Welcome
A small community group in the electorate of Dickson has been meeting at a local Lawnton eating place for the last five years to socialise and talk about current political events, how we can make democracy stronger, and how local people can stay connected, informed and heard between elections.
Democracy is not a spectator sport and cannot function properly if it only happens in polling booths, party rooms, news studios, or online arguments. It should also happen around tables, over refreshments, in local conversations, and among people who are willing to listen to one another even when they disagree.
Part of our activity is building IT-supported infrastructure to help the community hear what it is thinking about the bills that come before our federal Parliament.
It is called VoteWrap.
VoteWrap is being built to help citizens discuss public issues, understand bills before Parliament, vote directly when they choose to, delegate their vote to someone they trust when they choose to, and make the views of local communities more visible.
But the technology is not the starting point. The starting point is people.
If you live in or near Lawnton, you are invited to come along to a Community Catchup, meet others who care about democracy and community, and help explore how ordinary citizens can become better informed, better connected, and better represented between elections.
You do not need political experience.
You do not need to belong to a party.
You do not need to have all the answers.
You are welcome to listen, ask questions, share your thoughts, or simply share refreshments and conversation.
This website currently brings together both the wider Vote4Democracy ideas and the growing Lawnton community group. Over time, the national site and local community sites will become separate spaces. For now, this is the shared doorway.
Want to talk to someone first?
If you are interested but unsure about coming along, you are welcome to contact us and speak with someone from the group first.
You can ask what the Community Catchups are like, who usually attends, what we talk about, and whether it might be a good fit for you.
There is no pressure to attend or commit to anything.
Sometimes the easiest first step is simply a conversation.
Come along
The next step is simple.
Come along to a Community Catchup, meet the group, and see whether this is something you would like to be part of. Details here: Community Catchup