But ours is a more formal, structured system, in which a would-be policy broker faces a formidable task moving not just individuals, but the institutions of parliamentary government. There are fewer points of entry, so agitating from the outside can be an uncertain business. Since opportunities for influence are more constrained, proposals not taken up by key players may vanish without trace. Take national broadcasting policy, in which those outside the industry regularly seek to turn dialogue into practice. Various right-wing think tanks, for example, have issued manifestoes demanding less regulation of ownership or greater regulation of 'bias' content, to no very discernible success.
Some individuals join industry associations and petition under letterhead.
Others attach themselves to the shadow minister, hoping for prominence when opposition turns to government. There are more democratic avenues. Allan Ashbolt worked as part of an ALP policy advisory committee, caucused at party conferences, and eventually nudged the Whitlam Government through rewriting its platform commitment. His argument, that the SBS should be restructured along the Channel 4 model, has yet to be taken up. There is no evidence that its acceptance is imminent, even possible.