Deliberative Town Hall with MP Andrew Leigh

In September 2020, UC researchers held two Deliberative Town Halls with Member of Parliament Andrew Leigh. These events focused on Mitochondrial Donation, a medical procedure that was set to undergo a conscience vote in Parliament. As a “conscience vote,” a relatively rare (occurring roughly once per term) type of vote where MP’s do not have to vote along party lines, Leigh MP was free to vote entirely at his discretion.

Leigh took the opportunity to engage with his constituency on the issue of Mitochondrial Donation through an experimental deliberative democratic process. In two town hall meetings a series of constituents from Leigh’s Canberra electorate of Fenner were randomly selected to discuss the issues surrounding mitochondrial donation. 

Key design features of the Deliberative Town Halls:

• Representation: included a cross-section of the constituent population;
• Informed discussions: participants were provided with background materials and information on the issue at stake. This included an 8 minute video produced by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council and an Issues Paper which described the ethical, legal and scientific dimensions of mitochondrial donation.
• Facilitated interactions: An independent facilitator, not part of the research team or the MP’s staff, ensured that the norms of mutual respect, equal turn-taking and reciprocal reason-given were observed.
• Impact: Andrew Leigh guaranteed his vote in Parliament would be guided by his constituents.

Deliberation was promoted by the provision of nonpartisan, in-depth background information about the issue; by ensuring diversity and representativeness of the participants; turn-taking in asking questions, respectful expression of agreements and disagreements; and respectful listening. 

After having the opportunity to process the information and listen to the views of fellow citizens,  participants in both town halls overwhelmingly expressed their support for the   Mitochondrial Donation to be made legal in Australia. 

In a statement on the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform Bill in late 2021, Leigh MP said that: “the overwhelming sentiment among those who attended the forum was to support mitochondrial donation, and I will be voting in favour of this bill.” 

Impact

The majority of the House of Representatives, including Leigh MP, voted in favor of the Bill on December 1, 2021. The Bill passed in the Senate on March 30, 2022; mitochondrial donation became legal in Australia starting October 2, 2022. 

While the ability to directly influence a vote is undeniably appealing to constituents, the true worth of projects like Connecting to Parliament are in their potential to foster deeper connections between elected officials and their constituents. By providing a platform for meaningful dialogue and shared reasoning, these forums can help bridge the gap between policymakers and the people they represent, strengthening trust and understanding, leading to better governance.

Deliberative town halls are just one of many methods of deliberative engagement being increasingly adapted worldwide to involve everyday citizens in decision-making processes on a wide range of issues.  Researchers at the University of Canberra’s Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance are leading the way in advancing research on deliberative engagement and its importance for strengthening democracy.