The University Voice Panel brought together students, academic and professional staff, and partner organisations across four sessions between March and April 2026.

It considered:

How can the University of Canberra become a place where everyone feels they belong, can express who they are, and connect safely across difference?

The Panel developed a collective statement of what social cohesion means at UC, along with four recommendations encompassing fifteen actions, which were handed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

The Social Cohesion Action Plan has since been endorsed by the Vice-Chancellor and University Executive and is now being implemented.

The process was informed by university-wide consultation, including a survey of 225 students, staff and community members. Findings from that consultation are set out in the [Panel Background Report], alongside the evidence base that framed the Panel's deliberations.

The [Project Report] documents the full process, its outcomes and its learnings.

What participants said

Post-deliberation survey data showed 74% of Panel members found the process collaborative, genuine and worthwhile - up from 24% who said the same of UC's past engagement activities. Ninety per cent reported a high level of knowledge about social cohesion by the end of the process, and 60% expected to be more involved in University decisions that affect them as a result of the experience - up from the 36% who reported feeling involved beforehand.

Panel members reflected that they had rarely had the opportunity to engage with such a broad cross-section of the University community, and that the process was itself an experience of social cohesion in action.

What is next?

The Centre is continuing to develop deliberative practice connected to social cohesion, including further research emerging from this project. If you are interested in this work, or in applying deliberative approaches in your own setting, please get in touch with Dr Emanuela Savini, Practice Lead, Centre for Deliberative Democracy at Emanuela.Savini@canberra.edu.au. 

Interested in Deliberative Engagement? 

Deliberative engagement is a participatory approach that brings people together to thoughtfully explore complex questions, learn from diverse perspectives, and collectively develop solutions. Rather than simply gathering individual opinions, it creates conditions for meaningful dialogue where participants can grapple with nuance, consider trade-offs, and build shared understanding across difference. 

You can find out more about this form of engagement in our [Guidebook] and explore our [Masterclasses] to deepen your understanding of deliberative practice. 

Acknowledgement 

We extend our deep gratitude to MosaicLab for supporting this project through their charitable giving. Their partnership has enabled us to design a deliberative process worthy of the complex questions at the heart of social cohesion.