Kevin Rudd’s 2020 talkfest is unlikely to be any different from Bob Hawke’s Summit: a lot of talk, a lot of cost, but nothing at the end of it.

Prime Ministers and Ministers have many expensive advisers to help them. There seems little point in paying these Mandarins if Governments feel the need to seek advice from 1,000 people unlikely to have anything in common with most of us – Cate Blanchett being a case in point.

Kevin Rudd made clear what he intended to do if elected. He has been elected; now he should get on with his ‘promises’ and his own ideas as he has been mandated to do

Howard you are much more optimistic than myself. Me I'll beleive it when I see it.

Having seen alot of political deception tricks, I strongly doubt that the leopard will change its spots.

I share the author's optimism. Regardless of anything else the summit achieves, it has people thinking about where we might go from here, and what we might do instead of what we won't do.

Even the complaints from 'ordinary' people are a good thing. They're wanting to put in their two bob's worth, wanting to be heard, which is a vast improvement on opting out and watching telly instead. Whether we agree or disagree is not as important as the fact that we're talking and participating in our own futures.

The cacophony of special pleading resumes when the rent-seekers think that THEIR party is in.

Naturally they began to STFU in 1996 when they realised that their 'unique' claim on moral superiority no longer got them access to power. The author himself realised it was a complete waste of life, and stopped going to conferences independent of any takeover by Johnhitlerburton HoWARd.

That isn't a People regaining Hope in Participative Democracy. Its a bunch of camp followers, hungry awhile with a losing army but now greedily anticipating the pay after cheering 'their' side to victory.

Mr Right,
Hawke's Summit led to much improvement in the relationship between employers and employed. It led to the Accord, which was a significant and constructive part of economic policy.

I too share the optimism of Howard. Having survived the Sinister Prime Minister, we need to put down some of our shields, unclench our fists and let down our guard enough to dream again together. The Rudd Government's gesture is grand. Let's rise to the occasion of the Australia 2020 Summit.

I too am optimistic. That's the bent of my nature, but then again, pessimism is a self-fulfilling rout.

Here's the Government 2020 Website, with entry forms for submissions over a range of topics:

http://www.australia2020.gov.au/

- come on OLO Commentariat - have a go!

“As genie of the bottle, I am obliged to ask of you what’ll? –so,
What future would you like sir? And maybe at what charge sir?”

“Than you. My name is Dr. Faustus and I want the present to be the extra grouse-est.
Charge today to their tomorrow, Cos I won’t be there to share the sorrow.
My world of 6.5 billion is somewhat less tight than having ten - of children, women, men.
My fertile soils are fast disappearing – but that’s nothing to what they’ll be fearing.
And my clean water’s getting shorter – decreasing until THEY have competing fellow-human slaughter.
I’ll halve my rate of smoking – but with twice my numbers, they’ll still be choking;
There’ll be plenty left to fear from what I’m now doing to their atmosphere.
And MY technological cure will be all theirs to endure -
As my benefits from its fix will be sadly seen by them as nix.
Now I’m having a talk-fest to find out what I’d like best,
From which I’ll rush out there and here giving many a rousing cheer
To strive for this and that; for the things I’m prepared to go and bat;
For the multitude or rights that I have firmly imprinted in my sights.
After which I’ll feel good and glowing as I keep on keeping-on growing,
Blind and careless of limits in my time – leaving them to the future will do just fine.
I am Dr. Faustus, and I am sure - that the sentiments I have outlined will endure”.

I am certain that Dr Faustus will be predominant at this talk-fest. All the fingers on the controls are pushing the buttons for increased pressure of numbers on the already-stressed land of which we are supposed to be stewards. It won't do us much good, and far less to those who follow.

Colinsett

I enjoyed the poetry and ideas, but what should we do? Lie down and die?

The 2020 Summit has already succeeded in encouraging Australians to do what one of the world's leaders called 'the vision thing' - here we are talking about our future - but can national brain-storming make a difference?

How can the Prime Minister best act on the brightest summit initiatives? Is it possible for Rudd to plot a real change of course from the catastrophic direction under Howard? While the symbollism of the first 100 days has been a dramatic opening act, we now want the transitional move into reality.

The pointy end of policy implementation always comes down to power. Power is currently shared like a dog's breakfast between the states and federal governments. To date, Rudd has been most diplomatic in his dealings with Premiers. But will diplomacy work better for him than for Howard? It's most improbable, even with lot's of good-will.

Even by its own low standards, the Coalition of Australian Governments (COAG) has not measured up to its ambitious tasks of devising effective national planning strategies through 'harmonisation' of state and federal laws. Under COAG, effective policy making is usually the first casualty, with empty platitudes the norm - like the agreement by the states to stop cost shifting to local government. Why? Because one or more of the premiers and chief ministers regularly exercise their veto powers. We must do better.

Rudd can be a circuit breaker with recalcitrant states by skillfully deploying the substantial incentives and sanctions at his disposal. We need to see Rudd's metal on all the adopted outcomes from the 2020 Summit.

Translating good ideas into legislation and following through with achievable management plans is no mean feat.

If Rudd demonstrates some outstanding leadership in territory that Howard was afraid to tread - we do have hope.

Meaningful reform requires engineering a major overhaul to the way that Australia is currently governed; by cutting out the unproductive and obsolete hinderances strangling effective governance of our nation.

A good starting point would be the introduction into the next session of parliament of some enlightened national laws that would draw on constitutional powers to replace many of the inconsistent and inferior state laws that have yet to be harmonised.

By directly partnering with local governments around Australia, Rudd's government could strengthen local communities delivering federally funded goods and services directly to Australians according to a region's local priorities thereby avoiding the state middlemen who all too often act as the spoilers, procrastinators and whose involvement produces major funding leakages through the journey of implementation plans into their bloated, often autocratic and unsustainable civil services.

Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred voices contend. Where did I hear that? Did it do any good?

Engagement fter the Honeymoon

My hope for the summit is that some real political networking might emerge that helps to break down the barriers which build around our politicians. We have to be able to penetrate the bureaucracy and the political staffers and minders whose perceived job it is to cocoon their ministers and backbenchers. Some of these unelected layers of government might even become part of the process of engagement that desperately needs to develop.

Hawke's final years and the Keating government were veiled by a curtain of suits. During the past twelve years Canberra was a place to be avoided, with Howard setting the example.

There are already online sites encouraging debate around the 10 topic areas and submissions to the summit. It will be a sham if i's only a once off consultation. It needs to foster new forms of political participation that will last long past the honeymoon.

Kevin Rennie
http://laborview.blogspot.com

Tomess, I don’t understand why you enjoyed the lousy poetry.

What should we do? – Don’t get snowed by crap; make the politician who represents your electorate as uncomfortable as hell, or at least as much as you are able, while he/she continues to evade the issue of growth at the expense of all of our futures.
There is no end of things needing to be done, or needing more effort. Whether they are related to landscapes (agriculture, water harvesting/retention, forestry practices), town and social planning, technical innovation, and so-on, they aren’t worth a brass razoo if the overall picture is neglected.
Australia has let itself get into deep poo - only still below nostril level because of massive mineral exports. Our snout will be totally inundated - when world confidence in the American dollar takes its inevitable steep dive; cost of oil hits its real value; the old continent does a turtle on us and pulls its head back into its normal, or worse, state of geologically-average desiccation. Every politician has this info available at their fingertips – the Parliamentary library. But almost every one of them would rather read the handouts of the Property Council and such-like advocates of growth as a means of overcoming growth problems.
We are in the biggest immigration surge in our history, births exceed deaths and will do so until the baby-boomer generation’s kids reach menopause. Yet the growth-boosters send out press releases wailing about declining population just because thoroughly modern Millie currently averages 0.3 children less than replacement level. All while there is one birth every 1 minute 56 seconds, a death every 3 minutes 58 seconds. Then there is an immigration program of 153,000 (nett) for this year, plus 13,000 for humanitarian reasons, and perhaps 20,000 from the Land of Boiling Mud; plus class 457 “temporary long-stay” visas; plus working holiday types. And Mr Rudd sees immigration as a means of addressing skill shortages on top of that.
Do something? Grab a stick and poke those who won’t face reality. At least it's therapeutic

I have faith in Australia. I believe we have the knowledge and capacity to problem solve. I think the challenge is to be honest. To remain honest and know it is the inclusive national self that will make the difference.

I am hoping that we remain strong about human rights and do not allow ourselves to become too self-gratifying as we grow forward. The critical thinkers are at community level and it is the translation of our joint knowledge that will make this summit along with all others connective and inter-resourceful.

I have confidence Mr Rudd and know your government means developing an out-spoken nation, one with a himan face.

THANK YOU.

http://www.miacat.com/
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Let us be serious: thinking of future is a bit late as governing posts occupied.

Sounds, like shifting responsibility on en masse participants for problems created by Howard government ballooning recent recession, effectively cut off celebrating the Passover.

None of us has ever needed permission to think about the future. But the future is unknowable. We do know that the nature of existence, at every level, is change, both at the sub-atomic level, where the particles of which we are made arise and decay many trillions of times a second, and at the gross, apparent level in which we conduct our affairs. We can only affect the future in the present, by understanding that nothing is permanent, nothing can be attached to, separation from what we value and contact with what we don't is inevitable; we all suffer from ignorance. Each of us can help make a better future by understanding this, by letting go of our spurious egos, our untenable attachments.

On a broader level, we need to embrace policies which accept change and seek to enable us, as a community, to take advantage of changing external circumstances rather than be hostage to them. That means embracing change, seeking in it opportunities, rather, as is so often the case (motor industry, Mr Carr?), denying change and seeking to resist it. The latter approach always fails, it extends pain and increases the cost of necessary adjustments rather than accepting it and moving on. All human progress, of whatever kind, has involved change, dealing with change. If the talk-fest doesn't start with this recognition, it will be futile.

Faustino, you are an inspiration. Don't ever change. It is so healthiy to be trading apathy for some real investment towards equity and change.

Keep up the good work, your writing reflects your heart and your heart is beautiful. Like the author of this article I see common sense in the way you have decided that our trust, this time, may be worth something real and under-written seriously a part of a "whole" economic and socially progressive equation.

May we share the strength, may we advocate for the acceptance and the respect required, together, as we attempt to help 'close the gap' on this challenging dual-uneven-driven-economy.

In terms of climate change itself.... I maintain a most important fact which is;

We will not ever protect the environment unless we invest in the economic and socially wellbeing of people. This is because it is the people themselves who need to be enabled especially where the resources they require to live, come from the environment.

More than the balance of the share market, alone.... this I believe is where the reality of economic strategies need to be micro-targeted.

Bye the way did anyone listen to ABC Bush Telegraph today... the story on the value and potential value of our soil? I believe we are in a good frame to have our diverse sources of knowledge, that had been so long ridiculed or ignored, re-entered for public debate.

Knowledge is power and may we all, as a nation, benefit from it.

http://www.miacat.com/
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It has been pointed out that at least part of the idea was to shake hell out of the complacent and basically useless public service that are so partisan and biased they can no longer function and that can only be a good thing.

Words,words...