In early 2024 we were commissioned to work with Amplify to design an engagement process (including deliberative elements) to enable Australians to discuss one of the most complex policy issues we face – housing.
By combining expert knowledge with public judgment, we aimed to design a process which enabled Australians to identify a set of housing reforms that had both a strong evidence base and public legitimacy.
The process started with academics, think tanks and experts identifying potential reforms grounded in expert knowledge and practical experience.
But it was the public—representing everyday Australians—who were asked to assess which reforms best respond to what matters most: affordability, choice, and security in housing.
The Approach
- Identification of Reforms – Experts from academia, think tanks and industry were invited to propose evidence-based reforms across multiple policy areas. 47 were submitted.
- Short listing of reforms – In November 2024, DemocracyCo facilitated a process which enabled 10 Community Heroes—Local Heroes and Senior Australians of the Year, to deliberate alongside leading experts, including Economist Saul Eslake and Urban Planner Steve Driscoll, to shortlist 13 reforms from the broader pool of 47 reforms. This was done to ensure that there was a manageable number of reforms for the larger group of 100 to consider, while still being led by a strong community voice.
- Determining support – Key to the AMPLIFICATION was an Australian-first national in-person deliberation. DemocracyCo facilitated a group of 100 Australians, representing a microcosm of Australia, over two days to put 13 expert-led housing reforms to the test. At the event, our Amplifiers engaged with independent experts, watched as proponents and challengers debated each reform and deliberated with one another on the merits of each reform. Individual support for reforms was measured using a pre-post poll structure, allowing us to understand how views shifted because of the deliberation.
Participants were supported in their deliberations via a Deliberative Guide. You can read the Guide here.
The Results
- A MEGA-majority (+90%) of participants wanted bolder action to build more homes by removing barriers to prefabricated housing and upzoning to medium density.
- There was SUPER-majority (+66%) support for enabling gentle densification, radically increasing the stock of social housing and delivering better outcomes for renters through stronger renters’ rights.
- People were much more willing and able to engage with evidence, different perspectives, and compromise than traditional polling suggests.
- The data showed that people were willing to change their minds. Over the course of the deliberation support increased for nearly all the reforms – and surged most for stronger renters’ protections and more skilled tradies from overseas to speed up construction.
The biggest swing for renters’ rights came from an unlikely source – participants who owned investment properties – who changed their mind after hearing the evidence on international comparisons and talking to renters in the room.
The Impact
Amplify and participants in the processes continue to advocate to governments for the housing reforms supported by Australians.
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“By combining expert knowledge with public judgement, Amplify generated a powerful community-backed mandate, which has been used as the centerpiece for push for bold, evidenced-based housing reform.”
AMPLIFICATION Participant Quotes
“We did arrive as individuals. We did arrive with our own biases or views on the world. And very quickly what’s occurred is that through listening and accepting other people’s experiences, it’s enabled people to really morph their thoughts and be more accepting of ideas that they initially thought they were going to strongly oppose.”
“One of the coolest things that I found about this was the sense of community that I felt in terms of how many compromises I saw people willing to make. I learned that I don’t have to be a bystander and accept that things are the way that they are, and I can make a difference, and that’s really important.”