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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has unveiled a new approach to climate change: a “citizens’ assembly” of 150 people to debate the issues and forge a consensus.
The radical plan would see 150 people, drawn from across Australia, sitting down in Canberra to discuss issues of national importance.
To ensure that the members stay focused on the need to protect the environment, they could be seated on green benches.
This new approach to policymaking could make Australia a leader among 19th century constitutional monarchies.
It’s understood that the Citizens’ Assembly is a watered-down version of an earlier proposal. This would have also established a second, 76-person, assembly to review everything the original one came up with. Labor sources say this wouldn’t work in practice.
Constitutional experts say that there’s no limit to the number of public policy questions that could be resolved using a 150-seat chamber of community representatives. And if the Citizens’ Assembly can’t agree, they can simply appoint 150 other people to make the difficult decisions for them.
The Citizens' Assembly concept takes its inspiration from England's ancient "parley-building", where community representatives would come to talk and have parties.
