By Rachel Browne, Social Affairs Reporter. Sydney Morning Herald. It is a problem politicians and experts from law enforcement, the health sector and the community have failed to successfully tackle. Now 43 average citizens have been tasked with finding a way to reduce the violence on Sydney’s streets while maintaining the city’s vibrant nightlife. The...Continue reading
Posted November 29, 2013 by Marcin Gerwin (in Polish) on Krytykapolityczna.pl This is the English Transcribed Interview. Lyn Carson is a professor with the Business Programs Unit at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her research areas are community engagement and deliberative democracy. She is also a director of NewDemocracy Foundation. Marcin Gerwin: There are many...Continue reading
By Geoff Gallop Lecture at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, Adelaide Wednesday 20 November 2013 My aim tonight is to advocate for political reform but not before analysing why I believe it to be important. I want to encourage you all to learn about and encourage your politicians to learn about a whole range of democratic initiatives that go beyond our normal consultations, that can be more representative of ‘the people’ and which work harder at ensuring our focus is on deliberating for the public interest. I want you to start to think about the concepts of empowerment, random selection, and deliberation. in doing this I want you to reflect with me on the issue of how we imagine our democracy and how we actually operate it. What is going on in politics and how is it affecting governments today? Are there things we can do to make our system work better? I’m particularly interested in the 552 governments that operate throughout Australia – the Commonwealth, the States and Territories and our Local Authorities. None of these governments can operate without constraint but they do have degrees of executivepower and the responsibility to give leadership to their communities. Full Lecture Text Continue reading
14 November 2013 I recall that when I spoke to what was then called RAIPA as Premier I suggested, with my normal tact, that for a variety of gender and constitutional reasons it would be a good idea to drop the “R” and I am pleased that this initiative has no doubt long since occurred....
“Do you realise there is no arts teaching at the UTS, and yet they sponsor an art gallery?” asks Luca Belgiorno-Nettis – architect, businessman, patron of the arts, philanthropist and passionate political idealist. “I think that’s brilliant,” he continues. “The university sees the worth of having art on the campus for its own sake.” Yes,...Continue reading
When the NSW Government decided it wanted to hear what people really thought about energy policy they turned to the New Democracy Foundation, a privately funded research venture. They established two citizen juries to meet over a period of four Saturdays to consider issues like what might be the right energy mix, and how to...Continue reading
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Published 13 February 2012 | St. James Ethics Centre – IQ2 Oz Why should we assume that democracy is the best of all political systems? Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Middle East demanding freedom and democracy. And countless numbers have been prepared to die in exercising these demands....
MARK COLVIN: They call it Democracy Plan B – and they’re launching it at an event in Sydney tonight. They’re a group called the newDemocracy Foundation, which has been working for some years to break down some of the worst aspects of Australian political life and build something more constructive. It’s backed by former State...Continue reading