Connecting New Citizens to Australian Democracy

Becoming an Australian citizen is a significant milestone, but the journey of belonging, connection and participation continues well beyond the ceremony. In the years after citizenship, new Australians often face challenges in fully engaging and integrating in their communities, building social connections and navigating democratic systems and the practices of civic life.
Recent research from the Resilient Democracy Research and Data Network (https://australiandemocraticresilience.substack.com/p/introducing-the-australian-resilient) shows declining rates of civic participation and volunteering in Australia over the past three decades. Both experiential and classroom-based civic education are crucial, yet most programs don’t continue beyond the schooling years, leaving new Australians with limited opportunities to gain practical civic knowledge beyond the citizenship test.

This challenge is your chance to identify the gaps that exist in the current offering and design innovative, practical solutions that empower new Australians to:
- Experience hands-on civic education and learn how Australian democracy works in real life
- Navigate and access public services with confidence, including through engagement with their elected representatives
- Get involved in local events and discover opportunities to engage with community including through volunteering
- Grow their understanding of civic rights and responsibilities and how to leverage these to benefit their community
- Connect with others and participate in community decision-making, both online and in person
Bring your creativity and passion to our challenge and help shape a future where every person feels valued and empowered to contribute. Let’s build a more resilient, vibrant Australia—starting now!

This GovHack challenge is seeking to identify practical, innovative and scalable solutions that help new Australians:
- Build a deeper sense of belonging and connection to Australian society and its diverse communities
- Strengthen civic knowledge and confidence in understanding rights, responsibilities and democratic processes
- Enhance opportunities for active participation, volunteering and contributions to communities, and
- Improve satisfaction and trust in Australian democracy and democratic institutions
We welcome creative ideas that could take the form of digital tools, social innovations, community-driven approaches or cross-sector partnerships, incorporating government data. The best solutions will be those that, are inclusive, practical to implement and capable of making a real-world difference at scale.