ponrabbel: newDEMOCRACY & CITIZENjuries

OPINION

CITIZEN’S JURIES

For some time now the newDEMOCRACY Foundation has been facilitating citizen’s juries/assemblies (CITIZENjuries ) to deal with a broad range of governance issues in Australia. A great many of these initiatives have delivered positive and productive outcomes and especially so at a grass roots level.

For the most part, these ‘juries’ have dealt with matters that otherwise would be envisaged as being contentious and 'hard to deal with'. Given that membership of the juries/assemblies are randomly selected rather than elected, the ‘jury model’ cuts through most of the contention and the evidence is that the nominated ‘jury members’ rise to the occasion in much the same way as juries do in criminal trials etc.

Importantly, the recommendations CITIZENjuries arrive at and deliver to ‘governance’ are not binding. Perhaps more importantly they muster all the evidence required to deal with a matter in open and frank ways unimpeded by political elegances etc. The analogy of juries in the courts is useful to consider here. While a a jury might determine guilt or innocence, it is the judge who determines the appropriate penalty – even to suspend any penalty at all. In such extreme circumstances the jury has done its job and the judge (governance!) has fulfilled her/his role without question.

Where there is a contest of opinion CITIZENjuries in Australia have at the very least diluted the rancour and unhelpful debates enabling progress to be made. In the end CITIZENjuries are primarily about 'accountability' and accountable inclusive decision making. In a local government context they have proven to be useful tools in the PLACEmaking local governance is essentially engaged with via their planning processes and strategic determinations.

The evident disinclination in Tasmania to engage with CITIZENjury processes is somewhat bewildering given all that they have to offer in regard to effective and accountable governance. Indeed, the argument all so often offered that it is all too hard simply masks other agendas where potentially self-serving bureaucracies in particular simply wish to maintain the status quo. This is something of a worry.

The newDEMOCRACY Foundation has put in place mechanisms that facilitate the smooth implementation of appropriate processes to meet local needs and aspirations. The links and graphic below offer some useful insights into the foundation’s work and aspirations.

Ray Norman Trevallyn.

Cultural Geographer & Researcher