How do citizen assemblies work?
Citizens’ assemblies work a lot like juries. A large number of citizens are randomly selected from the electoral roll and invited to participate. From those who register, there is a second stage of random selection to obtain a group that closely reflects the demographic diversity of the whole community. These participants are brought together in facilitated discussions to hear balanced expert opinions on constitutional modernisation issues, discuss different views face-to-face in small groups, test their ideas against those of people holding different views and propose and prioritise action recommendations. Importantly, there is never pressure on participants to change their preferences or political views. In the lead up to the citizens assemblies, a public consultation process will be conducted on the issues being deliberated. This ensures that communities across Australia get the opportunity to have their views heard and taken notice of.
