Public Participation

The Greens (WA) believe participatory democracy is an essential principle of society applicable at all levels of governance and business. It is important for people to be involved in making the decisions that affect their lives and the environment upon which we all depend. We are committed to ensuring public participation at all levels of government and workplace decision-making. With the increasing global, environmental and social challenges facing humanity, public participation is essential for truly sustainable and equitable solutions. 

Goals

The Greens (WA) want: 

• people to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives
• public participation at all levels of government and workplace decision-making
• all stakeholders to be involved in the decision–making process
• all participants to commit to an agreed process
• a commitment to consensus decision-making
• evaluation and feedback mechanisms within the process to encourage continuous improvement. 

Initiatives

The Greens (WA) propose public participation processes that: 

• recognise that we must live within the environmental and resource limits of a finite earth, respecting the rights of other life forms (The Rio Declaration 1992)
• recognise intergenerational equity whereby future generations are not compromised by decisions made today
• recognise that public participation requires community capacity building with resources and leaderships that promote these
• ensure equitable and responsible representation to report back to the broader community and representative bodies
• require participants to declare any potential conflicts of interest
• ensure procedural fairness in all public participation processes
• ensure that novel and innovative proposals are considered
• make sure there is clear communication and agreement on the process if consensus is not achieved
• clearly explain justifications and rationales for decisions
• ensure that the degree of influence participants have on the outcome is clearly defined and understood before any decisions are made
• ensure that the roles and responsibilities of all participants are clearly defined and understood
• ensure that all participants agree on timeliness and information delivery to maximise the full and effective participation of all involved
• ensure that all participants have equitable access to information, expertise and personnel to ensure effective and informed participation
• use easily comprehended information and language to ensure effective and equitable participation of all participants
• feature flexibility in the process so that change will be positive and handled constructively.