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WINNERM BannonPrinces Hill Secondary College, Year 11vote, making politics more representativeof Australia’s entire population. The diverselaws share power to women and menalike, regardless of gender or race, makingthe democratic system in Australia morerepresentative of the Australian population,and distancing itself further away from theroots of Ancient Democracy.In my own democratic experience, my familyand I earlier this year got to experiencewhat happens when equality triumphs overinequity. My family and I went through adecade of oppression and in many ways myfather was a dictator. He was the Hippiasto our Athens, his rule over my family wascruel and his selfish decisions put me andmy family at jeopardy. Although this wasn’talways the way, as Plato stated: “tyrannynaturally arises out of democracy”. What heclaimed was best for the family only servedhimself. Once my father left, our family grewand prospered as never seen before. Sincebeing liberated, I was able to place greaterfocus on my passions, getting more involvedin my school council, VicSRC and Rotary clubs,of which democracy plays a very big part. Andwhen combined with my work at the BritishConsulate, allows me to play a large role inyouth work and connecting students acrossall of Victoria. These trials have reinforced mybeliefs that just as my family couldn’t workunder a dictatorship a nation cannot trulyfunction without democracy.Ancient democracy has served as afoundation on which many countries arebased, just like Australia, they have adaptedtheir policies and laws to suit the modernworld and the citizens residing within theirborders. When comparing Athens to Australia,it is impossible for Australia to remain trueto the roots of Ancient Democracy within themodern-day, no longer accurately depictingthe democratic system from Athens, butevolving to be a more representative andequal government.Australia’s laws ensure politicalequality, allowing more citizensto vote, making politics morerepresentative of Australia’sentire population.11

Shadow of democracyNikala BervanakisRosehill Secondary College, Year 11Plato wrote that people are fixated on thematerial prospects of living, and not theperfect forms that exist elsewhere in ourminds. He proposed that only a select fewwho can see beyond the material plane andillusion, are the worthiest leaders; as they’re,in Aristotelian terms, truly ‘virtuous’.The notion that Australians possess the powerto determine how they’ll be managed, isdiminished by the influence of the media andthe questionable motives of parliamentarymembers. Rather than governing like a‘guardian class’, representatives continueto be held prisoner with the rest of society,enchanted by the phantoms of ‘true forms’.Through democracy, power is promised tothe Australian people, however the clutchesof ignorance continue to hold them hostagein a material society. The youth of Australiafighting to re-establish power to theAustralian people are falling victim to theharshness and subversion of democracy.Australian political figures inevitably becomeconsumed by the deficiencies or excess ofAristotle’s ‘golden means’, failing to deliverthe policies that reflect society’s views. Ratherthan promoting potential policies, partiesbelieve that, people respond to disparagingan opposition, instead of advocating theirown proposals. The Australian public isn’tvoting for who they believe is the bestcandidate, rather for the least incompetentof several incompetent options. This lackof information that continues to seizepower from Australian citizens, stems frominadequate parliamentary leadership,illustrating the fragility of humanity.12Premier’s Spirit of Democracy 2020Human nature forbids members of Plato’s‘guardian class’ from remaining virtuousafter assuming the leadership of a nation.Power inexorably corrupts individuals andcompels leaders to obsess over maintainingtheir leadership, rather than what’s goodfor the people, hence exposing a weaknessin Australian government. The three yearsprovided to governments is consumedstrategising ways to be elected for anotherterm, rather than focussing on the dutyto represent Australian citizens. People’sviews become lost in politicians’ narcissism,indirectly undermining their power at theexpense of their deleterious priorities.The Aristotelian expectation that politiciansare to be virtuous has been lost throughthe constant surveillance by the modernmedia. The media’s acute influence overthe beliefs of society has allowed it tobecome a strong driving force of democracy,as it holds the warrant to the success ordownfall of a campaign. The media is likea python tightening itself around the neckof its prey; keeping perpetual control of itsvictim’s movements. The media disallowsany emergence from Plato’s materialcave, cementing society’s existence in the‘shadows’ of imperfect forms.Conversely, the media provides a platform forAustralian youth to protest the government’sinterpretation of the ‘shadows’. In ancientdemocracy, youth were disregarded forbeing irrational. Modern youth are nowable to express their own interpretationsand use various platforms to understandthe potential of ‘true forms’. Youth are the

WINNERNikala BervanakisRosehill Secondary College, Year 11primary advocates for Climate Changeand are breaking through the stigma ofimmaturity, thus condemning the immoralactions of the government and defending thepower that belongs to the Australian people.Through exposure and communicationin the media, youth are demanding the‘shadows’ be remodelled into a form thatapplies to all Australians, not only the primarydemographic of a particular party.The ‘shadows’ Plato delineates symbolisepeople’s obliviousness and suggest thatonly members of the ‘guardian class’ cansurpass the heedlessness of their mystery,overestimating the wisdom of humans.Wisdom and the ability to view ‘true forms’relies on the predisposition that there isa definite answer for all concepts in theuniverse. Euthanasia has heavily beendebated in Australia since its legalisation inVictoria. Opposing parties disputed whetherit is one’s right to control their inevitabledeath or a glorified excuse for suicide. Thesearch a definite answer regarding governingpolicies is unproductive. Compromise isthe only solution for policy-making in ademocratic government, that’s consistentlystruggling beneath the ‘shadows’. The form ofeuthanasia we are familiar with is a casting ofa silhouette from a fire in darkness. ‘Shadows’can be interpreted in various ways; hencetheir enigmas are constantly mocking thosethat try to understand their contour. Membersof parliament may possess the ability toadminister law that applies to all of society,however they are exposed to the same‘shadows’ of the people.Youth are the primary advocatesfor Climate Change and arebreaking through the stigma ofimmaturity, thus condemningthe immoral actions of thegovernment and defendingthe power that belongs to theAustralian people.Democracy may inhibit the rise of a ‘guardianclass’, however it is unreasonable to fixateover the acute possibility of definite ‘answers’.The modern democracy Australia exercisesbelittles the power of Australian citizens, as itsgovernments are upheld by individuals thatarrogantly believe that their interpretationof the ‘shadows’ is irrefutable. The media’spresence as an accompanying partner ofdemocracy cannot be underestimated,as it conceals ‘true forms’, but also assistsAustralian youth in escaping of the graspof materialism. Democracy itself has aperfect form, yet we’re merely exercising aninterpretation of a ‘shadow’.13

After-class conversationsInnayat BrarPenleigh and Essendon Grammar School, Year 11I was unable to concentrate in Philosophyclass, my fleeting and half-formulatedthoughts stirring a cacophony of indecisionin my head to the point where listening toDr. Hadley’s lecture proved an impossible feat.Noticing this, he asked, “what’s distractingyou from today’s lesson?”“I haven’t made my mind on attending theclimate change protest today. For all our talk of‘people power’, do we really have any agencyto affect meaningful change?” I replied.Considering this, he said, “It’s the sad realityof today’s political environment that somany students are disenchanted by theirgovernment. However, I’m not surprised.The concept of democracy failed to hold itsappeal for even some Athenians themselves.”“But shouldn’t democracy represent the apexof Western civilisation? Isn’t its enduringlegacy testament to the Greek canon ofpopulist empowerment and the equaldistribution of power?”“Some notable philosophers foresaw thedanger, and perhaps degeneracy, of a systemthat disseminates so much power to alargely inexperienced or misinformed public,and hold strong views on who should bedeemed fit to participate in a democracy,” hecountered. “Consider this within the contextof Athens. Under 20% of the population wasconsidered citizens and thus given votingrights. Citizens were selected into office formost duties via allotment, based on the14Premier’s Spirit of Democracy 2020assumption that common men harbour theopinions representative of the majority ofthe population. All citizens participated injuries, and certain official roles were voted in.Socrates foresaw the problem in doling outpolitical power to every participant, claimingthat voting is a skill which needs to besystematically taught. He further contendedthat allowing the citizenry to vote withoutinformed judgement would give rise todemagogues, which exploit the public’s desirefor instant gratification to secure electoralsuccess, at the expense of the city’s bestinterests. Democracy is only ever as effectiveas the education system that surrounds it.”“Then what’s a better alternative?”“Plato asserted that philosophers, throughthe virtue of knowledge, are ethically superiorto the masses, and thus should control theaffairs of a state through an intellectualaristocracy. Democracy, as Socrates alsonoted, is susceptible to corruption when rulersprioritise maintaining public support overfulfilling their moral obligations as leaders.Subsequently, Aristotle believed that truejustice should only enfranchise those equal invirtue to rule, contending that a “polity”, wherethe common good was articulated throughgovernance by philosophers, is preferableto the mob,or demos-dictated politics ofdemocracy.”“If the demos is supposedly so powerful,” Ipondered, “how can order be enforced?”

WINNERInnayat BrarPenleigh and Essendon Grammar School, Year 11“Aristotle feared that democracy underminedthe rule of law, and this is well founded inthe trial of Socrates, who was charged withnot acknowledging the city’s gods andcorrupting the youth. His execution as votedby jury evinces a potent message of theconsequences faced by those who think incontravention to the status quo. Democracycan be seen here as heavily relying oncensorship, coercion and punishment asmeans of consolidating power.”“But surely we’ve progressed since then. InAustralia, the High Court protects the freedomof expression under the Constitution.”“That’s true, but attacks on free speechstill persist through police raids on mediaoutlets and the prosecution of whistleblowers. Julian Assange, for example, seemstrapped in a similar predicament to Socrates:supporters defend his right to engineer theobjective distribution of information to thepublic, whereas dissidents denounce him forundermining national interest and authority.Ultimately, modern society recognises thatthe rule of law must bridge the expression ofpopular will to its implementation. The ways inwhich this is exercised makes the differencebetween a prosperous or degeneratedemocracy.”“However, the success of Athens must alsobe attributed to other factors,” I considered,“which empower citizens to rigorouslyparticipate in the democratic process.”Democracy, as Socratesalso noted, is susceptible tocorruption when rulers prioritisemaintaining public support overfulfilling their moral obligationsas leaders.“Plato, in his Republic, compared the unity ofthe mind to an ideal society to highlight thecausal relationship between moral psychologyand political philosophy, where prosperity inboth the mind and city - polis - is achievedthrough justice. According to him, the recentdecline in public trust in Australian democracycan be attributed to its incapacity to enactpublic policy concerns, thereby eliciting asense of powerlessness amongst the people.One such concern is action on climate change,which brings us to your plight.”“What’s the point in attending the strikeif so many people are losing faith in thegovernment’s ability to serve the interests ofits people?”Dr Hadley, now concluding, explained, “Ibelieve you should attend, because peacefulprotest by informed and educated citizenslike yourself - as opposed to the demagogyof mob rule - orients government agendastowards public will. Ultimately, power can onlybe exercised through the assent of the people,and that is a principle of democracy whichendures for millennia onward.”15

Bibliography1. Cartledge, P 2018, A brief history ofdemocracy: does it still convey the “willof the people”?, The Independent, NewYork, viewed 3 December 2019, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long le-society-a8345136.html .2. Daly, T 2018, Australian Democracy: crisis,resilience, and renewal, University ofMelbourne, Melbourne, viewed 12 December2019, democracy-crisisresilience-and-renewal .3. Institute of Physics 2019, Complexsystems help explain why democracyis destabilised, PhysOrg, Washington,viewed 2 December 2019, abilised.html .4. Khan Academy 2016, Classical GreekSociety, N.a, N.a, viewed 1 December2019, ry/ancientmedieval/classical-greece/a/greeksociety .5. Khan Academy 2016, Philosophy, N.a,viewed 1 December 2019, https://www.khanacademy.org/search?page searchquery philosophy .6. Plato, N 1993, Republic, trans. R Waterfield,Oxford University Press, New York.7. Prospect Magazine 2019, Aristotle’sthinking on democracy has more relevancethan ever, Resolution Group, London,viewed 3 December 2019, n-ever .16Premier’s Spirit of Democracy 20208. Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy2011, Ancient political philosophy, StanfordUniversity,Boston, viewed 2 December 2019, l/ .9. Sydney Morning Herald 2019, Truedemocracy lies in the hands of everydaypeople, AustralianGovernment, Sydney,viewed 2 December 2019, inthe-hands-of-everyday-people-20150505ggukek.html .10. The School of Life 2017, Why Socrateshated democracy, N.a, N.a, viewed3 December 2019, ocrates-hated-democracy/ .11. Wikipedia 2018, John Hadley (philosopher),N.a, N.a, viewed 2 December 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John Hadley(philosopher) .12. Vallely, P 2010, Democracy: whose idea wasthis?, The Independent, Britain, viewed 4December 2019, ocracy-whoseidea-wasthis-1971167.html .

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A democratic transition: Australia’sdemocracy in a new worldEirene CarajiasMelbourne Girls’ College, Year 12Limitations to the true autonomy of citizensin a democracy have existed since the birthof democracy itself in the year 507 BCE.These limitations have not prevented thebasic framework of this system from beingcontinued over generations, with the initialEkklesia, Boule and Dikasteria reflected inthe contemporary Legislative, Executive, andJudiciary bodies that enable the separationof powers within government. However, associeties have progressed over time, the rapidonset of population growth and the influenceof globalisation have reduced citizens’power, as the democratic model in Australiahas adapted to maintain both politicalorganisation and sovereignty.Australia’s establishment of a representativedemocracy partially reflects the AncientAthenian model of democracy (with womenand Indigenous Australians unable toparticipate) so as to accommodate for itssignificantly larger population. As a result,it continues to remain both cost and timeineffective for citizens to regularly participatein poli

the modern world, its laws evolving and adapting with each generation. Despite both being governed by a democracy, each has their own systems. Ancient Athens was ruled by direct democracy, in which the citizens decided the policies and laws themselves, meaning that the citizens of the city-state held the power as they were the decision-makers.