“For us the deliberative processes is more than just a means to an end….
its ultimate goal is to make democracy better”
In November 2020 when the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee held an inquiry into ‘Nationhood, national identity and democracy’ our Managing Director, Nicole Hunter, was there to give evidence about how deliberative processes could improve democracy and restore faith in the democratic process.
The Senate Inquiry took place because of the recognition that an increasing number of Australians feel discontented in democratic institutions and processes - they do not feel they are full participants in, or beneficiaries of, a system that works for them. One private citizen who provided evidence to the inquiry put it:
“There is no meaningful or authentic mechanism whereby the citizen can contribute his or her informed opinion on matters of substance…. ordinary people – the citizens – who are all too frequently dismissed on the basis that, 'the people haven't got the facts (that we are privy to), therefore they don't know what they are talking about!' Consequently, citizens are relegated to the 'subject classes'.”
The Committee heard that Australians have low levels of trust in politicians and 'the government'. Democracy 2025 director Mark Evans gave evidence that trust in government had been on a downward trend with only 21.1% of Australians expressing trust in their politicians in 2019.
The Senate heard from a variety of experts who recommended different ways of addressing this concerning trend. Nicole’s evidence centred on MosaicLab’s research, and experience, with deliberative democracy and how this changed peoples’ levels of trust, attitudes towards institutions, and their role in the democratic process.
MosaicLab research indicates that involvement in an exercise of deliberative democracy changes a person's attitude towards government for the better. MosaicLab surveyed participants across five separate deliberative processes throughout 2018 and 2019, and with 172 participants surveyed pre and post deliberative process, the research found a:
50% increase in the likelihood that participants would engage in civic affairs in the future
27% increase in confidence that their input would influence the outcome
32% increase in trust in the sponsoring institution
Iain Walker, Executive Director of newDemocracy Foundation spoke of the international success of using deliberative processes to deal with highly contentious and complex issues and cited the recent citizens assembly which tackled the difficult issue of the reform of abortion laws in Ireland.
The Committee also heard that democracies with the most satisfied populations are those with highly transparent and participatory government practices, codes of conduct, integrity commissions, and opportunities for citizens to scrutinise government decisions and participate in decision-making.
“…we have got an outstanding democracy because people, like the people in this room, cared enough to create a system which was a beacon for the world, and we can do that again if we’re prepared and committed and brave enough to make some changes.” - Nicholas Reece, Director of Strategy Policy and Projects, University of Melbourne
Over 200 organisations and private citizens made submissions or gave evidence to the Commission.
The Committee’s report has been released. Disappointingly none of the 18 recommendations suggested an increase in the use of deliberative democracy to increase transparency and improve trust in government and democracy.
To read the full report go to https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Nationhood/Report.
MOSAICLAB’S SUBMISSION
Our Managing Director, Nicole Hunter, appeared before the Australian Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy on the 13th of November 2020.
Read the Blog post about it here
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