However, debate is limited and there is no critical appraisal of suggestions that are offered. The facilitator moves around the group 2 or 3 times until each participant's list of priorities is exhausted. A short period of open discussion is scheduled - this may focus on contributing additional information or on clarifying the priority list. Participants vote for priorities across the list. Participants break and the facilitator and secretariat aggregate responses.
Participants reform in large group to discuss the outcome of the voting.
The NBCC greatly appreciated the skill that they brought to the consultative process. The NBCC has a special responsibility as outlined in its performance indicators to address the needs of those groups who currently have difficulty accessing information and services, particularly women from an Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island or non-English speaking background and those living in rural and remote areas of Australia. Special workshops were held for these groups. To compile invitation lists for these workshops, each of the state and territory cancer organisations was asked to identify potential invitees from professional and consumer organisations and a networking procedure was used to nominate other invitees from the relevant national bodies. A full list of participants in each workshop is included in Volume 2.