Democracy 2025 is strengthening democratic practice in Australia through research, dialogue and innovation.
Established in the context of the lowest level recording of public trust and satisfaction with Australia’s democratic arrangements and set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, Democracy 2025 audits the qualities of Australian democracy, investigates and experiments with what works in terms of renewing our representative system of government and facilitates non-partisan conversations on how to improve our democratic practice and be the best democracy that we can be.
We are igniting a national conversation about our democratic practice and building a new generation of democratically engaged Australians.
Democracy 2025’s six core programs will be delivered in partnership with national and international leaders in their fields.
- Public trust program
- Ignite Learning program
- Democracy Lab
- Trust building public leadership program
- Transformative exhibitions and events
- Australian Democracy in the Asian Century
Take action and become involved, or get more information (PDF, 9.7mb)
Democracy 2025 is an initiative of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) and the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra (UC-IGPA).

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Latest news
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21 October 2020
IPAA announces 2020 national fellows
Nine new National Fellows of the Institute of Public Administration Australia were today announced by National President, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM, at an event held at Parliament House, Canberra.
20 July 2020
Is Australia still the lucky country?
Is Australia still the lucky country, finds that for the first time in over a decade, Australians are exhibiting high levels of political trust in federal government (54 per cent from 29 percent), and the Australian Public Service (54 per cent from 38 per cent).
26 June 2020
Political Trust in Times of COVID-19
Mark Evans and Michelle Grattan explore differences in the management, experience and impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the company of three leading British academic thinkers and members of the Trustgov project at the University of Southampton.
24 June 2020
How can we save democracy in a post COVID-19 world?
Have your say through a new international crowdsourced project calling for ideas on how to strengthen democratic practice and identify pathways to reform.
3 June 2020
Why the ACT needs a participatory budget post-COVID
Open democracy is about explaining our political decisions and making them transparent.
19 May 2020
Podcast: role of the APS in a post-COVID-19 world
In the latest Democratic Fundamentals, hosts Mark Evans and Michelle Grattan discuss the challenges and opportunities for the APS as the world eases restrictions. Featuring guests Renée Leon and Peter Shergold.
29 April 2020
Democracy Sausage podcast: Coronavirus crisis – there’s an app for that
Tracking trust in government
3 April 2020
Political Trust and Coronavirus
Hear the latest “Democratic Conversations” podcast with Michelle Grattan AO, Ian Chubb AO and Professor Mark Evans.
3 April 2020
How does Australia compare: What makes a leading democracy?
How does political and social trust in Australia compare?
1 April 2020
The Isolated Political Class
Essay by Mark Evans and Michelle Grattan in the April edition of the Australian Quarterly
13 December 2019
Don’t believe the stereotype: these 5 charts show our democracy is safe in the hands of future voters
A new, ongoing survey on how young Australians understand and imagine their democracy is already challenging long-held stereotypes.
16 October 2019
How Australian federal politicians would like to reform their democracy
Watch Dr Helen Haines MP, Tanya Plibersek MP, David Sharma MP, Professor Mark Evans, Michelle Grattan and Professor Gerry Stoker discuss the findings from How Australian federal politicians would like to reform their democracy at Parliament House on 16 October. The video was produced by our digital partner, contentgroup.
16 October 2019
The Conversation
Revealed: how Australian politicians would bridge the trust divide
5 September 2019
Liberalism and Australian Democracy: Lessons from History – A talk by Dr David Kemp
In August, MoAD hosted a free public talk by the Hon. Dr David Kemp, Chairman of the MoAD Board, who reflected on the contribution of liberalism to Australia’s democratic story and asks what we can learn for the future.
The public talk is part of the Democracy 2025’s Future Democracy series, was held in the House of Representatives Chamber in the spiritual home of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.