As country Australia increasingly turns away from its traditional ‘rusted on’ voting patterns, communities are testing new options for both representation and policy solutions.

This forum seeks to go beyond the usual portrayals of rural people as either rednecks or ‘salt of the earth’ characters so prevalent in the media. It will explore the political perspectives of rural and regional people in Australia, with a focus on community action to improve political representation and policy outcomes.

In a lively conversation, the panel will discuss a range of topics, including renewable energy, civic entrepreneurs, citizen-managed care facilities, community-driven restorative justice and drug rehabilitation programs.

Gabrielle Chan from Guardian Australia will speak about her new book Rusted Off: Why Country Australia is Fed Up.

Peter Holding will tell his story of engaging fellow farmers and politicians on climate change action through Farmers For Climate Action.

Associate Professor Carolyn Hendriks will place the rural stories in a broader context, highlighting worldwide examples, where citizens are bypassing the state to develop and deliver solutions to complex policy issues.

Dr Jill Sheppard will outline the voting patterns in rural Australia.

Denis Ginnivan from Voices4Indi will also be sharing his insights.

This event will be livestreamed on Facebook at 5.30pm AEST.

Image by Gemma Stiles