The Wellspring

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/.

I’m in Paris attending the UNESCO Youth Forum and General Conference. I’m hoping to post updates about what we discuss, but the agenda is very busy, so there may not be sufficient time. If you’re around and would like to catch up, contact me! I’ll be back in Australia on 21 October, 2007.

Applications are again about to open for four vacancies on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Advisory Council. The Council, composed of 12 members selected from across Australia, meets three times annually and provides advice and feedback to the ABC Board on ABC program policy.

Council members are selected by the ABC Board for their ability to provide broad representation of the community. Members serve for a term of four years and are drawn from diverse age groups, backgrounds and locations.

For further information, see http://abc.net.au/corp/nac/. Public announcements will begin on ABC Radio and Television on 24 September, at which time you’ll also be able to download an application form from the website.

The application form is quite involving, asking numerous questions about applicants’ viewing habits and interests in ABC programming and across other media, involvement in community groups and experience representing community views, so if you’re thinking of applying, you might want to start thinking about these issues now.

Of particular interest to young applicants may be the fact that my term will be ending; this means that there will be one less young, metropolitan-based person on the Council. I’m not involved in the selection process at all, but those who are may well be looking for applicants who have the capacity to fill the gap in community representation created by my departure. (There is also a noticeable absence of members from ethnic backgrounds, and the chronic lack of representation from indigenous communities.) You may want to explicitly address this in your application.

If you have any questions about my experiences with the Council, feel free to leave a comment to this post.

Applications must be received by 26 October, 2007.

Applications for the National Youth Roundtable 2008 are now open.

The Roundtable, which has had its legitimacy and efficacy called into question a number of times (see here, here, here and here), is the ‘Australian Government’s youth consultation mechanism. It brings together young people aged 15 to 24 years from all areas around Australia and various cultural backgrounds. The Roundtable provides young Australians with the opportunity to meet with the Australian Government to discuss and explore issues that impact on young people.’

The website has no word on the exact number for this intake, but if it is the same as last (current) one we can expect about 44 positions, of which 12 will be reserved for young Indigenous Australians. This is well down on the previous practice, which lasted until 2004, where 50 young Australians were appointed to the National Youth Roundtable, and 15 to a separate National Indigenous Youth Leadership Group. (NIYLG was folded into the Roundtable in its 2007 session).

Where possible, members will reflect the diversity of young Australians in their experiences, education, occupations and backgrounds.

Assessment is also based on an applicants’:

• experience and interest in a range of issues affecting young people;
• life experience; and
• ability to effectively consult with other young people.

(The previous criteria of Community involvement and Achievements have been dropped, which might indicate that the Government is more interested in hearing from young people who haven’t traditionally been involved with these types of consultations.)

Perhaps in response to previous criticism, this intake is expected to enjoy longer meetings than previous years, including a 7-day introductory workshop, two 3-day meetings throughout the year, and a final 5-day workshop at the end of their terms. Also new this year is the introduction of a degree of independence into the selection process, with ‘an independent panel made up of young people, such as, previous Roundtable members [and] Young Australian of the Year State winners’ assessing a shortlist prepared by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs‘ Youth Bureau and making final membership recommendations to the Minister.

At the National Youth Affairs Conference earlier this year, Ms Tanya Plibersek MP, Shadow Minister for Women and Youth announced an Australian Labor Party commitment to overhauling the Roundtable. The Shadow Minister said:

“Young Australians will be given a formal, funded mechanism to advise a new Labor Government on how policies affect them which will be independent, more representative and have a broader role than current youth advisory bodies.

“This mechanism will be called the Australian Youth Forum, and will bring together young people and advocates to discuss problems affecting youth, and how the federal government can be part of a solution.

“The Australian Youth Forum will be a formal communication channel between outstanding youth representatives and service-providers and the Federal Government.”

For further information, see Ms Plibersek’s media statement.

For further information on the Roundtable and to download an application form, see http://www.thesource.gov.au/involve/NYR/.

Applications close 18 October, 2007.

The 20-member Queensland Youth Council provides a forum for the exchange of information and views between young people and the Queensland Government in order to assist the development of policies, programs and services that impact on the lives of Queensland’s young people. The council reports directly to the Minister for Communities, Seniors and Youth.

The Queensland Department of Communities is currently seeking applications from young Queenslanders aged 15 - 25 for a term from Feb 2008 - Feb 2010.

Young members will be selected from a range of backgrounds and life experiences. Each member will bring knowledge and expertise regarding young people’s issues in their region as well as their own unique perspectives. Collectively the council will reflect a range of perspectives of young people across Queensland.

Council membership is conditional on the member living and / or working in the region they represent for the term of the council. Should a member relocate to a different region during the term they may be required to resign their position.

For further information and to download an application form, see http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/department/ministerial-advisory-councils/qld-youth-council.html. (Strangely, no word of the application process appears on the Queensland Government’s generate website for young people, or on the front page of http://www.youth.qld.gov.au/.) Innovatively, responses can be written or provided in an alternative format (video or audio tape recording, or multimedia presentation).

Applications close 28 September, 2007.

The 4th World Youth Congress will be held at Laval University, Quebec, Canada from 10 - 21 August, 2008 (which, very strangely, will mean that the Congress overlaps entirely with the Beijing Olympics) on the theme “Youth-led Development”. It will be the next in a series of events that will bring together 600 of the world’s young activists (aged 15 - 30) in the field of sustainable development in order to demonstrate that young people are one of the most valuable resources in governments’ and international development organisations’ mission to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

At the Congress, organized by Peace Child International, World Youth Congress 2008 and TakingITGlobal, young people will have the opportunity to discuss the challenges of sustainable development, exchange best practises, submit ideas and define strategies together with government representatives.

For more information and to apply online as an individual or organisation, see http://www.wyc2008.qc.ca/.

Applications close 31 October, 2007.

ABC Heywire (now in its tenth year!) is on again and inviting young people aged 16 - 22 from regional and rural Australia to have a say about the things that are important to them. Unlike in previous years, where submissions had to be in text, this year they are also after submissions in audio, pictures or moving images.

Winning stories will be selected from each of the 41 ABC regions across Australia, and produced by the ABC for broadcast on either national ABC Radio (which includes national youth radio station Triple J), ABC Online, ABC Television or ABC 2. Each winner will also be invited to take part in the all-expenses-paid Heywire Youth Issues Forum, held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra in February 2008.

For further information, see http://www.abc.net.au/heywire/ (which includes previous stories and an online entry form) or freecall 1800 26 26 46.

Entires close 7 September, 2007.