A distinguishing feature of the more rampant issues that emerge in the public arena is the cacophony of conflicting voices vying for attention.
While opposition is a necessary element of democracy, this multitude of conflicting opinions tends to protract and even exclude effective resolution of an issue.
This can work against the interests of all parties.
Enter the issue advocate.
The critical role of the issue advocate is to clarify public debate and foster a deeper public understanding of the issue in question.
The advocates task is to educate, explain, debunk and stabilise as movement is made towards an acceptable resolution of an issue.
The main elements of the issue advocate role are to maintain:
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Authority and credibility the issue advocate must be a person of authority and credibility.
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Transparency the relationship with the client organisation must be disclosed continuously and contractual arrangements must be publicly accessible.
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Independence while remunerated by the client organisation, the issue advocate must operate under terms of reference with which he/she is comfortable.
The issue advocate speaks and seeks to be a conduit between the issue protagonists and the public.
All contractual arrangements with the client must be widely announced, transparent and publicly accessible.
The issue advocates terms of reference encompass these provisions:
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To be neither in the employ of specific interests nor accountable to the client for anything other than the conduct of the terms of reference.
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To have the power to vary the terms of reference in consultation with the client.
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To provide the public with objective, dispassionate and clear explanation and interpretation of scientific or technical matters relevant to the issue.
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To counsel the client on public opinion as it relates to these matters.
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To build a bridge between the community and the client with a mandate to encourage public education, debate and discussion that are rational, factually based, fair and honest.
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To speak on scientific and professional matters relevant to the issue.
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To speak freely to the media, to organise and convene public and other meetings, to issue written statements and other documentation, and to undertake any other activities compatible with these terms of reference.
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All materials received or issued by the issue advocate must be available to the public.
The advocates role is not primarily to engineer issue resolution but to offer explanation, interpretation and understanding that may lead to resolution.