the rise of economic inequity and the impact of climate change have reignited national divides and undercut commitment to democratic process. Within Australia, faith in politicians, political parties and the political process is reducing. What is a modern democracy, and how does a multicultural society such as Australia find common voices and policies across differences?

Technologies, from medical advances to artificial intelligence, undermine assumptions about individual freedom and choice. What does it mean to be able to choose a candidate or a government, when personal choice itself can be invisibly influenced? What is personal identity in the new world of biotech? And what can we do about the undermining of privacy– can regulation help? Is the new landscape of media undermining our democracy or simply altering its lineaments? Can we educate for democracy in the digital world? The Forum addresses these issues.

The Forum is held under the auspices of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.  The Royal Society of New South Wales acknowledges the generous support of Her Excellency and the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer.

Program and Presentations

The video recording of each session may be accessed by clicking on the YouTube video images. Direct access to each of the speaker’s presentations and segments in the sessions is available through the adjacent links in the program text.  See also the YouTube playlist of the six sessions

Welcome, Opening and Keynote Presentations
	Introduction to the Governor Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS President, Royal Society of NSWOfficial Opening Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC Governor of New South Wales Welcome and Acknowledgements Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS President, Royal Society of NSW Introduction to the Keynote speaker: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN FRSA Chair, Forum and Program Committees, Royal Society of NSW Moderator Keynote address: Professor Philip Pettit AC FASSA FAHA FAAAS LS  Rockefeller Professor of Human Values Princeton University Audience Q&A Moderated by Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
Panel Session 1: Global challenges to democracy
	Mr Peter Varghese AO (Chair) Chancellor University of QueenslandEmeritus Professor Hugh White AO FASSA School of International, Political, and Strategic Studies Australian National University Professor Deborah Cobb-Clark AO FASSA School of Economics University of Sydney Professor Quentin Grafton FASSA Crawford School of Public Policy Australian National University Audience Q&A Moderated by Mr Peter Varghese
Panel Session 2: Challenges to Australian democracy
	Emeritus Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN FASSA (Chair) Vice-President Royal Society of NSWDr Jeni Whalan First Assistant Secretary and Head, Strengthening Democracy Taskforce Department of Home Affairs Ms Leila Smith Chief Executive Officer Aurora Foundation Dr Nick Bryant Author and former BBC journalist Panel Discussions and Audience Q&A Moderated by Emeritus Professor Peter Shergold
Panel Session 3: Technological challenges to democracy
	Professor Sally Cripps FRSN  (Chair) Director, Technology Human Technology Institute University of Technology SydneyProfessor Ed Santow FAAL Director, Policy and Governance Human Technology Institute University of Technology Sydney Dr Darren Saunders NSW Deputy Chief Scientist and Engineer NSW Government Associate Professor Fatemeh Vafaee School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences UNSW Sydney Audience Q&A Moderated by Professor Sally Cripps
Panel Session 4: Challenges to the public sphere: educating for democracy
	Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN FRSA (Chair) Chair, Forum and Program Committees Royal Society of NSWMs Carly Kind Privacy Commissioner Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Professor Catharine Lumby Foundation Chair, Media and Communications University of Sydney Professor Amanda Third Co-Director, Young and Resilient Research Centre Western Sydney University Audience Q&A Moderated by Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
Closing Session: Panel Chair reports and open discussions
	The Honourable Michael Baird AO (Chair) Chief Executive Officer, Susan McKinnon Foundation and Former Premier of NSWEmeritus Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN FASSA Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW Mr Peter Varghese AO Chancellor, University of Queensland Professor Sally Cripps FRSN Director, Technology, Human Technology Institute University of Technology Sydney Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN FRSA Chair, Forum and Program Committees Royal Society of NSW Audience Q&A