Natural intelligence…a cogent stream of good sense for a colony of living organisms. ‘One of the popular misconceptions about honey bees is that their lives are ruled by a queen — or perhaps by even some more fanciful system. But in the forty years that I’ve spent studying bees, I’ve learned that their colonies are...Continue reading
Yves Sintomer Published in Constellations Volume 17, No 3, 2010. 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Abstract: This paper explores the rationale for – and contemporary examples of – the use of stratified random selection to achieve descriptively representative mini-publics for the purpose of citizen deliberation. Full Research Paper
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...
This was Australia’s largest deliberative event, convened on the topic of democratic reform – asking the question how Australia’s political system could be strengthened to serve us better. It brought together a representative sample of Australia drawn from each of our 150 electorates. The project was funded by the newDemocracy Foundation with the support of...Continue reading
By Angela Owens Do you feel like your voice isn’t really heard by the decision makers? Is casting your vote at the ballot box enough for you, or would you prefer something a little more hands-on? The 2020 Summit held in April this year showed that many Australians have big ideas about shaping our future....Continue reading
In 1856 Australia gave the world the ‘Australian Ballot’. It was radical at the time. Most voters thought that men, (who were the only ones voting then) should have the courage to defend their vote in public. The Victorian Legislative Council, (and two weeks later South Australia) introduced the Electoral Act 1856. Within twenty years...
Homeland Security The defence of a country has invariably been the impetus to the formation (and maintenance) of the Nation State. Australia was no exception. The unexpected arrival of a warship in Sydney Harbour in the 1800’s gave great momentum to Federation. One hundred years later September 11th has provoked a renewed vigour of the...Continue reading