The Wellspring

Of all the conversations I had at the Australia 2020 Summit, the one that has been referred to the most is the one I had on the first day with Hugh Jackman. He later mentioned it when hosting the excitingly-titled Plenary Session 2. A YouTube clip is available (posted by Crikey, no less) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyNGL1w1PFw.

My recollection of my comments were that they were more along the lines of: “This is terribly un-academic and un-intellectual, but could I get a photo?”. See how this sounds far more polite?

Anyhoo: a strange claim to fame. Hee.

newmatilda.com have asked me to provide some initial reflections on the Australia 2020 Summit. My short article is available at http://www.newmatilda.com/2008/04/21/thinking-big-0.

In addition to the extensive live and pre-recorded televised coverage offered by ABC (and also Sky News), the following online resources are offering national news and opinion on the Australia 2020 Summit:

• Official Australia 2020 Media Hub (including News Centre, Video Streaming and Image Gallery): http://www.australia2020.gov.au/media/index.cfm
• ABC: Full Australia 2020 Summit Coverage (including audio and video): http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/2020/
• ABC News Blog: Australia 2020 Summit: http://blogs.abc.net.au/events/australia_2020_summit/
• The Australian: Full Australia 2020 Summit Coverage: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/index/0,25201,5016737,00.html

The following sites aren’t dedicated exclusively to covering the Summit, but have a strong focus on its ideas and outcomes:

• ABC News Online: Opinion: http://www.abc.net.au/news/opinion/
• ABC Unleashed: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/
• News.com.au: Blogocracy: http://blogs.news.com.au/news/blogocracy/

From The Australian:

The ABC has stepped in to ensure you can be either riveted or bored senseless by watching the talkfest at home. ABC1 will feature live broadcasts of the opening and closing sessions and ABC2 will provide continuous live coverage of all 15 1/2 hours of discussion and debate. The sessions will also be streamed online on the ABC website. Philip Williams, political editor for The 7.30 Report and a former ABC foreign correspondent, will host the coverage. Kim Dalton, director of ABC TV, says the national broadcaster is “committed to providing all Australians with the opportunity to engage in this important national discussion”.

The Brightest Young Minds (BYM) Foundation is calling for applications from young Australians aged 18 - 25 for the 100 available position at its annual 5-day national summit, to be held in 2008 from 6 - 10 July in Sydney.

The BYM Summit, facilitated by Hugh Evans, the 2004 Young Australian of the Year, will be an opportunity for delegates from a variety of disciplines (from science to politics to the arts) to connect with each other, some of Australia’s leading visionaries, and Australia’s leading socially responsible corporations and organisations, with an ultimate view to developing new social initiatives that delegates will ultimately launch and run themselves.

For further information and to apply online (there is a $25 application fee), see http://www.bym.com.au/. Applications close 20 May 2008.

International Youth Foundation-funded social enterprise organisation YouthActionNet is calling for applications from young social entrepreneurs to fill the 20 positions in its annual Global Fellowship Program. The yearlong program includes a seven-day, all-expenses-paid, capacity-building and leadership retreat in Washington, DC, regular advocacy training, and networking, media and funding opportunities throughout the year. The program is open to young people aged 18 - 29 leading existing social projects.

For further information and to apply online, see http://youthactionnet.org/index.php?fuse=fellowmainpage. Applications close 15 May 2008.

It looks like the Rudd Government will be making good on its promise replace the failed National Youth Roundtable mechanism and fund a national youth affairs peak.

The Australian Youth Forum will be the new consultative mechanism for young Australians, replacing the National Youth Roundtable and offering “broader opportunity and scope for young people from across Australia to have their views heard by the Federal Government”.

A discussion paper and questionnaire covering the role, functions and operations of the Australian Youth Forum was released by Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Youth on 17 March 2008, and will remain open till 30 May 2008. Additionally, Minister Ellis will travel around Australia in late April and early May in order to consult with youth organisations. (The dates are yet to be confirmed, but will be posted to the source once decided.)

The Australian Youth Forum will also be a major agenda item during the Australia 2020 Youth Summit, held this weekend (12 - 13 April 2008). The results of the discussions there will be forwarded to the main Australia 2020 Summit for further discussion (though the question of how the government engages community in decision-making, which used to be a primary consideration for the Future of Australian Governance stream that I am in, has now been dropped, with the focus moving to questions around open government and the media, parliamentary reform, administering government, and the constitution, rights and responsibilities - so I think it’s unlikely that the Australian Youth Forum will get a proper hearing at the main Summit.)

For further information on the consultations on the Australian Youth Forum, and to download the discussion paper and questionnaire, see http://www.thesource.gov.au/involve/ayf.asp.

As part of our homework for the Australia 2020 Summit, delegates were asked to prepare a response to the question: “If you could do one thing in your stream area, what would it be? What is it that you think would make the most difference?”

Here is my response (I’m in the Future of Australian Governance stream). I would really welcome any comments.

The Australia Commitments
Like the Millennium Development Goals, but for Australia

The longest period of economic growth in our nation’s history calls for a new set of national commitments to promote social progress and realise better standards of living for all Australians.

The Australia Commitments would be a short and memorable set of national development goals, including - importantly - indicators by which Australians can continually monitor progress. They would be long-term, outcome-focused, and measurable - but above all, they would display an unprecedented audacity.

Together, they would serve as a new blueprint to galvanise attention and energy to solving our most pressing, basic problems, ensuring that no Australian lives in poverty, that indigenous Australians enjoy health equality, that our children will have clean air and clean water, that they can all go to good schools and universities and rely on comprehensive healthcare.

The Commitments would offer a radical vision for Australia’s prosperity beyond the individual electoral cycle. Setting such demanding targets would give Australians a more hopeful vision of government, ambitious and optimistic, and in doing so, help reinvigorate public confidence in our nation’s political system.

Update (13 April): My idea is now on the GetUp! Australia 2020 Summit ideas forum for voting. This post will remain the first post on the blog for the next few days to allow for easy access. Regular posting will continue below.

Update (16 April): Okay, so this is totally cheating, but I absolutely love this idea and couldn’t resist. I’ve adapted it from an idea from the GetUp! ideas forum:

Taxpayer-directed Funding
Every tax return should include a section asking whether the individual would like to allocate a small amount of their tax to one of any number of government-funded programmes. These could conceivably include initiatives such as Landcare and Coastcare, the ABC and SBS, the Commonwealth Scholarships Programme for universities, overseas emergency and humanitarian assistance, etc. Some information on each of the programmes would be included.

The funds received through this mechanism would be additional to any regular funding (which would be protected from any government cuts that might occur in anticipation of this additional funding). Additionally, the amount able to be donated by each taxpayer would have to be significant enough to outweigh the costs of administering such a system, but not too large so as to give the rich a way to disproportionately affect government spending and policy.

This mechanism would give everyday taxpayers a more intimate interest, and a more substantial and regular say, in how the nation is governed. It would be a powerful tool to provide regular direction to our representatives on the issues on which taxpayers would like action. And, as it establishes a clear monetary link between taxpayers and political action, it might in time persuade more people to take an interest in the priorities of government.