Fremantle traffic bridge links the port town of Fremantle to Perth, the state capital of Western Australia (WA). In 2006 the bridge was in dire need of repair with a number of safety issues needing to be addressed. The WA government undertook a large scale community engagement to decide between...

Between July and October 2015, 78 Australians from the state of Victoria deliberated online and face-to-face in an experimental Citizens' Jury on obesity policy. Citizens participated in facilitated online deliberations over six weeks before meeting in person for two days to finalise their recommendations. The initiative was instigated by VicHealth,...

Penrith City Council is a large local government area in New South Wales, Australia. Like many other local councils, it is facing the difficult challenge of balancing increasing infrastructure and service needs with shrinking resources and budget cuts. Penrith Council has an infrastructure shortfall of more than $40 million AUD...

The South East Drainage Network Management Board, a government agency of South Australia, convened a community panel of 26 SE residents to deliberate on the complex and contentious issue of how to fund the ongoing management of the South East Drainage Network, a combinations of drains and floodways that underpin...

In 2015, Noosa council, in Queensland, Australia, convened two community juries to deliberate on local issues. The juries were part of the council's commitment to involve the local community in decision-making. Noosa recruited newDemocracy Foundation to help run the community juries as a trial approach. The first jury of 24...

In 2014 Marrickville council convened a citizens' jury of 30 local residents and business owners to deliberate on how best to approach the trade-off between the need for investment in infrastructure, and the desire to keep rates low. The process was run by independent research organisation newDemocracy Foundation, who took...

Moorebank Intermodal Company (MIC) is an organisation set up by the Australian government to oversee the development of a new freight terminal in Moorebank, a western suburb of Sydney. The MIC established a $1 million 'local benefits fund' for the community and convened a Citizens' Jury of 18 local residents...

In 2014 the City of Darebin Council established a participatory budgeting process to engage with the local community over how to spend their $2 million infrastructure fund. Darebin, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, convened a Citizens' Jury of 44 Darebin residents to develop recommendations on how best to use the fund.

The City of Canada Bay council convened a Policy Panel of 24 randomly selected citizens to make recommendations about how the council could make the most of community facilities. The policy panel was implemented following the success of Canada Bay's first participatory budgeting exercise which took place in 2012 and...

In 2014 the city of Melbourne held its first experience in participatory budgeting - the Melbourne's People's Panel. The panel comprised a Citizens' Jury format of 43 Melburnians who were asked by Melbourne City Council to make comment and recommendations on the Council's 10-year, $5 billion financial plan.