How Deliberative is Australian Democracy?

Australian politics is becoming increasingly toxic. The ability to hold constructive discussions or to respectfully disagree on key political debates seems out of reach. While a huge surge in appetite for more public deliberation is sweeping other democracies, Australian political institutions seem averse to innovations that would enlarge and deepen our democratic conversations. How can we improve the quality of political conversations in Australia, including allowing space for diverse and marginalised voices?

Our panel of speakers, Selen Ercan (University of Canberra), Adele Webb (University of Canberra), and Andrea Carson (La Trobe) will unpack the reasons behind the state of deliberation in Australia, and invite the audience to reflect on new ways of living together based on justice and mutual respect. This event will be moderated by Ariadne Vromen (ANU).

Order of events:

1. 6:30pm - reception.
2. 7pm to 8:15pm - panel discussion and Q&A.

Panel and speakers:

1. Moderator: Ariadne Vromen. Ariadne holds the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at the Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy. She is also Deputy Dean (Research) at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
2. Selen Ercan: Professor and Director at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.
   
3. Adele Webb: Research Fellow in Democracy and Citizen Engagement at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance.
   
4. Andrea Carson: Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy at La Trobe University. Andrea is a political scientist and journalism scholar.

Deliberative democracy is an approach under which decisions are the outcome of deliberation by citizens, or reasonable discussion and debate. 

This event is hosted by UC's Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance for Research Festival 2024. Get involved and explore the full program on our website.