DEMOCRACY: A Catching & Revolutionary Idea in Local Govt.

FROM THE AGE: ... with only eight out of 44 referendums succeeding in Australia since 1901, citizen juries could be used to help achieve long-overdue constitutional reform, including Indigenous recognition. In 2011, the US state of Oregon introduced citizen juries to produce reports that are distributed to all citizens ahead of voting in referendums. And in Ireland, the recent referendum on marriage equality came out of a people's assembly on constitutional reform.

Melbourne City Council is to be congratulated for opening the door to major democratic innovation in Australia. We, the people, must now push it open.

Nicholas Reece is a principal fellow at Melbourne University.

NB: It's important to note that NO LEGISLATION is required for Citizen's Juries. It only takes the will to be truly representative, more democratic and more accountable to implement an initiative such as a  CITIZEN'S JURY/PANEL!

To read this story go to 

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/experiment-pays-off-melbourne-peoples-panel-produces-robust-policy-20150628-ghzoz4

To read this story go to 

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/for-democracys-sake-give-power-to-the-people-20140831-10akn1.html#ixzz3nladx6aF

GO TO: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/citizens-juries-and-deliberative-democracy/5762684

What is a Citizens' Jury all about? The Citizens’ Jury has aimed to change the way democracy is done in South Australia, creating a new balance between experts and the public, and giving elected representatives confidence that public judgment (rather than opinion) can contribute to better decisions being made.

For more go to: 

http://yoursay.sa.gov.au/initiatives/citizens-jury

South Australia's Strategic Plan, Go to:  http://saplan.org.au/pages/citizens-jury

Brief description of technique Citizens' juries have been trialed extensively in the US and Germany (where they are called planning cells), and more recently in the UK and Australia. The name 'jury' gives an idea of the process - expert witnesses are called and representative groups of citizens (usually 12-15 people) deliberate on the soundness of the arguments presented by a commissioning authority. 

To what kinds of consultation situations is this approach best suited? Citizens' juries have been used to deliberate on a range of policy and planning issues, including health, environment and social justice issues.

For more information go to: 

http://www.vlga.org.au/resources/consultation_and_engagement/two-way_or_interactive_consultation/citizens_jury.aspx

CITIZEN'S JURIES/PANELS: AN EVOLVING 21st C CONCEPT

Citizens’ Juries in Australia: A Discussion about Protocols (8 February 2000) 

Background: There have been a number of citizens’ juries conducted in Australia recently and it has become obvious to a small group of practitioners1 that variations have emerged: in methods of selection, in facilitation processes, in the structure of the jury and so on. Though protocols or guidelines for the operation of citizens’ juries have been developed overseas (for example by the Jefferson Center in the US and IPPR in the UK), it is clear that Australians need to develop their own. This is considered important in order to ensure that the integrity of the citizens’ jury method2 is not lost and that consistency can be assured to both organisers and participants. 

What is a citizens’ jury? A citizen’s jury is convened to carefully consider evidence and various points of view about 

For more information go to: 
http://www.activedemocracy.net/articles/protocol.pdf