People with Purpose: In defence of democracy

Tell us a little bit about your background in the not-for-profit sector.

I've connected with the NFP sector in various ways in my career – as community liaison officer with the NSW Ombudsman, as NSW Government policy officer responsible for auditing services for women and girls, as Asylum Seekers Centre employment manager and as a community educator for the Workers' Educational Association (WEA).

I have a deep respect for the individuals and organisations who are the community sector because they listen, build trusting relationships, co-create, advocate and provide vital services.

How did you become involved with Democracy Matters?

I set up Democracy Matters in 2020 when I realised two things.

First, democracy connects all the big issues people and communities care about. It's a high-impact system to be involved in.

Second, democracy that is limited to political parties and mainstream media does not serve us well.

Democracy is in fact a number of things – a decision-making system, a system of relationships, and, as philosopher John Dewey said, democracy is also our skills and habits.

Voting in Australia is mandatory, but democracy education isn't. A great opportunity exists for vibrant and effective skill building during the school years, and beyond school with early voters and new citizens.

When you offer welcoming, non-partisan discussions about our system of politics or the [Voice] referendum last year, individuals come along with their questions, get straight answers and learn by listening to others with different points of view.

The best sessions I have facilitated involved views across the political spectrum from people who were willing to listen and discuss respectfully. Very sophisticated questions come up in these sessions, which shows me how deeply individuals care about using their vote well and the high standards they expect of elected representatives.

What does Democracy Matters hope to achieve?

Democracy Matters' motto is “Grow democracy between elections".

Our goal is to equip Australians with the skills to participate in democratic processes and moments, as well as the confidence to use their skills.

We want to build stronger feedback loops between voters and their elected representatives – giving regular feedback can improve parliamentary decision making. Strong, caring relationships sit at the heart of a thriving democracy.

Democracy Matters offers non-partisan education and training nationally. Our services include ethics training for local, state and federal representatives, and adult education sessions with community colleges.

In 2025, we'd like to scale up by partnering with community organisations to develop train-the-trainer sessions with youth workers and migrant services professionals to leverage the opportunities for voter education in their communities.

As a social researcher, I'm very interested in hearing from community services already offering voter education about what does and doesn't work.

Democracy Matters is open to entrepreneurial, project-based work.

For example, now we are partnering with the Torres Strait Island Regional Council to change the way state and federal governments and external service providers operate in the region.

By using a "look, listen and adapt" approach to housing, energy provision and health services, the solutions and services are better designed, suit the physical and cultural environment, and are better value for money.

The project is called "Advancing the Masig Statement", and it puts self-determination at the heart of Torres Strait Islander democracy.

How would you describe the state of Australian democracy right now?

Strong but under attack.

Mandatory voting gives us a unique advantage because political parties and candidates must consider the needs of a cross-section of voters, not only their traditional supporters.

We are incredibly fortunate to have an independent Australian Electoral Commission and state-based commissions who maintain the highest standards of election integrity and community trust.

Working at an election gives community members a chance to go behind the scenes to understand how secure our voting system is and how counting works.

Each election is an opportunity to be trained and paid to work at a polling place. It's such a positive way to experience one vital part of our system of democracy.

Why should Australians care about defending democratic values?

It is much harder to rebuild a system once it has been eroded.

Some elected representatives and lobby groups are pushing back against accountability and transparency measures. Meanwhile, audit offices and electoral commissions must do more with less government funding.

The public service is being politicised. Less diverse media ownership is a red flag as well.

Historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, reminds us, “if we find ourselves in the habit of thinking of democracy as something professional politicians or people over there do, while ‘we’ go on doing our own thing…”, then we are leaving ourselves open to a high level of disillusionment.

Our democratic institutions and practices will become increasingly vulnerable, and we will lose the protective effect we benefit from every day.

For all these reasons, I'm committed to creating a future where community members are thinking critically about the issues affecting all of us and are willing to be part of big discussions, like housing affordability.

Better communication with elected representatives encourages them to make the courageous choices needed for future generations to live well in the future.

Contact Sandy Killick, managing director of Democracy Matters, if you'd like to partner on a democracy project or have an interest in ethics training. [email protected], mobile 0409 204 100.