Deliberative Democratic prospects? International and Australian experience

All over the world, citizens and decision-makers increasingly turn to deliberative democracy to break national political deadlocks. From the Irish constitutional convention to the French Convention on Climate Change to Hong Kong’s residents calling for a citizens’ assembly, there is a growing appetite for forums designed for ordinary citizens to come together, learn about complex issues, and exchange reasons to think about solutions for the common good.

Can it happen here? Australia has been an early adopter, but the ill-fated Citizens’ Assembly on a carbon tax marks a singular failure thus far to scale deliberative practices to the federal level.

This hour-long panel discussion offers lessons from OECD countries and the Global South and invites reflections about the role, opportunities and limits of these national forums in Australia.

PANELLISTS

Claudia Chwalisz, OECD

Nicole Curato, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra

Beth Slatyer, Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy

Damian Carmichael, Department of Industry, Science and Innovation