If there’s one truth about Australian democracy that too often slips beneath the radar, it’s this, leadership isn’t just about making decisions, it’s about helping the public act in its own collective interest. And that takes more than a vote count. It takes dialogue, patience, and a deliberate commitment to building public judgement.
We talk a lot about ‘community consultation’ in local government. But more often than not, this means opinion surveys, feedback boxes, and fiery public meetings, processes that capture mass opinion, but don’t help communities work through complex trade-offs or imagine shared solutions. And so we get stuck. Residents feel unheard, councils feel under siege, and everyone walks away frustrated.
But what if we approached civic participation differently?
Former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill describes public opinion as existing on a continuum. At one end is magical thinking, “lower taxes and better services for all!” At the other is mature public judgement, a deeper understanding that real choices involve real trade-offs.
The job of democratic leadership, Weatherill argues, is to help the public move along that continuum. Not to pander to the loudest voices, and not to hide behind expertise, but to foster a space where ordinary people can grapple with the full complexity of public issues.
It’s also a skill set that too many of our local government councillors simply haven’t been supported to develop.
Ironically, local government may be the best place to embed deliberative practices like citizen juries, participatory budgeting, and facilitated assemblies.
These are forums where residents aren’t just asked what they want, they’re given the tools, time, and trust to work through why they want it, and what it will take.
We’ve seen these models work across Australia, in infrastructure planning, social policy, even urban greening projects. They build trust. They defuse conflict. They make better use of local knowledge. And most importantly, they move us beyond self-interest toward something more collective.
To do this well, councils benefit from shifting their mindset. Community engagement can’t be a checkbox, it has to be a conversation. Councillors, staff, and community members benefit from training in facilitation, listening, and deliberative process. Local media can help by framing debate, not fuelling division. And the state can play a vital role by supporting councils with frameworks, funding, and evidence-based models.
We’re not naïve. Democracy is messy. But there’s a world of difference between shouting matches and shared understanding, between consultation and collaboration, between mass opinion and public judgement.
And if we want local government to rise to the challenges ahead, climate transition, housing, population change, it’s time we gave our communities the tools to think together, not just speak louder.
#CitizenJuries #DeliberativeDemocracy #CivicEngagement #PublicJudgement #PolicyWithPeople #ParticipatoryDemocracy #DemocracyInAction #CommunityVoice #BetterPolicy #TrustInPolitics #PoliticalLeadership #DemocraticInnovation #LocalGovernment #VoiceOfThePeople
🎧 Shout-out:
Grateful thanks to ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas for the inspiration—especially the insightful episode on Can citizen juries put the people back in democracy? These conversations help remind us what democracy can be when we bring the public back into the process with purpose and respect.
#BigIdeas #ABCRadioNational
