On Becoming Citizens: Examining Social Inclusion from an Information Perspective

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Increasing participation in social, economic, and community life is considered to be one of the defining principles of an inclusive society and a key aspiration for the Australian Federal Government. Central to this principle is the ability to build the capacity of individuals and groups to develop connectedness, and to engage in decision-making. Participation such as this improves individual well-being and the well-being and prosperity of the communities in which individuals learn, work and play. A prerequisite for participation, inclusion, and informed citizenship is the ability to develop knowledge from information about the social, economic, and community dimensions through which modern Australian society is constituted. While the concept of social inclusion is broad and extends to all sectors of the Australian community, this paper focuses on a particular sector of Australian society – new arrivals, termed settlers1 - and explores the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion and information poverty. It then describes research currently under development which will examine how settlers reconcile their own cultural information practices and understandings about information with their experiences in their adopted country.