🎅 As the year comes to a close, we wish everyone a restful festive season and a happy New Year!
🙏 We thank to our amazing staff, students, associates, visitors and colleagues for their valuable contributions to our work throughout 2025.
😎 See you all next year!
Read Bridging the Gap here ⤵️https://bit.ly/3KE7Lfw
People often labelled “disillusioned” are among the most eager to participate in deliberative processes – they don’t want out, they want better ways in.
More than half (54%) see deliberative forums as evidence that politicians are responsive – that they value the ideas and experiences of ordinary people.
The report shows almost one in two Australians (48%) prefer political decisions to be made through dialogue with citizens and affected groups. Very few favour decisions made by elected representatives without public input.
https://bit.ly/3KE7Lfw
🔔NEW REPORT: Today the Centre for Deliberative Democracy releases new research showing Australians favour a more engaged democracy. A survey of 4200 adults shows strong support for governments listening between elections and creating deliberative spaces for people to shape decisions. bit.ly/3KE7Lfw
More than half (54%) see deliberative forums as evidence that politicians are responsive – that they value the ideas and experiences of ordinary people.
The report shows almost one in two Australians (48%) prefer political decisions to be made through dialogue with citizens and affected groups. Very few favour decisions made by elected representatives without public input.
📸 Some highlights from this year’s AusPSA Conference in Melbourne - a great few days of panels, conversations, and reconnecting with colleagues across the discipline.
🙏 A huge thank you to the organising committee and the @unimelb.bsky.social for an excellent program and hosting us so warmly.
🛎️ New Centre Publication 🛎️
Dr Adele Webb examines why exposure to diverse viewpoints does not necessarily ease democratic tensions and can, in fact, intensify polarisation - and what kinds of design choices can help address this.
Read full article 👉 buff.ly/jd5ffw3
⚡ ⚡ Big congratulations to our colleague @hansasenbaum.bsky.social, who has been awarded a DECRA for his project, Smart Democracy: Fostering Democratic Agency in the Age of AI ⚡ ⚡
You can view the project here: buff.ly/uBqXfM1
🎉 Big congratulations to our colleague Dr Jordan McSwiney for receiving the Henry Mayer Book Prize for the best book on Australian Politics, awarded at the AusPSA Annual Conference, for his book about far-right political parties in Australia.
🔗 Link to book here:
www.routledge.com/Far-Right-Po...
🛎️ This week our Centre is in full force at the Australian Political Studies Association's annual Conference, sharing our research across panels and plenaries on democratic innovations, Australian politics, environmental governance, and political science methods.
Conference program: lnkd.in/g3hsFH3z
📸 Some highlights from our conference "Democracy Reimagined: Advancing Democratic Resilience and Renewal" at the University of Canberra this week, convened with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Australia New Zealand & Australian Resilient Democracy Research and Data Network 🙌
Photo Credit: David Beach
📣 Call for Papers: 2026 ECPR Joint Sessions
Democratic Innovations as Feminist Publics: Principles and Infrastructures (co-directed by Olivia Mendoza, one of our PhD students)
📌 Abstract due 3 December 2025
🔗 Find out more: buff.ly/YKmiThM
🛎️ New Centre Visitor
A warm welcome to Dr Melisa Ross, who has joined us this month as a Visiting Fellow from the University of Bremen.
Mel brings deep expertise in citizen participation, deliberation, and democratic innovations.
We look forward to the next month ahead!
⏳ The countdown begins!
We’re preparing for our international conference at the University of Canberra, supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Australia and New Zealand 🙌
With over 40 speakers and 10 thematic panels, the event explores new perspectives and practical insights.
🔗 "Mini-Public Adjudication of Human Rights Disputes: An Empirical Evaluation", by Henry Palmerlee, Ron Levy and Kate Ogg: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
🔗 "The Deliberative Democratic Turn In Human Rights", by Ron Levy and Kate Ogg: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Last week, our Centre seminar featured Professor Ron Levy and Professor Kate Ogg (ANU, Law), presenting their recently published articles in the Federal Law Review’s special issue on Deliberative Rights Theory.
👇 Links to their articles in comments
🚨 Final seminar for the year!
Emanuela Savini teams up with Olivier Schulbaum and Nadia Nadesan from Platoniq Foundation for an interactive session exploring how creative practices can open up new ways of thinking about democracy.
👉 Register here: events.humanitix.com/enhancing-de...
🚀 Launched on Wednesday, you can now download our Guidebook for Deliberative Engagement: Key Features and Practical Insights 👉 researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/publicati...
We’re grateful to the NSW Government and the Australian Government for supporting the development of this Guidebook.
🤖 Robots in the Room: Should We Include AI in Democracy?
Join us for a drink to discuss how artificial intelligence might shape the future of democratic participation
17 November 2025, 7pm-8.30pm
Verity Lane Market, Louie Louie Room, Canberra
Register events.humanitix.com/robots-in-th...
We welcomed @mathesonrussell.bsky.social from the @aucklanduni.bsky.social.
Matheson presented part of his upcoming book examining the limits of electoral representation and exploring deliberative models as alternatives.
🔗 Learn more about Matheson’s work: profiles.auckland.ac.nz/m-russell/ab...
🎉 Coming soon: Something we’ve been working on for a while is nearly here 🎉
Guidebook for Deliberative Engagement: Key Features and Practical Insights - developed with the support of the New South Wales Government and the Australian Government 🙌
Stay tuned!
🔎 What is deliberative reasoning and how can we measure it?
This chapter by Simon Niemeyer and Francesco Veri introduce the Deliberative Reasoning Index method for assessing how a group’s positions align with deliberative reasoning ideals.
Download it here: academic.oup.com/book/44646/c...
▶️ ICYMI: Watch our previous webinar, Transforming Public Input into Policy Impact
How can community voices be meaningfully integrated into policymaking while navigating the realities and constraints of government?
🔗 Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Jc...
What does #democraticgovernance look like in the context of emergencies? 🚨
Re-sharing Mikko Värttö's research on deliberative mini-publics organised globally in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at #democraticinnovations in emergencies👇
OPEN ACCESS: delibdemjournal.org/article/id/1...
How can #policy discussions & #adaptation strategies centre #women’s voices & needs? Should they?
📍ICYMI: Check out our Dispatch from Sub-Saharan Africa
highlighting #women as important actors in the fight against #climatechange
🔖 www.publicdeliberation.net/social-capit...
📢 Have you registered for our next Strengthening Democracy webinar?
Join Distinguished Professor John Dryzek and Dr Joshua Rhee (AMPLIFY) moderated by Professor Simon Niemeyer, for a deep dive into the theory and practice of mini-publics.
Register here: events.humanitix.com/roi-for-demo...