I am not an Australian, so I can’t speak for specific local cultural issues, but it’s important to understand that Instant Runoff elections still have a lot of the same problems as First Past the Post voting. We could deep dive into the sociology and math of it all, but the short version is that politicians seeking power will always seek an unfair advantage. A two party system is easier to game than a multi-faceted, multi-party confluence of issue-driven voters. The specifics are unique to Australia, but the underlying causes are the same.

How badly do you want true democracy? Are you willing to vote for it? Are you willing to donate money and time to it? Are you willing to stand up and protest the people who would keep it from you? Are you willing to run for office? Are you willing to fight for it? To kill for it? To die for it?

Because there will always be someone who wants power and is willing to go the distance to take it.

The most successful democracies are forged in the crucible of tyranny. Rebellion against a dictator unites the people in the common belief that people should be free. But a free society will fall again to fascism as free people become complacent. If the subtle seduction happens slow enough, then the people will not rise up until fascism has already taken hold.

A two party system provides some semblance of “balance” as power is rocked back and forth like a boat on the waves, moving from left to right and back, but never leaving the deck.