1 Developing Capacity: The reasonable conversation of

Abstract: In the calls for greater participation, ‘whole of government ’ approaches; partnerships and collaboration, prevalent in current discussions around building trust in government, lies a challenge to the elite model of democratic politics. In this paper I want to reflect on the barriers and opportunities to developing a conversation between governments and citizens in the context of representative democratic structures and traditional models of the role of citizens and public servants in that conversation. The paper will draw on practical examples developed in the context of an Australian Research Council funded project in Queensland, Australia, but the lessons learnt around developing capacity for engagement have much wider application, for both mature and developing democracies. What this paper attempts to show is how the initially rhetorical commitments to enhancing citizen engagement and building, or rebuilding, trust, can be given substance within the institutional framework of a representative democracy. overnments have committed to community engagement for a number of reasons. These include overt political reasons, such as the need for electoral success or the need to placate interest groups, as well as commitments to greater efficiency and in response to community interests. At the most simple level, bureaucrats engage because they need to know and communities engage because they want to be heard. How can these efforts lead to genuine and sustainable conversations between citizens and government? In this paper I reflect on the barriers and opportunities to developing a conversation between governments and citizens in the context of representative democratic structures and traditional models of the role of citizens and public servants in that conversation