Australia's adversarial two-party system is stifling democratic reform, making the case for proportional representation stronger than ever, writes Dr Klaas Woldring. The Westminster heritage of the single-member electoral district, which is the very origin of the two-party system, no longer delivers democracy. That may seem like a small difference, but it is a crucial one when considering which electoral system should replace the first-past-the-post system. Associate Professor Ian Marsh (UNSW Graduate School of Management) was one of the first to seriously question the two-party system in 1995. However, very few have linked the lack of success to the electoral system and the system conservatism which originates from that system in particular.