World Cafe

• Presented By
  Sydney Opera House
• Venue
  The Studio
  View seating plan
• Dates
  2010-10-03
  
• Program
  Festival of Dangerous Ideas

• Presented By
  Sydney Opera House
• Venue
  The Studio
  View seating plan
• Dates
  2010-10-03
  
• Program
  Festival of Dangerous Ideas

• Presented By
  Sydney Opera House
• Venue
  The Studio
  View seating plan
• Dates
  2010-10-03
  
• Program
  Festival of Dangerous Ideas

• Presented By
  Sydney Opera House
• Venue
  The Studio
  View seating plan
• Dates
  2010-10-03
  
• Program
  Festival of Dangerous Ideas

World Café: IS POLITICS KILLING DEMOCRACY
Fred Chaney (Chair), Lyn Carson, Rebecca Huntley, Simon Sheikh, Tim Soutphommasane

This event is SOLD OUT

Presenting Partner: newdemocracy foundation

The great ideological battles of the 20th century provided clear choices for voters in western democracies between ‘left’ and ‘right’. Allegiance to one side of politics or the other was often a choice for life, carrying with it fervent commitment to a political program. With the collapse of the left/right divide, major parties have become indistinguishable, and voters have become more alienated from party politics than ever. Politics in Australia seems to have become a reality TV popularity contest, with a prime-minister recently ‘voted off the island’ and major parties tripping over each other in their scramble to avoid anything difficult or unpopular. For us, as voters, this situation is profoundly frustrating; with politicians playing popularity games while the planet burns.

Does our idea of democracy need to change radically to give people more scope to be involved? Join our World Café to discuss these and other questions with a group of panellists and your fellow World Café participants.

The World Café is a relaxed and informal way to bring people together to discuss big ideas. An expert panel presents a range of views on the issue, and a series of questions are presented for discussion, with participants moving between groups to talk about each question over refreshments.

There is no ‘audience’ for a World Café, everyone is involved and brings their own experience and insight to the conversation. As the process concludes, key issues and views are brought together to create an overview of how the discussions have illuminated the question at hand.

Fred Chaney (Chair) is a former Western Australian politician who held a number of ministries in the Fraser Government. Until April 2007 he held the position of deputy chairman of the Australian Native Title Tribunal and he is Chair of Desert Knowledge Australia and on the Board of Directors of Reconciliation Australia.

Lyn Carson is a professorial fellow in the Centre for Citizenship & Public Policy at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. Her research and teaching focuses on community engagement and deliberative democracy.

Rebecca Huntley is a writer and social researcher. She is the Director of the Ipsos Mackay Report and the author of the World According to Y: Inside the New Adult Generation and Eating Between the Lines: Food and Equality in Australia.

Simon Sheikh is the National Director of advocacy group GetUp. Simon has been behind campaigns on climate change, changes to our anti-terrorism laws and GetUp’s work on internet censorship.

Tim Soutphommasane is a writer and newspaper columnist. In 2009 he completed a PhD at Oxford University and his first book was published, Reclaiming Patriotism: Nation-Building for Australian Progressives.

Venue: Studio
Dates: Sunday 3 October 5:00pm (Please note daylight saving commence Sunday 3 October)
Duration: 2hours 45mins

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