"And here's the rub. All of those things that are causing those problems in America, bar Donald Trump, we have here. We are just a little bit further back on the road," Mr O'Brien told around 200 people who gathered at the Hotel Canobolas on Wednesday night for Pollies at the Pub.

Hosted by Independent candidate for Calare Kate Hook as a fundraiser for her campaign, Pollies in the pub also featured trailblazing Victorian Independent Cathy McGowan, who broke The Nationals' hold on the seat of Indi in 2013.

The pair visited Orange to share their thoughts on the state of Australian democracy with Mr O'Brien critical of the country's two-party domination and aligning its decay with that of Australian media.

Ms McGowan offered more positivity through her believe in the change independents members could bring to the Federal Parliament.

But both took aim at the major parties, criticizing the lack of leadership talent and short-sighed policy based purely on election.

"I see a worrying decline in our democracy, which is being matched by a decline and quality and capacity of our media, which is in parallel with this separate universe of the internet - where people, powerful people, are actively engaged for all the wrong reasons in nobbling our capacity to distinguish the truth from falsehood," Mr O'Brien said.

He pointed to former Donald Trump chief strategist Stephen Bannon whom he charged with deliberately confusing the US populace.

Mr O'Brien also took aim at Australia's media ownership stating a strong democracy requires a strong media.

"Australian commercial media is not in great shape, it has lost its way," he said saying the Murdoch monopoly was fundamentally anti-democratic,

"It has to change."

"I despair of the prospect of either side finding the courage to actually do that. I don't think it's going to come from the conservative side because they are hand in glove with the Murdoch media and that is just indisputable."

Not surprisingly Mr O'Brien is a defender of the ABC.

"The ABC is bleeding from the inside, the ABC is demoralised, it is in danger of becoming intimidated, it is in danger of engaging in self-censorship.

"But it is more important today, a strong, healthy, independent ABC, than it has ever been."

Ms McGowan, who has virtually written a playbook for wrestling strong-hold seats away from the major parties, likened Australian democracy to a ship which is drifting of course and said politics was not a spectator sport.

"If you're not an actively participant in it, if the ship is off course, it's on us," she said.

Both voiced strong support of Australia's mandatory voting system and warned against any erosion of that mandate.

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