Clarifying process
I write in response to recent letters regarding the Greater Bendigo Citizens’ Jury being convened by the newDemocracy Foundation for Council.
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I’m glad your readers have put pen to paper to ask questions about the process, albeit with little skepticism, because they have rightly gone to the core issue of trust.
Many of us have become cynical about the way governments of all levels make decisions.
Electioneering, sound bites and ungainly politicking have made us so.
It is easy to be critical of the status quo, but harder to do something about it.
To their credit, council has stepped up to try something different as they plan for the future.
The citizens’ jury concept is a simple one: take a fairly small group of people, randomly selected, through a deep experience of the work done by council and ask them to find common ground on future priorities.
This is the complete opposite to an opinion poll.
Instead of a four-minute telephone call, this is a 30-hour in-person, deliberative process.
The newly elected councillors will hear the informed views of people who are much less likely to ever engage with council.
The jury’s recommendations will be published unedited and in full and the new council will provide a detailed written response by March 2017.
And it will be the newDemocracy Foundation that convenes and operates the jury, not council.
As non-partisan research body with no vested interest in Bendigo nor a desire for ongoing work with council, we simply want to prove the point that citizens can solve problems for themselves if given scope to do so.
We’ve invited anyone who wants to find out more about the process to attend information sessions, and I hope anyone who has questions about the process will come along so we can talk through them.
Details of the information sessions are available on council’s website and the full project plan is also available on our website (www.newdemocracy.com.au/our-work) for anyone who would like to know more.
Georgina Inwood, newDemocracy Foundation
Flood study concern
Many people in the community have recently received a Bendigo Urban Flood Study Planning Scheme Amendment bulletin.
People who receive letters may not be aware that their property could now be impacted and their land subjected to an inundation overlay due to the adoption of the recent flood study.
Resident who have received the community information bulletin should check the enclosed information thoroughly so that they fully understand what affect the changes will have on their properties.
If the information provided does not appear to be correct, people should seek clarification from council as it may result in changes to their insurance, property values and future development plans.
Affected residents have the right to make submissions on the planning amendment before June 30, 2016.
Bill Knight, Epsom Huntly Drainage Committee
- Letters commenting on election issues must bear the name and full address of the writer(s). Responsibility for election comment in this issue is accepted by Bendigo Advertiser editor Nicole Ferrie, 67-71 Williamson Street, Bendigo. Writers should disclose any alliance with political or community organisations and include their telephone number for verification. Election candidates should declare themselves as such when submitting letters.