---
title: Folio Collective
type: practice
status: active
country: AU
website: https://folio.org.au
logo: /assets/org-logos/folio-collective.jpg
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-09
  email: connect@folio.org.au
  source: https://folio.org.au/Contact
summary: A Melbourne-based, nonpartisan not-for-profit forum that runs small-group
  "Folio Conversations" — structured public dialogue between diverse citizens and
  invited expert "Conversation Leaders" on issues of civic and democratic concern
  — under the explicit mission "Democracy evolves one conversation at a time."
concepts:
- deliberative-democracy
- collective-intelligence
location:
  latitude: -37.8136
  longitude: 144.9631
  name: Melbourne, Australia
  precision: city
rss_feed: https://folio.org.au/events/RSS
events:
- date: 2022-10-19
  title: Public integrity, trust and democracy
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-4941291
  quote: The Hon Stephen Charles AO QC (Centre for Public Integrity; former Victoria
    Court of Appeal judge) and Danielle Wood (CEO, Grattan Institute) to lead a timely
    conversation about the state of Australian politics and democracy and how we might
    let the sunshine in and strengthen public integrity.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-20'
  notable: true
- date: 2023-03-20
  title: (Un)ethical design — Robodebt, accountability, and equity in a digital society
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-5200127
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  proof_warning: true
- date: 2023-04-04
  title: Atlas of Human Rights — violations and protections in Australia and abroad
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-5219140
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  location: CURATE Space, Melbourne CBD
  proof_warning: true
- date: 2024-06-24
  title: 'Democratic Crossroads — the power of participation: what''s holding us back?'
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-5761027
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  proof_warning: true
- date: 2024-07-01
  title: 'Democratic Crossroads — unpacking the Voice Referendum: what can we learn
    about Australia''s democracy?'
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-5773784
  quote: This Folio Conversation with Mary Crooks and Lauren Crystal will help us
    unpack the Voice Referendum, drawing on their direct experience in community conversations
    across the country and personal reflections on the Yes and No campaigns, the referendum
    outcome, and democracy in Australia.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-20'
  notable: true
- date: 2025-02-26
  title: Election 2025 — how will independents shape our future Parliament?
  url: https://www.folio.org.au/event-6065606
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  proof_warning: true
activity:
  manual:
    checked: 2026-08-09
    date: 2026-08-09
    note: 'Confirmed active via own website: past events list runs to 29 Jul 2026'
  dod:
    date: 2025-12-03
    note: Site unreachable (connection error) as of 2026-08-12. Wayback Machine shows
      last capture Nov 2025 with events scheduled through Dec 2025. May be temporarily
      down or dormant.
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20251130042451/https://www.folio.org.au/
    checked: 2026-08-12
last_checked: '2026-08-12'
---

Folio Collective (trading as "Folio") is a Melbourne-based, member-supported forum that runs a recurring program of small-group public conversations — "Folio Conversations" — pairing diverse citizens with invited expert "Conversation Leaders" to discuss civic and democratic issues.[^home] Folio describes its purpose plainly: "Democracy evolves one conversation at a time. Let's have better conversations, more often."[^home] It positions itself as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit social enterprise that exists "to strengthen democracy through connected, citizen-led dialogue."[^event-state-of-nature]

## Format

Folio Conversations are deliberately small and capped: seats are "strictly limited to ensure that everyone has a meaningful opportunity to participate," with attendees encouraged to "bring their curiosity, actively listen, and share their perspectives and experiences."[^events] Each session pairs a themed civic or social question with one or more Conversation Leaders — subject-matter experts, practitioners, or advocates — for structured, small-group dialogue rather than a lecture-and-Q&A format.

Recent programming has run in themed clusters, including *Energy Shift* (the renewable energy transition's impact on regional communities), *State of Nature* (biodiversity and conservation), *Democratic Crossroads* (the 2023 Voice referendum and civic participation), *Election 2025* (nonpartisan analysis of the federal election), and *AI Futures* (AI governance).[^events]

## Membership and governance

Folio operates on a two-tier paid membership (Level 1 and Level 2, priced by expected in-person attendance frequency), plus casual/guest access to individual events.[^join-us] Members get first access and discounted tickets, an online member portal, and voting rights over "the future direction of the Folio Community."[^join-us] The organisation is run by a small operating team (Conversation Program Manager, Community Engagement Manager, Finance Manager, Marketing and Communications Manager) reporting to a volunteer Board, which Folio states should reflect "the diversity we want to see participating in our events" — explicitly welcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people of every ethnicity, faith, ability, culture, language, age, gender identity, and sexual orientation as board candidates.[^team]

## Why it's on our radar

Folio sits in similar territory to DOD's own mission — nonpartisan, citizen-facing public dialogue on how society and government should work — but pursues it through a recurring in-person conversation series rather than a governance-design or advocacy focus. Past programming has covered accountability (Robodebt), electoral representation, referendum literacy (the Voice), and government AI policy, all squarely inside the Democracy Landscape's remit.[^events]

## Links

- Website: [folio.org.au](https://folio.org.au)
- [Events](https://folio.org.au/events)
- [Join us / membership](https://folio.org.au/join-us)

## See also

- [Deliberative Democracy](../concepts/deliberative-democracy.md)
- [Collective Intelligence](../concepts/collective-intelligence.md)

[^home]: ["Folio Collective Limited — Home"](https://folio.org.au/), accessed 9 August 2026.

[^events]: ["Folio Collective Limited — Events"](https://folio.org.au/events), accessed 9 August 2026.

[^join-us]: ["Folio Collective Limited — Join us"](https://folio.org.au/join-us), accessed 9 August 2026.

[^team]: ["The Folio Team"](https://folio.org.au/Folio-Team), accessed 9 August 2026.

[^event-state-of-nature]: ["State of Nature - Have we fallen out of love with nature?"](https://folio.org.au/event-6451621), Folio Collective event page, accessed 9 August 2026.