Bulletin

Issue: November/December 2005

Research in Action

Ordinary People's Politics

Many Victorians seem unaware of the impact on their lives of the massive changes in government economic policy since the mid 1980s.

By contrast, they are aware of, but unfazed by, changed policies relating to social welfare, ethnic diversity, relations with Indigenous Australians, and many other policy swings over the past two decades.

These are among the findings of a team of La Trobe University political and social scientists resulting from research dating back to the 1988 Bicentenary year.

Led by Professor of Politics, Judith Brett, the team, comprising Dr Anthony Moran, Dr Uldis Ozolins, and Dr Guinever Threlkeld, conducted lengthy interviews with 48 'ordinary' Victorians from rural and urban areas.

'We were not interested in the views of politicians or other political "experts" but ordinary "people in the street" of all socio-economic levels and of all ethnic groups,' said Dr Anthony Moran, an ARC research fellow in La Trobe's Politics Program.

'We wanted to find out what they think and feel about their place in Australia and where their nation is heading.

'We wanted to know their views on issues like how globalisation had opened up Australia to economic competition with the rest of the world, the changing role of governments, changes to the social welfare system like work for the dole and mutual obligation, the changing ethnic make-up of the population, immigration and refugee policy and relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.'

Thirteen of the 48 participants had taken part in a similar survey conducted by the University of Melbourne in the late 1980's in which 42 Victorians were interviewed on the same subjects.

'We also wanted to discover whether those interviewed in the first survey had changed their views and how the views of all in the second survey differed from those in the first,' Dr Moran said.

'Given the huge economic changes since the mid 1980s, we had expected the participants would have seen the economic changes as important. We were surprised to find people had little to say about them,' Dr Moran said.

'The increasing disparity between rich and poor was not a concern although many were conscious of the presence of a growing underclass - of people somehow stuck in a bad situation, mainly those dependent on welfare. Although aware of their existence, they did not see their presence as a result of government economic or social policy.

'Most had never had contact with Aborigines but were aware that their situation in general was not good. Most had a sense of sympathy for Aborigines but were unable to offer possible solutions to their problems.

'The second survey also indicated that Victorians feel OK about the impact on their society of ethnic diversity. Most said they appreciated its benefits - many citing diversity of cuisine as an obvious benefit.'

Dr Moran has already published a book on the survey results, Australia: Nation, Belonging and Globalization (Routledge, New York) and is now writing a book with Professor Brett, Ordinary People's Politics (Pluto, Australia), to be published next year. The study has been funded by the Australian Research Council.