Thanks for your article Vern; it makes a welcome contribution to what I believe to be the most important public policy issue in Australia today. You have helped by both explaining how/why we've managed to get into this frustrating, seemingly self-perpetuating and destructive governance arrangement, and putting forward some ideas about what we might do to break through.The hardest part of the program of work required is designing and then implementing (within our current structures)the blueprint for change. It requires ongoing collaboration across disciplines and public/private sectors, between academics,citizens, industry and businesss etc. It needs to be supported and resourced probably (largely) from non-Government sources. And the work program itself needs innovative governance and effective communication. I'm interested to hear more from you and others about how we can get this going.

With just one exception we have more politicians per capita, than almost any other nation on earth.
This single factor makes getting anything of real worth, (rapid rail) actually done.
There's just too many people in the room, and too many who know all the reasons it won't work or can't be done.
One remembers the political/self interest gridlock that tied up the gold coast decades ago.
And how the Govt of the day was forced to sack the council and replace it with a single competent administrator.
An administrator, who got more done in just two weeks, than the sacked council had managed in two years.
We currently shell out 70 billions plus per, just for the privilege of appointing political road bocks, or so called state govts.
Just two year's worth of that patent waste, would completely pay for a completed eastern seaboard rapid rail!
A single governor, in a winner takes all contest, could likely get a lot more done, for far less than we shell out now for any state admin?
The governor could appoint his own accompanying staff, whose jobs would also be forfeit, if the governor, lost his position in any election.
With the savings directed at more direct funding paradigms and more regional autonomy!
There is enough divergent opinion in caucus, or the party room to entirely negate the need to also appoint an extremely expensive roadblock of an opposition!
Or shell out the tens of billions this archaic feudal adversarial system costs, we the people, when that same money could be far better directed, at far more productive outcomes!
A federal Govt, would still have to account to an overseeing Senate or house of review.
We also could do worse than replace our highly manipulated preferential system, with proportional representation.
A pro-rata quota system, with a winner takes all outcome, even if that means primaries and secondaries, to decide the final, eventual winner takes all outcome.
And a genuine unfettered mandate to implement the espoused program, with far more money savings, to allow/progress that implementation!
Rhrosty.