This was Australia’s largest deliberative event, convened on the topic of democratic reform, asking the question how Australia’s political system could be strengthened to serve us better. It brought together a representative sample of Australia drawn from each of our 150 electorates.
The project was funded by the newDemocracy Foundation with the support of the Australian Research Council.
This is a great example of what an Australian sample population would look like, and a proof point as to the difference in tone and productivity of discussion. People who today are not considered candidates by any party have shown a capacity for engaging in complex issues.
The group identified 6 key reform areas, among them calls for reduced duplication between levels of government and across state boundaries, and inclusion of a process of redress for broken political promises – areas very rarely explored in parliament today.
We suggest the video material is of most value to the reader, as it offers a ‘live’ look at the capacity of randomly-drawn groups in comparison with traditional elected representatives.
Further Reading:
- The Parliamentary Record (John Dryzek)
- A Facilitator’s View
- Final Report
- Citizens’ Parliament Handbook + Appendices