Electronic Networks - Building Community, 2002
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Alan Davies, Victorian Local Governance Association
"Communities are bound together by information, and more importantly, by the sharing of information. It is through the sharing of information that people are able to learn about issues of relevance to them and the wider community, and to take action about particular issues of concern" (People Together Project & VLGA, The Power of Community, 2001)
The VLGA is promoting quality engagement and consultation processes in order to make local politics a more meaningful part of people's lives. One of these processes is the development of electronic e-democracy. This presentation discusses a pilot projet to extend pathways to democratic discussion, consultation, and decision-making by citizens, councilors and officials in local government through the establishment of an 'electronic commons', in different pilot communities. The pilot will adopt principles for the development public discussion listservs developed by Steven Clift of Publicus.net in the US, applied in the Australian setting.The development and implementation of the project will be discussed and input sought.