This paper considers several discursive processes involved in an example of citizen–government dialogue. The relationship enacted occurs daily in each of our communities andhere involves samples of Queensland legislative practice, representing the government’sposition, and excerpts from interviews undertaken with young males who have experiencedeither formal school exclusion or first-time incarceration. Constructions of identity, central tothe concept of citizenship, are explored through two prominent discourses signalled in theexchange: individualism and moral/behavioural. These dialogue-based relationships offerdescriptive insight into processes through which marginalisation occur yet they also disclosevaluable options for sustaining ongoing conversation. As institutions of the twenty-first centuryreposition to embrace a more participatory operational charter it is suggested that practices of sanctioned exclusion will exemplify a state’s governance ethos. In this case, the business of exclusion will remain evidence enough as to the ability of government to engage or estrange members of their community.  --Conference held Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, 14-17 August, 2005. An initiative of the United Nations and the Queensland Government.