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
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IPAA NSW 2014 Spann Oration Delivered by The Hon Nick Greiner AC
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....
UTS Luminaries. Interview with Mr Luca Belgiorno-Nettis
“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
Citizen power: citizen juries advise on energy policy. (ABC Radio National, Life Matters)
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
Panels Give NSW Panels a Say on Energy – Australian Financial Review
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Community Rich in Talent – Daily Telegraph
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IQ2 Debate: Democracy is Failing the Planet
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....
Democracy: Plan B (PM ABC Radio)
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
Deliberative democracy. Professor Lyn Carson on “Ockham’s Razor” (ABC Radio)
Professor Lyn Carson from the Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy at the University of Western Sydney talks about using deliberative democracy to solve the world’s ‘wicked problems’. Transcript Robyn Williams: Australian politics now resembles a football match out of control. One huge punch-up, with the referee powerless (very nearly off the field) and the...Continue reading
John Dryzek on The Australian Citizens’ Parliament. ABC Big Ideas.
In February 2009, a group of 150 randomly-selected Australian citizens were brought together at Old Parliament House in Canberra. Called “The Citizens Parliament”, the group spent four days discussing politics, policy, and systems of parliament. While the specific subjects under consideration were not prescribed, the attendees were asked to address the broad question: “How Can...