The Wellspring

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.

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.

The Australia 2020 Summit, to be convened at Parliament House on 19 - 20 April 2008, will bring together 1000 of Australia’s “best and brightest brains” to tackle the long-term challenges confronting Australia’s future. There are 10 areas of discussion, and I’ve been invited to participate in the Future of Australian Governance stream.

This group, which includes former politicians and public servants, academics in politics and law, and a number of prominent commentators, will consider issues around the role of the media, community engagement in public policy development, the evolving nature of federalism and the rights and responsibilities of Australian citizens. Specifically, we’ve been asked to consider:

• How can we increase the participation of citizens in policy debate and decision-making?
• How could public trust and confidence in politicians be improved?
• Is parliament sufficiently accountable to the public? If not, what reforms are needed?
• What is the appropriate role of the judiciary in the Australian democracy? Is the current procedure for judicial appointments appropriate?
• What does the public have a right to know and what sort of information does the government have a right to keep secret?
• What accountabilities should bind both government and the media?
• What does it mean to be an Australian citizen, particularly in a multicultural context?
• What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our democracy? How should our rights be protected?
• How should individuals and the state share responsibility for community problems like climate change, lifestyle-related diseases etc?
• How could modern communications technology be used to improve access to information, citizen engagement and community awareness?
• What can be done to increase the quality and number of people wanting to enter the public service? What about politics?
• How can the current system of federal and state responsibilities be improved to achieve (a) better delivery of services and industry; (b) better outcomes for the economy; (c) more cost effective use of public funds?
• Is there a need for constitutional reform?

The group is considering nearly 700 submissions from the public, but if you didn’t make a submission and have any ideas for the Summit I’d be very eager to hear them - please contact me. I’m especially interested in issues around building social capital and the capacity of communities to engage in decision-making, and innovative social and political applications of new technology.

Expect more posts in the coming few days about my planned participation, as well as during the Summit discussing my experience.

In the lead-up to the 2007 Federal Election on 24 November, the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition - Australia’s youth affairs peak - has compiled a list of questions and answers from the major political parties on the crucial issues affecting young Australians and the youth sector. Spanning six key areas: Education & Training, Employment, Youth Participation, Health & Wellbeing, Housing & Homelessness and the Environment, AYAC’s 2007 Federal Election Survey is an attempt to help inform voters of the parties’ policies on the issues that affect the wellbeing of young Australians.

Questions include:

• Does your party support the re-establishment of a federal Minister for Youth and, if so, what does your party see as being its focus?
• What will your party do with Youth Allowance and other education income support programs that have consistently been identified as being inadequate to support young people?
• How will your party increase the availability and accessibility of affordable housing for young people?
• What steps will your party take to increase young people’s ability to receive mental health services in a timely manner that is affordable and accessible?

The survey is free for download and distribution, and available at http://www.ayac.org.au/.