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Posted: 2024-07-15 11:53:19

In short:

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil warns that democracy is under threat due to populism, misinformation, disinformation and foreign interference.

The democratic system is declining in both established and recent democracies, threatening social cohesion, she said in a speech on Monday night.

What's next?

The democracy of today needed to adapt to these challenges, and Australia could be "integral" to its revitalisation, Ms O'Neil said.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil warns that democracy in Australia and overseas is under threat due to populism, misinformation, disinformation and foreign interference.

Speaking the day after an assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Ms O'Neil said both established and recent democracies were declining, and the system needed to adapt to modern challenges.

"Many democratic countries are becoming less democratic. Like a virus, populists are replicating at an exponential rate," she said in a speech at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra on Monday night.

"New strains of nationalism are emerging around the world. They are personalising political power, strangling free speech, attacking diversity and adopting 'strongman' authoritarian measures—all in the name of 'saving the soul of the nation'," she said.

"It seems like the democratic project is backsliding — not only in newer, less robust democracies but also in democracy's heartland."

She said social media platforms were not neutral mediums, but "big players" that pushed people into echo chambers.

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