Building from the community outward
Verify’s current work is centred on the Vote4Democracy Project and a practical community pilot in Lawnton, on Brisbane’s north side.
Lawnton Community Catchups
The Lawnton Community Catchups bring people together regularly to discuss issues, look at legislation and explore ways of making democratic participation a normal part of community life.
The group is deliberately small at this stage. The purpose is to learn what works in practice.
Rather than designing a complete democratic system and then asking people to adopt it, Vote4Democracy is being developed through use.
The initial digital system is being built around legislation currently before the Australian Parliament, while new community issues are also being progressively incorporated. This allows the same emerging infrastructure to begin connecting formal parliamentary activity with matters raised directly by people in the community.
Over time, the intention is to incorporate democratic activity across local, state and federal levels, including legislation, existing laws, community issues, policy questions and proposals for change.
Different levels of participation
People can engage according to their interest, time and circumstances.
Some people may attend regularly. Others may contribute occasionally. Some may have specialist knowledge. Others may simply want to know what is happening and have a way of expressing a view when something matters to them.
That diversity is part of the design.
Collaboration
Verify currently has no staff, but the work extends well beyond one person.
A growing number of people are contributing through the Lawnton Community Catchups and through discussions around democracy, technology, community development, research and implementation.
Some have been involved in the work for many years. Others contribute around particular questions, projects or areas of expertise.
The intention is not to build a conventional organisation in which participation depends on employment. Vote4Democracy is intended to become infrastructure through which communities themselves can organise, participate and take responsibility.