What should Council spend our money on to shape the community’s future?
OVERVIEW
Organisation:
City of Greater Bendigo
Method/s:
Citizens’ jury
Issue/s:
Council Plan
Key points:
- Participant selection method: Sortition, self-selection, sortition
- Duration: 30 hours over 6 sessions
- Size: 30 jurors
- Invited rather than insisted voices
- Web links:
- Jury home page:
City of Bendigo Have Your Say - Jury report:
newDemocracy Report - newDemocracyFoundation:
Our Work on Citizens' Jury
- Jury home page:
Aim:
City of Greater Bendigo saw the Citizens’ Jury as an exciting way to encourage greater community participation in the planning and decision making needed to respond to Council’s future challenges. The overall aim of commissioning the process was to provide valid and detailed advice to Council to guide future decision-making and build residents’ confidence in Council.
Process:
The Jury discussed and compared the possible outcomes and implications of the options they identified; made evidence-based decisions, informed by information on the operations of Council and expert advice that the jury requested; and at the end of the process the jury collectively made recommendations to Council.
Outcome:
The juries report was received at the final meeting of the previous Council in October 2016. The incoming Council received the juries report and discussed the report with jurors December 2016. Council will formally respond to the juries’ recommendations early 2017.