---
title: Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy (CAPaD)
type: advocacy
status: active
country: AU
website: https://canberra-alliance.org.au
logo: /assets/org-logos/capad-icon.png
banner: /assets/org-logos/capad.jpg
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-24
  email: secretary@canberra-alliance.org.au
  source: https://canberra-alliance.org.au
summary: A Canberra-based community nonprofit promoting good governance and civic
  participation in the ACT through candidate accountability forums, deliberative conversations,
  and civic education — independently funded and member-run since 2015.
concepts:
- direct-democracy
- citizens-assembly
- cooperative
location:
  latitude: -35.2809
  longitude: 149.13
  name: Canberra, Australia
  precision: city
rss_feed: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/feed
events:
- date: '2026-08-23'
  title: 2026 CAPaD AGM — Annual General Meeting, online via Zoom
  url: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/event/2026-capad-agm/
  quote: Be part of setting the future for CAPaD for another year.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-13'
  notable: false
  type: meeting
  location: Online via Zoom
- date: '2026-10-19'
  title: Do more MLAs make for better government? — Re-imagining Governance for the
    ACT public event, Irish Club Weston
  url: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/event/expanding-the-act-assembly-is-it-time/
  quote: 'Event 3 Re-imagining Governance for the ACT: A Public Event Series Expanding
    the ACT Assembly for better government – is it time? Hosted by CAPaD & Active
    Democracy Bean'
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-13'
  notable: true
  type: meetup
  location: Irish Club, Weston ACT
- date: '2026-11-16'
  title: A Citizens' Assembly for the ACT — three-year project to build momentum for
    a trial of citizen input to ACT government
  url: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/event/a-citizens-assembly-for-the-act/
  quote: The ACT Standing Citizens’ Assembly (SCA) is a three-year project to build
    momentum for a trial of well facilitated input from Canberrans to government in
    the ACT.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-13'
  notable: true
  type: meetup
  location: Irish Club, Weston ACT
- date: '2026-12-06'
  title: Community Assembly following up MP asks for 2026 — Woden Valley Uniting Church,
    Curtin ACT
  url: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/event/community-assembly-following-up-our-mp-asks-for-2026/
  quote: This Community Assembly to to give them opportunity to report back to us
    and for us to respond to their report.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-13'
  notable: false
  type: assembly
  location: Woden Valley Uniting Church, Curtin ACT
activity:
  rss:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-01-03
    note: 'Latest post: Redescribing Democracy: a Review'
    url: https://canberra-alliance.org.au/redescribing-democracy-a-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=redescribing-democracy-a-review
last_checked: '2026-06-28'
---

CAPaD is an ACT-based community organisation founded in 2015, focused on making elected representatives more accountable and democratic participation more meaningful for Canberra residents. It is independently funded — not by political parties, government, or corporations — and run by a voluntary committee.

## What they do

- **Kitchen Table Conversations** — community self-managed deliberative conversations as an entry point to civic participation
- **Genuine Engagement Tool (GET)** — a framework for communities to assess government engagement processes
- **Candidate accountability forums** — ahead of ACT elections, CAPaD develops community-derived assessment questions and runs deliberative forums to help voters evaluate candidates on integrity, community focus, and engagement
- **Submissions** — to the ACT Parliament, ACT Budget consultations, and federal election inquiries
- **Newsletter** — *Awakening Democracy* (ongoing since at least 2024)

For the October 2024 ACT election, CAPaD ran three deliberative forums using six community-derived candidate assessment questions focused on integrity, resistance to vested interests, and engagement with marginalised communities.

## Links

- Website: [canberra-alliance.org.au](https://canberra-alliance.org.au)

## See also

- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [Citizens' Assembly](../concepts/citizens-assembly.md)
- [Cooperative](../concepts/cooperative.md)