In the last week or so the newDEMOCRACY Foundation – http://newdemocracy.com.au/our-work – has come to the attention of the Ratepayers Association. What is really interesting is the way that various communities are delivering impressive outcomes in Australia via ‘participatory citizenship.
One notable case being Melbourne City Council ... SEE http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/citzens-juries-giving-power-to-the-people/5779168
It is not the association’s job here to advocate on behalf of the foundation as it is quite able to do that very well for itself via its community work, the outcomes it has assisted in realising and of course via its own WEBsite. Nonetheless, we believe that the foundation’s work should be better known and that Tasmania, like South Australia for instance, would be well served by engaging with the foundation.
More to the point, we believe that the evidence is there for the concept of participatory citizenship, deservedly, winning increasing support. On the evidence participatory citizenship, via citizen’s juries and citizens panels, deserve to be proactively encouraged and especially so in regard to Local Govt . and the resolution of contentious issues.
Currently the issue of Tasmania’s over governance in regard to Local Govt. is on people’s minds. Tasmania’s Liberal Government’s disposition not to force amalgamation is politically understandable. However, given recent press reports regarding the largess Aldermen/Councillors are able to afford themselves it is not too surprising that many in Local Govt. would wish to maintain the status quo.
After that, it is clear that Tasmania’s Council memberships, and the senior management of Tasmania’s Councils, have a clear conflict of interest that is working against achieving anything more than cosmetic change. The prospect of achieving consensual amalgamation and change has powerful forces working against it – largely fuelled by self interest – and speculatively driven by General Managers et al who would loose their jobs in the cause of fiscal efficiency.
Likewise, council members are unlikely to work all that hard to bring on this kind of change. Rather they could be expected to maintain the status quo until or unless their constituency persuaded them that that they would be better off under some changed arrangement. Chance would be a fine thing! Arguably, incumbency and self interest are working together here and mitigating against possibly even cosmetic change.
The newDEMOCRACY Foundation's core offer to elected representatives is its willingness to operate an innovative democratic processes on a non-commercial basis. It does this on the basis of a predefined level of authority being devolved to the citizens who participate. There are processes currently underway and others that have delivered their outcomes.
Thinking of Tasmania’s situation in regard to the rationalisation and improved accountability of Local Government there are a number entry points through which participatory citizenship could be profitably tested.
The most obvious issue which might be referred to a ‘citizen’s jury’ is Tasmania’s overarching Local Govt. structure, something that has evolved over time and that has accumulated a series of compounding, legacies all defined by now anarchic understandings of civic administration. Furthermore, they represent a social and economic circumstance that are no longer relevant to contemporary community understandings and current realities.
Is Tasmania’s Local Government structure equitable and sustainable in a 21st Century context?
It is possible that a Citizens’ Jury/Panel may well have a role to play in resolving and relieving the social tensions surrounding the scale and restructuring local governance in Tasmania – specifically to do with the equity, sustainability and accountability of Tasmania’s local governance system.
Taking a look at what the newDEMOCRACY Foundation has to offer, who is involved and what indeed is on offer via their good offices, we find their work impressive. In the cause of better outcomes for Tasmania we can only advocate that the State Government consider engaging with the foundation as an alternative to enlisting incumbent Local Governments in an exercise they have little or no interest in being proactive participants.
On the evidence, it seems that incumbent Councils have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo which is increasingly all too obvious.
The Tasmanian Ratepayers Association can only recommend that the Minister for Local Government take some time to investigate what ‘participatory citizenship’ via agencies such as the newDEMOCRACY Foundation has to offer. Having done so it would enable Government to findings to bear in regard to the furtherance of discussion and action in regard to Council amalgamation and rationalisation in Tasmania. There are strong arguments to suggest that yesterday was already way too late!
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