Beyond the Vote: Democratic Innovation in Australia. Workshop

Wendy Russell

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This two day workshop, part of the Open State festival, will bring researchers, practitioners and others interested in democratic innovation together to share triumphs and challenges, exchange perspectives and insights, and explore better ways to do democracy. Connected to the workshop is a day of free public events (see below).
Does Australia have a vibrant democracy? Is voting enough to ensure this? How can new methods and approaches reinvigorate modern democracies?  
Voter apathy, low membership of political parties, disillusionment and distrust in politicians, policy backflips, revolving leadership and hung parliaments – all raise questions about whether representative democracy is serving our needs. How can political decision making better reflect and represent public views and judgments in an age of complex problems and communication overload?
All around the country, there are practitioners, researchers and decision makers developing new models that address these problems and find new ways to broaden and deepen democratic involvement of citizens. These democratic innovations go beyond voting, and include citizens’ juries and other forms of deliberative democracy, collaborative governance and co-design, grass-roots democratic movements, e-democracy and crowdsourcing, and other forms of participatory decision-making. 
 
The objectives of the workshop are to:
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build relationships among and between practitioners and researchers, cross-fertilising across and among different sectors and fields
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explore developments, synergies and tensions between different approaches to democratic innovation, including between face-to-face and digital public participation
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identify, develop and plan strategies and collaborative projects to enrich Australian democracy
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Program
Tues 25 Oct             Public events: 
<DIV>                       10 am <A HREF="https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/better-together-showcase-10-future-democracy-tickets-27696042609?aff=es2" TARGET="_blank" REL="noopener noreferrer">Better Together showcase 10: Future Democracy</A> (guest speaker Pia Mancini)                        1.30 pm Joint Better Together/Beyond the Vote Panel: <A HREF="https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/digital-face-off-digital-meets-face-to-face-in-future-democracy-tickets-28386306206" TARGET="_blank" REL="noopener noreferrer">Digital Face-off</A>. Digital meets face-to-face in future democracy </DIV>
<DIV>                        3 pm <A HREF="https://beyondthevoteforum.eventbrite.com" TARGET="_blank" REL="noopener noreferrer">Beyond the Vote showcase</A> on Democratic Innovation in Australia and Beyond</DIV>
Wed 26 Oct              Workshop sessions: diversity and bridging                                                                      what are we learning from our practice?
Thu 27 Oct               Workshop sessions: what are we striving for?                                                                      developing strategies
 
FAQs
Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
Contact Wendy Russell (wendy@doublearrowconsulting.com.au) or Chad Foulkes (chadfoulkes@gmail.com) for more information.
 
Is this workshop open to anyone?
Yes, the workshop is open to anyone. It is a participatory workshop, in which we will share stories and perspectives and actively develop strategies to advance the field. Participants with diverse perspectives (including 'ordinary citizens') are welcome to attend. All will be expected to participate and contribute their own knowledge and ideas.
 
Is my registration/ticket transferrable?
Yes, you may transfer your ticket to a colleague if you're unable to attend. Please contact the organisers to let them know about this.
 
Is the workshop catered?
Yes. Morning and afternoon tea and lunch will be provided each day. Make sure you let us know of any dietary requirements when registering.
 
Can I update my registration information?
Yes 
 
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No, just turn up and tell us your name on the day.
 
What is the refund policy?
If you cancel your registration at least 10 days before the event, you will be charged an administrative fee of 20%. If you cancel within 10 days of the event, there will be an additional charge. Please contact the organisers by email about refunds.
This event is brought to you by the following partners:
<A HREF="http://www.doublearrowconsulting.com.au/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="Beyond the Vote" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer"><IMG SRC="https://cdn.evbuc.com/eventlogos/17019227/doublearrowlogo-1.jpg"></IMG></A><A HREF="http://www.democracyco.com.au/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="Beyond the Vote" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer"><IMG SRC="https://cdn.evbuc.com/eventlogos/17019227/democracycologo.jpg"></IMG></A>
<A HREF="http://www.mosaiclab.com.au" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="Beyond the Vote" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer"><IMG SRC="https://cdn.evbuc.com/eventlogos/17019227/fl.jpg"></IMG></A>                                                               Chad Foulkes                                                                0418590660                                                                <A HREF="mailto:chadfoulkes@gmail.com" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="Beyond the Vote" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">chadfoulkes@gmail.com</A>                                                                <A HREF="https://au.linkedin.com/in/chad-foulkes-48a8b9112" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="Beyond the Vote" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Linkedin/Chad Foulkes</A>