Why can't we vote on policies instead of parties during an election?

Graphic of a blue rectangle being dropped into a larger blue box. This is repeated multiple times.

Ballot box graphic

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Ballot box graphic

Graphic of a blue rectangle being dropped into a larger blue box. This is repeated multiple times.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Description

This graphic is a representation of a ballots being placed into a ballot boxes.

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Australia is a representative democracy, which means that at federal elections voters choose candidates to represent them in the Australian Parliament. To choose the best person to represent them, voters can learn about all the candidates and their plan of action on various issues—their policies. Voters might visit candidates’ websites, contact candidates and compare different candidates’ policies.

Australians can also contact members of parliament at any time about issues which they think are important. If they have a view about a particular subject, such as health, education or the environment, they can contact the minister responsible for that area.