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Active Democracy & Community Engagement

Building Trust and Supporting Active Democracy Through Engaged Communities

Globally, democratic instability is becoming a growing concern. Political polarization is increasingly shaping alliances along ideological lines rather than economic considerations, leading to shifts in civic engagement and a decline in trust in institutions – particularly media and government. While Australia continues to exhibit relatively strong trust in government compared to other OECD nations, local councils must play an active role in reinforcing civic participation, community cohesion, and inclusive governance.

Addressing emerging challenges regarding polarisation, racism and misinformation requires robust community engagement strategies that emphasize transparency and collective problem-solving at a local community level – in partnership with government.

This is non-partisan – we are not talking about discouraging or limiting freedom of speech or indeed ideological views – it's about how we have these conversations in an informed and respectful way.

A lack of trust in the media is a breeding ground for mis- and dis-information. A lack of trust in political parties leads to less confidence in the democratic system to operate with societies best interests at heart, and ultimately less willingness and confidence to rally around the type of bold approaches needed to attack complex problems and support government decision making.

Already, over half of Australians feel the country is too fractured to unite around common goals.

However, Australians trust in local government has increased in recent years. This puts local government in a unique position to nurture a fragile social contract and work to rebuild stronger connections between government and community.

Given the pervasive nature of disinformation in driving social division and impeding progress in local climate action, urban planning and technology transitions, this program of work also intersects with several other MAVlab priority areas like Risk Infrastructure and Resilience and Service Innovation and Technology.

Trust is earned. Building trust relies on consistently delivering core services, especially during times of crisis. While innovation is crucial for addressing growing demands, proven reliability in essential services is key. The same applies to engagement – bringing more people into community connection and collaboration with local government will require active citizen sandboxes that create welcoming spaces for collaboration and participation with purpose.

The portfolio of projects that sit in the MAVlab Active Democracy and Engagement program address these issues with deep resolve, fueled by evidence and optimism and a focus on creating experiences that can connect communities with their places, their local government and each other to build the practice of participation. Democracy is not a spectator sport!

Learn more about current projects in this focus area:

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Get in touch via MAVlab@mav.asn.au.