People's Choice PartyWhat is our aim? To provide Australia with the best democratic system of government in the world. How will we begin to achieve this aim? To get a jury of ordinary people to act as government watchdogs. How much will it cost? The average cost per Australian would be less than 50 cents a year. What will the jury do? They will educate themselves by: - Touring the country, finding out what's happening in factories, offices, farms, schools,
hospitals etc.
- Talking to people representing groups within the community: Unions, business groups,
social workers.
- Talking to representatives of the various government departments.
They will educate the rest of the country by: - Reporting their findings to the community as a whole via a ten-minute weekly television
program.
- Each person in the group has about two minutes to express their views.
- If they find their views are shared by other people in the group, they can
"lump" their time allocation together to give a more detailed insight.
- They can read their opinion themselves, or have it read by a professional news-reader.
How will the jury be selected? - The jury will comprise of six people selected randomly from the population.
- Every week, two people will finish their 3-week term, and two more people will be
appointed.
- Each jury member will be paid at the same rate as a federal MP, including free meals,
travel & accommodation.
What's wrong with the current system? We believe that the current system of government: - Makes it very difficult for politicians to get anything done.
- Discourages politicians from addressing difficult issues.
- Ensures that politicians spend most of their time representing the interests of the
people who keep them in power, rather than the community as a whole.
What will the benefits be? - Ordinary people will feel like they're a part of the political system.
- The focus of government attention will change from what the media thinks is interesting
to what people know is important.
- People watching at home gain a sense of where other people in the community are coming
from.
- Issues can be discussed frankly rather than in a "politically correct style"
that often obscures more than it reveals.
- People from all sectors of society will be represented in proportion to their
population. On average, for example, 50% of the jury will be women.
Further information - Click here to view feedback so far
- Click here to read the diary of ficticious jury member
Copyright (C) 1996
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