In 2024, about eight in ten polled American adults believed that the Social Security system should either be kept the same or expanded; however, the Social Security Trust Fund, the monetary base for the Social Security program, is projected to become insolvent by 2034. The Research Question: ‘Why is the American government unable to balance...
OPINION: Could citizens’ assemblies do what parliament won’t on tax reform?
OPINION | Australia’s next tax reform needs more than Treasury and the teals. Experts argue citizens’ assemblies could rebuild momentum and public trust in tough tax decisions. LUCA BELGIORNO-NETTIS | Jul 29, 2025 ‘Would a child’s birthday cake be GST-free?’ That was the question Mike Willesee put to John Hewson in the 1993 election. Paul...
Big Ideas: The Place for Citizens Assemblies in Australia
Australia faces many big challenges, but is our democracy up to the job of solving these, or are we experiencing a decision deadlock? One process that could help governments meet the moment is known as citizen jury or assembly, where a cross-section of ordinary people deliberate together over a thorny policy issue then provide advice....Continue reading
Press Release: Democrazia Deliberativa Europea / European Deliberative Democracy
PRESS RELEASE June 2025 Democrazia Deliberativa Europea/ European Deliberative Democracy A debate at the Literary Society in Verona “Democrazia Deliberativa Europea. Come difendere la democrazia rafforzando la voce dei cittadini” (’European Deliberative Democracy. How to defend democracy by strengthening the voice of citizens’). This is the theme and title of the meeting to be held...Continue reading
ABC Saturday Extra with Nick Bryant
How Healthy is Australia’s Democracy? newDemocracy’s Executive Director Iain Walker joined ANU’s Jill Sheppard for an election morning interview with Nick Bryant on ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra, Saturday 3rd May 2025. Listen here.
UNDEF Evaluation: Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections
This report offers an evaluation of the project entitled “Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections” that was implemented by newDemocracy Foundation (nDF) from 1 November 2018 to 30 November 2022 globally and in three country locations: Brazil, Republic of North Macedonia and Malawi. The project benefited from a UNDEF grant of US$ 250,000...
Submission: Inquiry into Victoria’s Upper House electoral system
Read our submission here. The newDemocracy Foundation commends the Victorian Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee for seeking to engage the public in the proposed re-design of the Victorian Upper House electoral system. newDemocracy is a not-for-profit foundation that advocates for innovative ways to modernise democracies. We are experts in how to deliver best-practice citizen engagement. We...Continue reading
Question to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from Geoff Gallop on ABC Q+A
Question to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from Geoff Gallop on ABC TV’s Q+A 24/2/25: Allegra Spender is asking for a Citizens’ Assembly to open up the tax reform conversation. What do you see as the pros and cons of agreeing to this?
How Julia Gillard could have helped to save the voice
By Dennis Shanahan, in The Australian Fifteen years ago a political misjudgment by Julia Gillard at the start of her 2010 election campaign effectively destroyed Australian support for the idea of a citizens’ assembly to help develop new policy on difficult and divisive issues outside the traditional political parties. Indeed, the searing political and public...Continue reading
Protected: The Liberal Party of Western Australia’s Community Panel on Housing RSVP Form
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