Gateways to digital participation: The rhetorical function of local government websites

Increasingly governments at all levels are becoming more transparent and accessible through their websites and portals, which provide citizens and residents with information and avenues for participation and collaboration. This chapter examines two local government websites in regional Victoria and Queensland (Australia) to understand how the rhetorical functions of these sites support or limit digital participation of their communities in the governance process. The discussion is framed within an understanding of ‘extraurbia’ as spaces that are symptoms of rapid population growth and changing social, economic, and technological conditions.