Bean
Australian Capital Territory
Welcome to Your Electorate page. Active Democracy Australia offers a one-stop shop for people wanting to promote and find local electorate level democracy activity in their electorates.
We will publish links and contact details for groups and people in this electorate who align with our values and in particular are:
- engaging the local community in active democracy,
- not single issue focused, and
- not a political party.
We will also report news, stories and ideas from groups across the nation, so let us know from time to time what you’re up to and how you’re going.
To join in, Our MP
David Smith (ALP) is your MP. To find out about David:
- Check out his parliamentary, personal and party websites, and his Wikipedia entry.
- This site tells you how your MP’s policy priorities align with the priorities of voters in the seat. From Menu, click on Meet the Perfect Candidate, then Let’s talk and then Compare my electorate. Then type in your electorate and follow the prompts.
- Enter your MP’s name on this site and find out the parliamentary bills the MP voted for or against (or abstained on), and whether this conformed to their party vote.
- This site also tells you how your MP voted, as well as biographical information, the MPs’ speeches, their parliamentary expenses and their declared interests (that is, their properties, investments and gifts). The best place to start is to click on the summary button.
Find out about other candidates for this seat when they nominate and campaign before the election.
Results from past elections in this electorate
These can be found here.
More information about this electorate
This Australian Electoral Commission Profile contains some basic information about the electorate, including a map, the local government areas it covers and a link to details of the current MP.
This Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Quickstats page for this seat provides a range of demographic information relating to gender, age, education levels, ethnic background, religious affiliation, employment levels, occupations, incomes, family composition, housing circumstances and more, in numbers and percentages. These are compared with figures for your state and the nation. Note: in the 2016 Census Bean was included in the electorate of Canberra.
Good luck and please keep in touch!
If you would like to join us or run a KTC please email us.
More about Active Democracy Bean
Who are we?
- We live in the Bean electorate area and our group is not associated with any political party.
- We respect all political players and focus on the issues not the person or party.
- We welcome new ideas, members and talents.
Active Democracy Bean is supported by registered charity the Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy (CAPaD). It aims to build a social movement to engage and connect citizens who care about the public good and the political system to contribute to a more democratic Australia. We are part of a growing national movement that is concerned to improve the responsiveness of our political representatives to the voices of their constituents.
Download our About us Flyer here.
What are our aims?
- Increase community engagement in the democratic process in the Federal election of Bean
- Establish an ongoing relationship and mutual accountability with our elected representatives
- Improve the responsiveness of our elected representatives to our voices
What is important to us?
- Accepting diverse views
- Focusing on the well-being and good of all
- Being welcoming and respectful
How do we work?
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- We create a safe space for the community to air different views
- Passion, fun and community are at the heart of what we do
- We collaborate with others on issues to increase our impact
What do we do?
- Develop two-way channels of communication between us and our elected representatives (e.g., meetings on topics of importance; consultations via the Kitchen Table Conversation method on government policy; surveys; other forms yet to be developed!)
- Improve our understanding of existing channels of communication with our elected federal representatives and of how the political system works.
In 2023, Active Democracy Bean help listening posts at community events. In 2024 we are continuing with ANTaR on a campaign for the 2024 ACT Election to highlight what Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people are calling for in the ACT: real actions and real commitments, leading to real change.
Here is the report on our first listenings.
Connect