This is precisely why it is important to be clear about what you (or Kevin) want out of any participatory event and hence the terms on which you engage people. If you are worried about a silent majority being swayed by the rhetoric of an articulate minority, then structure your event as a series of bilateral encounters between you and each person you select (like face to face or telephone interviews). On the other hand, you might positively welcome the opportunity for the invitees to hear what each other says and to respond accordingly. However, you might also plan for some firm facilitation so that everyone gets a chance to speak and proceedings are not dominated by the forceful (not necessarily articulate) few.
The problem with Rudd's 2020 is that these basic assumptions are not clear or are confused. Is it the cleverest 1000 Australians, 1000 of the most interesting people, the most enthusiastic 1000 or a hotch potch? Do they start with a blank canvas or will they be directed and if so, how rigidly? Will they be expected to reach a consensus or simply to think boldly and agree to differ? Are they expected to focus on long term agenda setting or here-and-now problem solving? Will they be constrained by current legislation, policy and budget or given the freedom to think beyond the contemporary box?
Because it is difficult to answer questions like this, I suspect they have simply been avoided. But this avoidance provides fertile ground for peripheral critics like us.

Mirko, sometimes you are annoying but thought-provoking, but on this occasion your think-piece is just annoying. It is just a rant.

Rudd has already sent his MPs out to visit homeless shelters, for heaven's sake. You are behind the game, not in front of it.

Yes, talking to people in need is a part of the process of policy development, but it is not the whole. You have to go on to generate and then select from a series of policy options, and then to a further stage of working them up to proposals. The much-derided elite have their uses here.

Fortunately, some people will be capable of coming to the talkfest with a relatively open mind and will be able to engage in dialogue with other participants. Dialogue sometimes leads to people modifying their positions and growing in their understanding.

It is too pessimistic to say that we just advance positions based on our previous life experience. Some of us are capable of more than that, I hope.

We are not all party politicians! And that is the whole point!