As part of Byron Shire Council's 2019 Byron Model of Democracy, an 18-person citizens' panel met at 6 sessions across 3 months to provide recommendations on how to make democratic decisions in Byron Shire that can be widely supported.
Problems and Purpose
Community groups are very active in Byron, often leading to heated public discussions and lack of agreement on certain issues. This impacts government decision-making as there are so many views to consider. newDemocracy Foundation partnered with Byron Shire Council to set up a citizens' panel of community members to co-develop a "collaborative model of democracy" that is much better suited to Byron's unique situation. [1]
Background History and Context
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Methods and Tools Used
Citizens' panel
Also stakeholder and councilor groups were established and met to contribute to the Byron Model.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The citizens' panel met six times over three months, while the stakeholder and councilor groups met twice each. At the end of the deliberations, all three groups met to find common areas of agreement to finalise their recommendations. [2]
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The outcomes of the deliberations of the three groups would be tested over a two-year period.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
Byron Shire Community Solutions Panel
References
[1] newDemocracy (n.d.) Byron Shire Council - the Byron Model of Democracy (2019). Accessed at: https://www.newdemocracy.com.au/2019/01/13/byron-shire-council-the-byron-model-of-democracy/
[2] newDemocracy (n.d.) Bryon Shire Council: The Byron Model Recommendations Report. Accessed at: https://www.newdemocracy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Byron-Shire-Council_-Combined-Report.pdf
External Links
Notes
Initial data was sourced from OECD (2020), Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/339306da-en.