What would life be like without democracy?

The Museum of Australian Democracy has provoked a national debate on freedom and democracy through creating a fictitious future without it. Learn more and join the conversation here.

It’s a hard thing for those of us who’ve grown up in a safe, fair and stable democracy like Australia to imagine life without democracy. In fact, research conducted by the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) reveals that some Australians are complacent about the importance of democracy and the freedom it allows.

Many of us don’t understand that the basic day-to-day things we take for granted; like free and fair elections; the freedom to have an opinion and to voice it publicly; and to believe (or not) in any faith we want – are all freedoms that many people in the world are striving for.

In an attempt to focus the conversation, MoAD created an advertising initiative designed to spark community discussion around democracy and increase awareness of the museum. The messages you may see feature a fictitious grim future Australia, where democratic rule has been replaced by an oppressive regime with draconian laws. The scariest thing about this ‘future’ however, is that each and every law we present is actually a real law that is in place somewhere in the world right now.

We’d love to hear your opinion because that’s what living in a free country is about after all.