Dr Andy Marks, Daily Telegraph, 9 April 2018 We can give the thumbs-up. Heck, we can even be angry, sad, surprised, ecstatic or loved-up, but Facebook will never grant users a thumbs-down button. Why? Because the embattled social media goliath wants us to have “more meaningful interactions” with each other. Of course it does. But...
Picture a candidate out on the hustings today. In Western Sydney, he or she visits a kindergarten and shares messages about spending public money on teachers and after-school care. Later that day the candidate dons a hard hat and talks about a commitment to jobs and making sure the engine room of industry is there...Continue reading
Local councils are uniquely placed to engage deliberatively with their community. They make complex trade-off decisions that need to be tailored to local needs. Traditionally, this level of engagement has been too difficult for small councils, and so surveys and self-selected groups are default options. These are both too easy to ignore and provide the...Continue reading
Welcome to our first newDemocracy update for the year. It promises to be a busy year for newDemocracy. New projects are underway, we have been featured in the AFR, and there are a number of movements internationally that we will announce from March to May. Read about all of the above and more in this, our first newsletter of...Continue reading
The ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate is conducting a review of Housing Choices in the ACT. The next stage of engagement will comprise a consultation method that helps reach the core of community concerns through considered engagement. The ‘Collaboration Hub’ is a deliberative democracy process that will draw out key ideas as well as...Continue reading
newDemocracy Foundation Research Director and David Pritchard have their article republished in Le Monde. You will be able to translate the webpage here. The print copy is reproduced here.
Today elected representatives take the tough decisions about public finances behind closed doors. In doing so, democratic politicians rely on the advice of financial bureaucrats, who, often, cater to the political needs of the elected government. Politicians rarely ask voters what they think of budget options. They are no better at explaining the reasons for...Continue reading
At the beginning of this month, I appeared before the federal parliamentary committee tasked with a number of questions, including political donations and campaign advertising. I politely proposed that politicians, when trying to regulate these matters, might be seen as both poacher and gamekeeper. I suggested that a citizens’ jury might help with that. What...Continue reading
At the beginning of this month, I appeared before the federal parliamentary committee tasked with a number of questions, including political donations and campaign advertising. I politely proposed that politicians, when trying to regulate these matters, might be seen as both poacher and gamekeeper. I suggested that a citizens’ jury might help with that. What...Continue reading
David Schecter – Associate R&D Director, The newDemocracy FoundationBrian Sullivan – Creator, WhatDoWeThink What is the question? In recent years, Australia has seen many successful examples of incorporating mini-publics (See, Mini-publics) into public decision-making. Compared to the usual public engagement practices, these projects have been substantially more informed, more representative, more deliberative, and more influential. They have...Continue reading