The Limitless Potential of Melbourne: Why Democracy Begins at Home
Four months into his role as Regen Melbourne’s Policy and New Urban Governance Lead, JOEL BACKWELL is increasingly optimistic about the untapped potential of our city and its people. He reflects on Melbourne’s history as a beacon for democratic innovation, and how declining trust in government and political institutions can (and should) help us innovate new forms of democratic participation.
"Democracy must begin at home, and its home is the neighbourly community." – John Dewey, The Public and Its Problems (1927).
Like John Dewey – philosopher, psychologist and education reformer – Regen Melbourne believes that a true democracy is not just a political system: it is a social way of being. Creating a safe, just and regenerative Melbourne will take more than just voting at the ballot box each time an election rolls around. Rather, it will require all Melburnians to lean in and actively participate in the future of their street, their neighbourhood, their city.
In my previous roles with the Victorian Government I regularly came across the work of Regen Melbourne, one of few organisations that was tackling issues like climate change, equity and liveability through a place-based lens of Greater Melbourne as a whole. These perspectives are critical in a city like ours – with no overarching metropolitan governance, but rather 31 local councils duking it out with State Government in a way that rarely allows for a coherent, whole-of-city approach.
With its launch of the Melbourne Doughnut, deep community engagement and calls for a Swimmable Birrarung, I saw Regen Melbourne combine visionary Earthshots with measurable data, to write new and inspiring stories for a better Melbourne.
So when I was invited earlier this year to join the Regen Melbourne team as Policy and New Urban Governance Lead, I jumped at the opportunity. Having worked for many years inside government, I am keenly aware that Ministers and bureaucrats cannot solve our wicked problems alone. The greatest challenges require diverse coalitions that bring together government, business and civil society to think outside the box and explore new futures together.
How Melbourne can be a beacon of hope for other cities around the world
Across the globe, institutions are struggling to evolve and respond to the “polycrisis”. The multiple challenges facing Melbourne are shared by many other cities, albeit with local nuances. Climate change, population growth, economic inequality, mental health, social isolation, rapid urbanisation – all are testing the limits of existing governance structures. At the same time trust in government and democratic institutions is degrading, reducing the pool of goodwill from which these institutions must draw to respond to the challenges.
Here’s what the numbers say:
The 2024 Scanlon Foundation Mapping Social Cohesion Report found that while social cohesion had remained stable over the past year, trust in government and political institutions has generally declined.
The Edelman Trust Barometer (2023) saw trust in the Australian government decline by seven points to 45%, placing it in the "distrust" category.
The recent federal election saw the combined primary vote for the two major parties fall to a historic low of 66.4%, down from 68.3% in 2022, suggesting a growing disenchantment with traditional political establishments.
The Trust and Satisfaction in Australian Democracy Survey, conducted by the APS in 2023, surveyed over 6,000 Australians, with a significant portion of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy.
Encouragingly, this last survey also found reason for optimism: 95% of those surveyed agreed that democracy is important; and 80% agreed it is worth trying to fix the problems with our current form of democracy. These numbers give us hope. Despite the threat of autocracy and democratic decline across the globe, here in Victoria we have much to work with, and I’m confident that Melbourne can be a beacon in the fading light.
Through the New Urban Governance work at Regen Melbourne, we are building on Melbourne’s strengths, to innovate and to explore new forms of democratic participation. We do this by leaning into our citizens’ love for their city and linking it to the issues that impact their daily lives and their long-term futures.
A hotbed for democratic innovation
Melbourne and Victoria have a long history of democratic innovation – we were among the first jurisdictions in the world to introduce the secret ballot and Melbourne was the national capital when Australia introduced compulsory voting. Wave after wave of migrants have moved to Melbourne, many fleeing autocratic regimes, to be part of our democratic project. Melbourne Trades Hall is the world’s oldest continuously active trade union building and was the epicentre of the 8-hour workday, the social contract upon which we have built so many other democratically-driven economic rights. And here in Victoria, despite the disappointment of the Voice Referendum, we are walking beside Aboriginal Australians towards Voice, Treaty and Truth, to put democratic innovation into practice in ways that will hopefully make a real difference to the lives of generations to come.
The key to fostering a safe, just and sustainable city is to involve as many Melburnians as possible in the decisions that will affect their lives. But in order to strengthen our democratic muscle, we must first win back the trust of our citizens and their confidence that their engagement will result in something better – that they’ll see something for their efforts.
How can we do democracy better?
Since its formation in 2020, Regen Melbourne has driven a series of deep engagements with citizens, government and business, community and philanthropic organisations to develop the three “Earthshots” that together make up the building blocks of a regenerative Melbourne – healthy waterways, resilient food systems and liveable streets. These Earthshots, and the projects that sit within them, provide meaningful entry points for as many people as possible to get involved in the day-to-day democracy that underpins a thriving city and its community.
I see in my own neighbourhood of Alphington, and so many suburbs across Melbourne, the untapped potential and enthusiasm for local communities to take part in better decision-making that’s informed by our lived experience. And in doing so, build connection, meaning and purpose as we recover our agency and navigate these challenges together.
Reading IPCC and UNEP reports – or even just the daily news – can be overwhelming and downright depressing. However, in the four months since I started with Regen Melbourne, I’ve found myself feeling increasingly optimistic about the limitless potential of our city.
We can’t sit still. The headwinds are getting stronger and the challenges more pressing and complex. But I’m inspired by the building energy and the growing number of people who are engaging with this question of how we can do democracy better, and in doing so position Melbourne as a global leader in regenerative futures and a shining beacon to the world.
