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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-11-28 Daily Xml
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CITIZENS' JURIES

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:54): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house of the outcomes of the citizens' jury project, announced by the government in May this year?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for his question. I have long been a believer in the importance of improving the quality of public debate about the choices that confront us as a state, and indeed it is amongst some of the early things I said on assuming this role. We do need to find a better way of involving everyday people in the decision-making that affects their lives. That is why I was keen to pursue the opportunity to establish South Australia's first citizens' jury, which looked at the question of how we can make Adelaide's nightlife both safe and vibrant.

The truth is that this was an issue that this parliament tried to grapple with, and it left somewhat of a stalemate, and so it was a proper matter for the citizens' jury to give consideration to. Often, these debates get into their corners—safety on one hand, vibrancy on the other—with an inability to actually discuss the complexity of their interaction. Today, I have tabled the jury's report, unaltered and unedited, here in the house, meeting the commitment the government made at the beginning of the process. Included with the jury's report is the government's response, which addresses each of their seven headline recommendations and 22 sub-recommendations.

There are a number of initiatives that the government has recently announced that respond directly to the jury's recommendations. The release of the Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan, cheaper public transport options, the rollout of real-time transport information, the introduction of the late night code, and greater powers for the liquor licensing commissioner to deal with problem venues, all speak directly to matters raised by the jury. In addition, the government's response outlines several new measures, including:

$100,000 to fund a continuation of Encounter Youth's Green Team, which supports vulnerable party-goers;

the launch of a new website, SocialActive, that will be a central source of information about activities in Adelaide and which has been developed by young Adelaide entrepreneurs with the support of the state government, Deloitte Digital and Chiliad Consulting; and

further efforts by the state government to promote the range of activities available in the city, with a particular focus on the Riverbank precinct.

A measure of the success of our state's first citizens' jury is that the New South Wales and the City of Sydney are now collaborating on a citizens' jury that will also consider the topic of alcohol-fuelled violence. Our citizens' jurors have made a new contribution to a long history of democratic innovation in South Australia, and on behalf of all South Australians, I thank them for their time and effort, which has helped us to extend the boundary of community participation in government decision-making.

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