A political philosophy forum hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Canberra on Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 July will examine a range of issues about political rights and responsibilities when it asks, 'What's so special about having a democracy?'. The convener of the ‘Democratic Rights – Democratic Duties’ academic forum is Dr Piero Moraro, lecturer in justice studies at the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst and a research fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. "The forum will see academics from Australia and overseas debate a range of issues," Dr Moraro said. “Some will argue that a genuinely democratic society shouldn't grant the right to vote to everyone. Others will claim that truly democratic citizens, under some circumstances, should disobey the law. But could the duty to obey the law, and the duty to vote, be the wrong duties to focus on, as they might also undermine democracy?” The ‘Democratic Rights – Democratic Duties’ academic roundtable in political philosophy is at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture 15 Blackall Street, Barton, Canberra, and is funded through a Compact Grant from the CSU Faculty of Arts and by CAPPE.