Diverse and respectful: national roundtables seek varied insights in pursuit of truth

CANBERRA, ACT – The Australian Baha’i Community’s national initiative, Creating an Inclusive Narrative, is setting a standard for community engagement, using structured consultation roundtables across Australia to gather diverse insights in an open and respectful way.  

Functioning as dynamic forums designed to distill collective wisdom from a range of views, the sessions are grounded in principles of integrity and mutual respect, bringing together thought leaders, media practitioners, government, faith and community representatives to help refine Australia’s evolving story. 

The process aims to foster genuine and open dialogue. YWCA Canberra Director of Prevention of Violence and DV Response, Dr Tulika Saxena, recently participated in the Canberra roundtable. 

Acknowledging the familiar format – a semi-structured group discussing open-ended questions – Dr Saxena highlighted the quality of the sessions. “It was a small group, and moderators were very nicely keeping the group on topic,” she said. 

“Everyone was respectful of each other’s views. There were differences but they were handled very well and at no point discussions got hostile, which in such a politically divided society these days, happen usually.”

The strength of the project lies in its intentional pursuit of diverse perspectives with roundtables specifically seeking varied insights to broaden the knowledge base. 

“Technically we all live in our own echo chambers and often meet and mingle with like-minded people,” Dr Saxena said. “However in a consultation like this, you get to sit with diverse audience and hear what the local but diverse community’s views are.” 

Dr Saxena said the presence of different types of stakeholders was “enriching”. She said she felt a clear sense of purpose from the roundtable experience. “I benefitted from hearing from groups I generally do not mingle with much, so that was good.” 

“I felt heard and empowered due to the opportunity to speak,” she said, adding she was able to share her broad community experience with others. 

“I did feel from the consultation though that we all look at our issues and challenges differently, hence it is always a pleasure to hear different points of view.” 

The Creating an Inclusive Narrative project continues its work with a series of roundtables in most states and territories, relying on the foundation of consultation. Roundtables have been held in cities and regional communities across Australia, with more than 170 people participating to date. 

By creating environments based on genuine respect and diversity, the roundtables are ensuring the resulting narrative is informed by collective insights, aspirations and the vision for Australia’s future. 

Another participant from the roundtable held in Ballarat, Victoria said it provided the opportunity for individuals from the arts and culture, media, faith, local council, philanthropic and education sectors to gather and reflect on both the challenges faced in their local community and the opportunities that exist for future growth and collaboration. 

“Settings that open the way for dialogue and consultation, where everyone’s views are respected and heard, are key when it comes to moving forward as neighbourhoods and as an entire country,” she said. 

The roundtables will culminate in the second iteration of the Creating an Inclusive Narrative document, to be offered to Australian society as a resource and framework for a variety of social endeavours. It is hoped the document will foster an ongoing conversation from the grassroots to national levels of society, encouraging and motivating all our interactions, and contributing towards the thinking which shapes and inspires community projects, government policy and public opinion.