Show Notes
The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria that devastated Steve Pascoe’s small community of Strathewen. While everyone pulled together, as people do the world over after a disaster, the folks of Strathewen were worried that the systems meant to help them, might instead further harm them. They set out to find a better democratic way to support them to recover and flourish again as a community.
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More from Democracy After Disaster
In this final episode of 'Democracy After Disaster,' we hear about Dolly Parton's ‘My People's Fund” and its inspiration for a universal basic income (UBI) after a disaster. We look at the benefits of UBI, including mental health and social cohesion, and some of the common criticisms. We also explore participatory and deliberative democracy, highlighting successful examples and the potential for self-organizing systems in community recovery.
In this eighth episode of 'Democracy After Disaster' we learn about ways we can better create space for meaningful conversations and inclusive decision making. On New Year's Eve 2019 the small town of Cobargo where Dave Newell lives, was devastated by bushfire. His story shares examples of participation frameworks like the Art of Hosting, Circle, and Open Space. We also discuss broader concepts like complexity theory, majority rule, and the significance of building relationships for effective recovery and decision-making.
In Episode 7 of 'Democracy After Disaster,' we explore the intricate dynamics of power in disaster recovery. Examining the relationships between governments and communities, the episode focuses on the need for partnership, and how fostering democratic values encourages civic participation and tempers the corruption of power, leading to better community recovery.
In this sixth episode of 'Democracy After Disaster', we hear the experiences of former recovery worker and self confessed democracy geek, Paula, who must navigate the system in order to do the public service work she loves. We get a glimpse of local government from the inside and hold it up to the light of democracy, and we start to see where solutions might lie if we are to improve our collective experience of recovery.
This episode explores the story of recovery in Mallacoota after the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020. From a town divided for decades, we watch as the community of Mallacoota learns to step up, collaborate and develop a recovery plan that prioritises the environment and making sure no one is left behind. We also learn of the many ways the system thwarts community ambitions, and demands much in return for a community’s chance to lead their own recovery.