By Michael Moore
THE demise of the Democrats can largely be attributed to the role played by Natasha Stott-Despoja.
Don Chipp, who died in August, 2006, was probably aware of the decline in the political party he founded to provide a genuinely liberal voice in the centre of the political spectrum – something that Stott-Despoja either ignored or didn’t understand.
For those of us who went recently to the Senate to witness the last day of more than three decades of Democrat Party representation, it was impossible to miss the sadness. One of the strange things about the politics of that last day were the tributes that flowed. It was not dissimilar to being at a funeral. A senator works closely with colleagues from across politics on Parliamentary Committees of Inquiry ­– and many of the compliments reflected the close, working relations that developed.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd talked about their colour, passion, sincerity and decency.  His sentiments were echoed by Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson, who described the Democrats as “men and women who were driven by idealism, deeply rooted in the conviction that they ought to make Australia a better place”.
The one remaining elected representative is the Sandra Kanck in the SA Legislative Council. 
Why, then, have these “men and women of idealism” and the party they represented effectively disappeared from the Australian political landscape?  Although the main reason lies with Stott-Despoja, former leaders Cheryl Kernot and Meg Lees did play a role.
Writing about the origins of the party, Aron Paul and Luke Miller state that the “the new party was not only liberal, but also fiercely democratic”.  These two qualities touched a chord with the Australian public in 1977 and would continue to do so. And how: In its first 10 months, the Democrats amassed a membership of more than 7000 people.
Cheryl Kernot provided a major blow for the Democrats in 1997 when she resigned to join Labor and run for a seat in the House of Representatives. At a time when the Greens were picking up a considerable part of the left wing of Democrat constituency, the move had the effect of letting voters know that even the Leader of Democrats thought that Labor was doing a better job. Even so, following the 1998 election the Democrats reached the all-time peak of their representation with nine Senators.
Many consider that the way leader Meg Lees used the balance of power to capitulate to former Prime Minister John Howard on the GST marked the death knell of the Democrats. 
Natasha Stott-Despoja was implacably opposed to the party’s stance on the GST and publicly distanced herself from it. Her supporters within the party drove a schism into the organisation from which it would never recover. Any political party that is divided minimises its electoral chances. She deposed Lees in April, 2001, to become the youngest leader of a political party in Australia. However, a mere 16 months later she stepped down.
Stott-Despoja’s leadership took the Democrats to the left with a focus on youth and young people, women’s issues, the environment and human rights. These were issues that the Democrats had pursued previously, but now they were at the top of the agenda with the party shifting in the public perception from liberal democrat to social democrat.
Despite what the Democrats have achieved, the left of the electorate seems to prefer the politics of the Greens. Don Chipp crafted a party that would sit in the centre of the political spectrum to ensure accountability no matter who was in power. Despite the idiosyncrasies of the Democrats, the real shame is that there is no one now in that position.
Whichever of the major parties now comes to power, the Democrats taught us that we need an alternative in the middle ground to protect our liberal values and to “keep the bastards honest”.

Michael Moore is a former independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and minister for health.