We hear a lot these days about the failings of our political system. Trust in politicians is at an all-time low, and membership of political parties has collapsed. Less than 0.5% of Australian citizens are now party members. What’s going on?

For many voters the cost of living and housing, as well as wealth inequality, have reached serious levels. Many people feel that it doesn’t matter which party is in power, nothing much changes for them. In fact, things are getting harder, especially for the next generation. Our political system seems unconcerned and untouched by this acute social failure. As with the mass media, politicians seem to regard house price rises as positive news, even though it means hardship for young families, many of which will now be unable to ever own a home.

At the same time, almost no scientific expertise exists in the major parties. This is one reason why they are still failing to respond adequately to the environmental issues clearly articulated by the nation’s scientists.

A serious disconnect has emerged between the lived experience of citizens and the bubble in which the parties exist and make policy. The emergence of the Teal independents at the last federal election was an expression of the frustration that many people feel at the tweedledum-tweedledee party system.

Democracy is important. We all believe in it. But it comes in many forms. We use a form called ‘representative democracy’. One problem is that it is no longer working well for the average person. That’s because, in the words of former US Vice President Al Gore, democracy in the US ‘has been hacked. The operating system has been taken over.’

We are on the same path in Australia. Our governments increasingly represent the interests of the already wealthy, of corporate business and of those closest to power.

But the word ‘democracy’ derives from the Greek ‘demos’ (the people) and ‘kratis’ (power) – so it means ‘people power’. We can repair our democracy by returning policy making to ordinary people via Citizen Assemblies.

It has been shown time and time again in many countries that, given the right support, Citizen Assemblies can make hard decisions and complex public policy perfectly well, without the involvement of political parties or politicians.

By failing to listen, by doing little to counter inequality, and by repeatedly putting their own interests first, political parties have too often made themselves part of the problem. In many ways they are increasingly redundant. The answer is not just electing different political parties. We need to place more power in the hands of ordinary people. Citizen Assemblies show us brilliantly how to do that.