Deepening Citizen Engagement
We are developing innovative ways of connecting the voices of ordinary citizens to political decision-making through participatory and deliberative approaches to citizen engagement.
Research Leads
Adele Webb
Research Fellow
Nicole Curato
Professor
Projects and grants
Key publications
Assessing the poor’s deliberative agency in media-saturated societies
Nicole Curato
2020
,
Theory and Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-020-09421-1
Impact Story
Connected to Parliament shaped Andrew Leigh MP’s conscience vote on mitochondrial donation.
In September 2020, our Centre organised one face-to-face and one online townhall with the Federal MP, Andrew Leigh on the issue of mitochondrial donation. This was the inaugural online and in-person townhall for our Connecting to Parliament project, which engaged with the constituents of Fenner in Canberra’s northern and western suburbs. Andrew Leigh MP declared that his conscience vote on mitochondrial donation will be guided by the conversations that unfolded in these townhalls.
Speaking on 2CC Canberra on 30 September that year. When asked if he found the process useful, he responded:
"Incredibly useful. We're working with folks at Ohio State University and the University of Canberra, who are among the best in the world of deliberative democracy. I was struck not only by their expertise, but also the expertise of people in the room. I learned an awful lot about genetic disorders and about ethics just from listening to people who were there. So I'm reminded again and again what a privilege it is to represent the Canberra northside in the federal parliament. A lot of very smart and very wise people, and that really comes out in a deliberative democracy event."
To find out more visit: https://connect2parliament.com/ or