As Australians go to the polls, their level of trust in the politicians and parties they’ll be voting for is at record lows.
New data captured from a representative sample of 7000 Australians collected in March and April found only 16 percent have any trust in politicians.
More disturbingly, according to Bond University Assistant Professor of Law Jacob Deem, trust in the guardrails and systems of democracy has almost halved since 2008.
The figures from the latest wave of the Australian Constitutional Values Survey (ACVS) were collected as part of a five-year project studying public trust.
“It’s no surprise to anyone that people have low trust in politicians – that's not going to shock anyone,” said Dr Deem.
“What is arguably more concerning, particularly in the global context, is the lack of public trust in those guardrails and systems designed to keep politicians accountable.”
Dr Deem said the survey showed trust in the federal parliament and the federal government at 26 percent and 27 percent respectively.
Only 33.4 percent trusted or strongly trusted Australia’s whole system of government, with trust in the courts and judicial system at 44 percent and independent integrity agencies at 45.9 percent.
“This is worrying because appropriate levels of public trust in government is important – it shapes voting behaviour and gives governments the legitimacy they need to make important decisions and deliver positive outcomes.”
With such a deep distrust of the politicians themselves, trust in the guardrails around democracy such as the Australian Electoral Commission or the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), become even more critical, Dr Deem said.
“There’s a widespread belief from people that they can’t trust what politicians say – that they are usually in it for themselves,” he said.
“So at the back of voters' minds, whether they realise it or not, when they are making voting decisions they are considering their level of trust in those external institutions.
“Do they trust them to rein in the worst excesses of the politicians who the voters believe are in it for themselves?”
This latest wave of the ACVS is part of the Australian Research Council-funded project. Dr Deem is a Chief Investigator on “Mapping and Harnessing Public Mistrust”.
Participants in this survey were asked if they could name a politician that they trusted, then asked a series of questions with that person in mind. The same process was repeated with a politician they distrusted.
“The good news was that 71 percent of people were able to name a politician they trust,” said Dr Deem.
“And the main reasons behind that were because they believed the politician to be capable, that they acted in the community’s interest and that they listen to the people.
“The same was true of distrust – lack of transparency, failing to meet people’s needs and failing to act in the community’s interest were the key reasons for distrusting politicians.”