CIVIC PARTICIPATION FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK: CROSS-BOUNDARY COOPERATION THROUGH WOMEN'S USE OF ELECTRONIC NETWORKING
Lyn SIMPSON*, Leonie DAWS**, Josephine PREVITE***, Leanne WOOD**** and Susan LEGGETT *****
*Director, The Communications Centre, Queensland University of Technology, email: le.simpson@qut.edu.au
**Director of the Centre for Management, Leadership and Policy Studies in Education, QUT. email: l.daws@qut.edu.au
*** Senior Research Assistant, The Communication Centre, QUT. email: j.previte@qut.edu.au
****Senior Research Assistant, The Communication Centre, QUT. email: lm.woods@qut.edu.au
*****Research Assistant, The Communications Centre, QUT. email: glassgarden@uq.net.au
Social capital is a key enabler of successful community development. It is therefore critical to strengthen social capital by developing active civic participation, forming strong social networks and fostering a sense of trust and community. This is particularly important in rural communities, which are facing critical economic and social challenges. A culture of trust and a sense of community ownership facilitates the creation and implementation of new solutions to rural problems, including technology-based solutions such as the introduction of the Internet.
This paper explores the link between civic participation and social capital by focusing on Australian rural women's participation in an online discussion group called welink. A qualitative analysis of welink's online conversations provides evidence of information-sharing, networking, cooperation and support. Welink has enabled cooperative work on shared issues between geographically dispersed participants. It has operated across the boundaries of jurisdiction of government, industry, academia and rural citizenship, and made possible the shared planning and writing of submissions and funding proposals. In doing so, welink has enhanced the creation and utilisation of social capital in rural communities, in terms of civic participation, trust, active relationships and collaboration, and contributed to positive change in the social, economic, and political life of rural Australia.
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