| Sumario: | Nanotechnologies are predicted to radically transform a range of industries and to usher in diverse social, economic, environmental and other impacts. Given the magnitude of these possible changes and impacts, it is natural to expect that citizens and communities will have some say in the development of nanotechnologies. Reflecting this, in recent years there has been an international groundswell in public engagement activities. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of public engagement related to nanotechnologies in Australia since 2009 when the Federal Government established a National Enabling Technologies Strategy (NETS). We assess the extent to which NETS' activities comply with the Government's stated principles and commitment to best practice, as well as other broadly understood public engagement norms and practices. This assessment contrasts NETS invocation of best practice claims with practices that frequently fall short, and an alarming disconnect between nano-related research, development and commercialisation, and community interests and concerns.
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