Has Power Been Taken from Australians?
I believe it has, but I also believe it’s not too late to reclaim it
By Mark Neugebauer
https://markneugebauer.substack.com
Committee Member and South Australian Coordinator
Australians for Better Government (ABG)
Decisions that shape everyday life in Australia increasingly feel distant, abstract, and insulated from public influence. Over time, there has been an observable drift of power away from the people, and toward interconnected networks of influence that operate with limited democratic accountability.
This drift didn’t happen overnight. It occurred slowly, over decades, quietly enough that many Australians, including myself, didn’t fully notice it at the time.
What’s the drift and how do we see it?
rising cost of living with limited policy contestability,
energy decisions framed as “inevitable” rather than debatable,
emergency powers that linger long after emergencies pass,
policies imported as “global best practice” with little local scrutiny,
and regulation increasingly replacing representation.
Individually, these may seem technical or justified. Collectively, they point to a deeper structural shift.
Public policy today is shaped not only by elected representatives, but by a web of:
international institutions,
large financial and investment firms,
regulatory bodies,
global forums,
and advisory panels that sit outside direct voter control.
Once you recognise this, it becomes harder to dismiss public concern as “conspiracy theory.”
These organisations do not need to conspire to shape outcomes, even though some people understandably believe they do. The reality is more subtle, and arguably more concerning.
They often share the same incentives, risk models, professional cultures, and policy language. The result is alignment without accountability.
When governments, regulators, global forums, and financial giants all use the same frameworks and terminology, alignment happens automatically.
Over time, this has produced groupthink without meaningful correction, and the apathy of everyday Australians, myself included, has allowed it to continue.
When power becomes concentrated, networked, self-reinforcing, and insulated from challenge, good intentions are no longer enough to protect democratic outcomes.
For hundreds of thousands of Australians who now sense that something isn’t right, it can feel as though we are being managed rather than represented. In that environment, it’s natural for people to suspect nefarious intent and to push back strongly.
When everyone at the top sees the world the same way, dissent, which we are now seeing from many Australians, stops being treated as democratic input and starts being treated as risk.
History shows that centralised systems of power, regardless of intent, tend to produce poor outcomes and eventually fail, often at great human and social cost.
Healthy democracy is noisy, inefficient, and uncomfortable. Large systems, by contrast, prefer smoothness, consensus, and control.
When debate is narrowed, dissent is morally framed rather than answered, and decisions are justified as “there is no alternative,” trust erodes and social cohesion weakens. Australia has felt this acutely over the past five years.
Australia has strong democratic foundations, but like any system, they require maintenance. That is why I became involved with Australians for Better Government.
ABG advocates for:
restoring parliamentary primacy over regulators and advisory bodies,
transparency around who influences policy and how,
sunset clauses on extraordinary powers,
meaningful citizen participation beyond elections,
and decentralisation where local decision-making works better.
This is not radical or revolutionary. It is reformative.
The goal is not to tear down institutions or “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” It is to anchor institutions back to the people they exist to serve, not to distant networks, regardless of how noble their intentions may be framed.
Democracy does not fail all at once. It erodes incrementally, over long periods, accelerated by apathy and, in Australia’s case, a persistent “she’ll be right” attitude.
That attitude no longer serves us.
It’s time for ordinary Australians to take notice, speak up, and insist on accountability.
Australians for Better Government exists to help everyday Australians do exactly that. With numbers on our side, we can push back constructively against the growing influence of unelected networks shaping public discourse and policy at local, state, and federal levels.
Power must remain in the hands of the people.
Government must be for the people, by the people.
For more about ABG’s mission or to become a member, visit www.australiansforbetter.com.
Mark Neugebauer is a Committee Member and South Australian Coordinator for Australians for Better Government. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the ABG Committee.
By Mark Neugebauer
https://markneugebauer.substack.com
Committee Member and South Australian Coordinator
Australians for Better Government (ABG)
