Canberra
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.
Electorate action groups in this seat
While there no Active Democracy Group as yet, our MP Alicia Payne and DemocracyCo are organising The Canberra Forum. The Forum will run along the lines of a standing citizens’ assembly for a trial of six to 12 months in early 2023. Members will be selected by inviting people from the electoral roll. Details are still being finalised. More information as it comes to hand.
If you are interested in helping start an Active Democracy group, please email:
Your MP
Alicia Payne (ALP) is your MP. To find out about Alicia:
- Check out her parliamentary website here and her personal website here. Her Wikipedia page is here.
- This site tells you how Alicia’s policy priorities align with the priorities of voters in the seat. From Menu, choose Meet the Perfect Candidate, click Let’s talk, choose Compare my electorate, enter your electorate name and then 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.
At the next election, check out all the other candidates as well as your sitting member.
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 the electorate of Canberra included Bean. Some of the northern part is in what is now Fenner.
The Canberra Forum: 'Another way of listening'
In 2023 Alicia Payne, ALP member for the ACT federal electorate of Canberra, and DemocracyCo ran the Canberra Forum, a citizen participation event to explore other ways for MPs and citizens to work together for the public good. Further information is available from Alicia Payne’s website.
The Forum chose Housing Affordability as their topic for deliberation.
The Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy used their Genuine Engagement Tool (GET) to reflect on the Canberra Forum. They obtained feedback from Alicia Payne and DemocracyCo. The completed reflection is available here.
Meanwhile the Report from the Forum is up on Alicia’s website and a 3 minute video reporting participants positive experience is also available.
Good luck and please keep in touch!
Connect