Rebuild Democracy!
Political parties won’t do it, but Citizens can!
Support Citizen Assemblies!
Citizen Assemblies
for South Australia
Rebuild Democracy!
Political parties won’t, but citizens can!
Support Citizen Assemblies!
"Australia’s federal parliament is today … not a deliberative assembly [but] rather a theatre of expression where politicians from different sides talk past each other in mostly ritual performance." - John Dryzek - The Conversation
"When given the authority, time, and information, everyday people take the tough questions, side-step party lines, and deliver sensible answers."
New Democracy
"Whilst we hear endlessly about the crisis of democracy, something remarkable and hopeful has been happening right under our noses: a new kind of democracy is taking root."
Democracy Next
Is the usual combative political debate really how ideas are explored and developed? Is this how the will of the people can be represented? Do we really believe that this adversarial approach results in the best policy?
And once the election is over do you really have any say?
Citizens are not constrained like politicians are. They don’t have to toe a particular party line, and they don’t risk damaging their careers by taking a different view. Their top priority is not re-election, but instead, good public policy.
CAs are being increasingly employed to facilitate true deliberation on topics that are often “too hot to handle” for politicians. They are being used at local, provincial and national levels to gain genuine and objective insight into the views of citizens after well supported and well informed deliberation.
Emma Fletcher is Co-CEO of Australia’s leading deliberative democracy company – democracyCo. In this role she designs, and project manages large and complex engagement projects.
An award-winning writer, columnist, critic, academic, broadcaster, public intellectual and former political candidate. Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is trained in architecture and philosophy.
Nicholas Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics is a widely published policy economist, entrepreneur and commentator. He has advised Cabinet Ministers, sat on Australia’s Productivity Commission and founded Lateral Economics and Peach Financial.
