VISION FOR AUSTRALIA
“The Can-Do Country”

Australia is facing a crisis. This issue is the absence of a shared vision for what our country will look like 50 years from now. Without a clear vision our efforts lack focus, bold decisions are put off and we’re greatly weakened on the world stage. Choose any number of examples,

In what fields are we the undisputed world leaders?
Who is our most senior representative at the UN? (hint… it’s not the Secretary-General!)
Why hasn’t an Australian ever won a Nobel Peace Prize?
What is our most inspiring example of world-class infrastructure built since the Sydney Opera House? (finished over 40 years ago)
Australia today still sees itself as ‘the lucky country’ believing that the resources, wealth and lifestyle will last a life time. They won’t. The shine is off our apple and it falls to you and I to get it back.

The first thing I propose is the roll-out of nothing less than a New National Identity.

As of 1st August 2014;

“I move that Australia become known as The Can-Do Country”.

Have your say here: facebook.com/visionforaustralia

The Can Do Country stands for getting-in and getting the job done, no matter what. We need to come together and Take a Stand on crucial topics not receiving adequate national attention. Current stands include, The Future Population of Australia, Tax Tagging, Development of a High Speed Train Network (the HyperTran), New Energy and The Reconciliation Declaration.

Australians are invited to Take a Stand on issues they feel are of national importance. The fact is, Australia needs a new plan. It needs to be bigger, better and bolder. It needs to inspire and empower us, and our children, to create the greatest-ever Vision for Australia.

Contact: Andy McLeod, VisionforAustralia.com.au contact@visionforaustralia.org.au facebook.com/visionforaustralia #visionaust

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"Australians are invited to Take a Stand on issues they feel are of national importance."

No, they're invited to parrot the Green Left propaganda of their Pavlovian puppetmasters.

Dissenters and heretics can shut the help up.

"It needs to be bigger, better and bolder."

It needs to be America?
As if one America isn't enough.

How can we have a "shared vision" with so much "diversity"?

Australia is not America and has no desire to be so.
In regards having a shared vision with so much diversity I read an article recently by Seth Godin talking about being the best in the world at something. What he was really saying was being the best in your particular world. For example, if you're sick and we were wanting to find the best surgeon 'in the world' then what you'd most likely be saying was the best surgeon that you can actually visit, not necessarily travelling to Sweden. This is analogous to having a shared vision. Not every single Australian is going to necessarily share one specific vision but we can have many visions in many realms and ultimately these visions add up to one great uniting vision which is an Australia which aspires to greatness.

Ah, the dreamers. Where would we be without them.

The fundamental contradiction inherent in this version of a Grand Plan is the idea that it can all be achieved by keeping our population tiny.

As someone who - apparently - regularly does business with China, it is quite stunning that the author has yet to make the connection between a market with a billion customers, and a market with 23 million customers. This is particularly apparent in the comparison between the maglev transport systems in China, and the idea that we can usefully build one here in Australia. A couple of cursory doodles on the back of an envelope would show that even the most unbelievably optimistic forecasts on potential passenger traffic wouldn't pay its way.

But hey, dream away. Just so long as you don't turn it into some kind of scam to rip off gullible folk who are blinded by the light. In my experience, that is where most of these schemes end up.

The fact is many Australians have a desire to have a high speed train network. My point is this; that we don't want to build the slowest high speed rail network in the world by using dated technology of wheel on rail. We need to raise our site and think bigger in order that we get the best possible system there is. There are huge cost savings for building an elevated train system which could be a Maglev (or something even different). For instance, the gov't report calls for a 50m wide corridor for a standard high speed rail network. A Maglev system built on stanchions would need less than half this.

Exactly my point.

>>The fact is many Australians have a desire to have a high speed train network.<<

Trouble is, they won't want to pay for it.

>>My point is this; that we don't want to build the slowest high speed rail network in the world by using dated technology of wheel on rail.<<

But that's not really the point, is it. It isn't a matter of technology, it is a matter of utility and value.

Maglev could well be a perfectly satisfactory way to go in comparison to wheel-on-rail, sometime in the future (unless of course it too is superseded).

But the cost to build is fundamentally similar, even allowing that the figures are presented for a largely unproven process. The longest operational maglev system is presently... how long? And the distance between Sydney and Melbourne is...?

So, once in place, will it be competitive with other modes of transport, which will also have progressed in the meantime? Quite possibly. But that still leaves the question whether either mode is actually viable at all, in a country with a mere 23 million inhabitants.

In the past year, my own inter-city travel has halved, thanks to one simple piece of technology, the video conference. My guess is that the financial equation "can I really justify the need to travel" will be the measuring point of the success of any such project, rather than the somewhat wishy-washy "many Australians have a desire".

Thanks - but no thanks!

I do not aspire to greatness - I am not a megalomaniac.

There once was a megalomaniac who aspired to greatness - 1000 years of greatness, and he built the first, longest, fastest and greatest autostradas in the world: in fact they still serve the public today, who drive there with no speed-limit 80 years later.

I want no share in that. Please keep this social-nationalistic infection away. Please leave us alone to live our humble life without interruption.

Did someone say we are getting 'TeleVISION'... at last? That's better than tunnelVISION which some poor unfortunates suffer from on this very forum!

What many Australians want is a return to trains in their area and High Speed rail simply doesn't work for a train a day each way branch lines.

Just how would we power this high speed rail?

There is also terrorism to consider, one small clamp-on de-rail would see a high speed train take flight and with a landing verging between horrendous and catastrophic.

As Pericles has pointed video conferencing will cut down travel between Sydney and Melbourne and many other places; I think that the voters and shareholders will see to that.

Wonder of Wonders.
My number two son just had a video conference with me.
He's in Ireland and I'm in NSW, he was going to telephone but the visual link was cheaper, just as quick and had the added advantage that he could show me how well his garden is growing.

Great thing, a high tech world. Maybe teleportation will become a reality.

Perth is Australia’s sunniest capital city, Perth embraces a relaxed outdoor lifestyle. Explore the 400 hectares of Kings Park in the city or the inviting clear waters and spectacular sunsets at Cottesloe Beach.

Interesting point re terrorism Is Mise.
But it makes me wonder why exactly hasnt it already been done on any of the worlds existing high speed railways?

Could it be even terrorists draw a line somewhere?

Australia in 50 years needs to be fairer, cleaner, leading the world in technology and neutral when it comes to conflict in the world. Even better act as a peacemaker and trusted intermediary in the worlds conflicts. Hopefully there will be less war and violence in the future. Hopefully civilisation will have advanced just a tiny bit.

We need more public transport, more cycling infrastructure, less roads, less dependance on the capital cities, expansion of country towns, more scientists, less megalomaniac media owners/shock jocks, more education for everyone, fewer con artists and religious charlatans, more farmers markets, more fresh local food, less advertising and marketing, more accountability for companies/industries that cause harm and politicians who are in it for Australia not feathering their own nest.

One a day branch lines Is Mise, I lived near Howard, on the main line Brisbane to Cairns. It had once had 12 passenger trains a day, but was down to a train a day each way main line. There are even so few goods trains that they could spend hours shunting rail cars around using the main line, without interfering with through traffic.

In 50 years mikk, with our current immigration system, we will have 20% of the country a no go area for the majority of the population, if we are lucky. If not we will have civil war between old Ozzies & more recent blowins.

There are all ready places in Sydney, where a blue eyed, fair haired person had better not have their car breakdown. You can feel the waves of hate pouring out of every door, as you pass through.

It is nice I suppose for our lefties to kid themselves that this will diminish, & all will be sweetness & light. Yep, & Israel & the Arabs will become bosom buddies next week too.

A real meaningful vision for Australia has surely got be based on the energy and resource regime, compared to the demand. It’s old basic supply and demand equation.

Energy is looking precarious as oil supplies peak and prices inexorably rise. The same will happen in a longer timeframe with the other fossil fuels.

The demand for energy and resources continues to rapidly increase due to rapid population growth, of which our absurdly high immigration rate makes up some two-thirds.

We need to increase the exploitation rate of our minerals and other non-renewable and potentially renewable resources, and increase agricultural output, and increase value-adding industries and increase exports, all just to maintain the same level of provision of all the basics for the ever-growing population…. without achieving any gains for the nation or for our overall quality of life or future wellbeing!!

Addressing this constantly increasing demand for everything, while the supply capability is simply not up to matching this increasing demand, has surely got to be the MOST important part of a meaningful vision for Australia.

There is just NO POINT in striving to build something like a high-speed rail network if these fundamentals are not in place.

If the demand for all the basic requirements of life can’t be met by the supply capability, then there is going to be a whole lot of discontent and civil strife out there…. and our government is going to be forced to put the money that might have gone into building a high-tech state-of-the-art rail network and such-like into much more menial things.

So, my number 1 priority for a vision for Australia is to head directly towards a stable population, by reducing immigration by half next year and then progressively reducing it down to net zero.

Pericles "Just so long as you don't turn it into some kind of scam"

His site is already promoting an energy company named Mackerel Sky.

Vision for Australia "get the best possible system there is"

We need the most suitable/practicable system for our circumstances.
Which could be a horse and buggy in some cases.

"Seth Godin talking about being the best in the world at something"

Yes, something very specific.
He is a business/branding guru.
And he's right in a business context.
You need to specialise, focus, dominate a niche.

But how can that apply to a nation?
A nation needs to do many things, not necessarily "the best" way, but in an adequate way that suffices for most people.

Your mantra of bigger/best may apply to a business, but not a nation.

Your site claims you're sick of "political correctness", yet in the same paragraph lists a series of prefixed ethnic "Australians".

We'll never be able to "limit" the population while pandering to immigrant subcultures.

The moment anyone suggests restricting immigration, even by *numbers alone*, the screams of "RACIST!" can be heard on Mars.

Good luck trying to debate that issue honestly.

mary3, can you send me a brochure?

Hasbeen, mikk seems to think "conflict" is all about how "civilised" we are, when even cursory research will show *most* conflicts are interethnic, even between highly civilised peoples.

Weren't the Germans and Japanese "civilised"?
They're responsible for the largest-scale wars of all time!

Panethnic immigration is creating the potential for an infinitesimal number of potential conflicts.

Not only between the White Native-born and minorities, but *amongst* the minorities.

Many have traditional rivalries (Greeks/Turks, Serbs/Croats) or may start fresh ones, since they've never had to live together before (e.g. Bengali/Samoans, Arabs/Zulus).

There are over 6000 different ethnic groups in the world.
That's 36 million potential conflicts!

And now they all live in one place.
Yippee!

Wake up to yourself hasbeen. It is people like you who are sowing the seeds of division and hatred. The only waves of hate come from racists like you. Your post reeks of it.

Neither you nor I know what the future will bring and it is up to all of us to make it as good a future as possible. Hardly the direction your post takes is it?

the sad/funny part is that the leftist don't have any idea that the homosexuals and liberals as infidels will not be exempt because of their stupidity. In fact they will among the first in line given half a chance. They have been dumb enough to create this problem with their totally Christophobic natures and will be dumb enough to want to know why.

mikk.
You are deluding yourself, Hasbeen's prediction for 50 years is most likely. Many groups of immigrants bring their hatreds with them and it will get worse as their numbers build. Do not ignore the conflict between ethnic groups, like the Croats and Serbs, Sri Lankans and the sunni and Shia muslims. Add to that the conflict between groups of African refugees and there is every possibility of a violent society where some areas are 'out of bounds' or enter at your own risk.

Ludwig has the right idea, we have to reduce immigration drastically and we should start by denying immigration to those groups that have shown us they will not integrate and hold our society and laws in contempt. It is ridiculous to keep importing people that bring their hatred of others with them and hate us as well. That is simply seeking trouble.

I would like nothing more than for my great grand kids to exist in a cohesive community, irrespective of colour or creed. But if we keep on as is that is getting less and less likely.

Ludwig, you and I agree on the imperative that to reach a desirable and sustainable level in the future changes to the basic structure of the Australian society are most necessary. Much of what we do today is wasteful and opportunistic, with all being rather short sighted with no sustainable plan in place to accommodate tomorrows generations.

The 2013 Sustainable Australia Report by the National Sustainability Council for the Australian Government makes for interesting reading. Here is a link to a 11 page reduced version of that report.

http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/e55f5f00-b5ed-4a77-b977-da3764da72e3/files/sustainable-australia-report-2013-summary.pdf

Vision for Australia, the difference between a plan and a dream, is money, and we just ain't got any. Not any more, that's for sure.

So may I suggest that the very first order of business on your agenda is for a more fairer, efficient tax system, because the one we have is both too easily manipulated, and no longer adequate in supplying for our needs.

Rehctub, another reason why we have no money is our long-standing absurdly high immigration rate.

This has created an enormous demand for ever-more basic infrastructure and services, which MUST be provided.

New houses, roads, electricity and water infrastructure, health and education infrastructure, shops, etc, etc, need to be built at a very rapid rate just keep up the basics for the very rapid rate of population growth.

Isn’t it fascinating how all of this stuff gets included in GDP, which indicates that our economy is doing really well because economic activity is growing at a rapid rate…. and yet it is all NEUTRAL in terms of real meaningful improvements for our overall society and quality of life.

And the pressure that this population growth places on existing infrastructure and services, environment and resource base, makes it all considerably negative as far as overall economics are concerned.

We need a fairer and more efficient tax system. But more importantly than that, we need to make government INDEPENDENT of big business pressure which demands high immigration for totally vested-interest profit-driven motives, and give it the power to actually develop a real stable-population sustainability-based vision for Australia.

Yes Ludwig, the current immigration policy simply allows for to many passengers not just active participating tax payers.

My opinion is that if you wish to immigrate, you MUST have something to offer, otherwise we don't have the funds to provide for you. It truly is that simple.

Our loose immigration conditions is why so many come here, because not only can they have plenty of kids, but the know someone else will pay for them.

As for immigration, of any kind, I'm for zero, at least until we can turn things around again, for how ever long that takes.

You will never learn, will you Ludwig.

>>Isn’t it fascinating how all of this stuff gets included in GDP, which indicates that our economy is doing really well because economic activity is growing at a rapid rate…. and yet it is all NEUTRAL in terms of real meaningful improvements for our overall society and quality of life.<<

In fact, I don't think you actually want to learn.

You make up your mind, like some kind of neanderthal radio shock-jock, and refuse to listen to any voice apart from your own. After hundreds of posts on the GDP thread, you still haven't understood even the simplest of its concepts, as you demonstrate here. After hundreds of posts on the Rolf Harris thread, you still believe that he should only have been slapped on the wrist for his despicable behaviour.

You truly are a sad piece of work.

One of the great problems with developing and executing the right vision for Australia is, as I alluded to in my last post; the in-bed relationship between big business and government.

Big business is all-powerful. They rule, not government.

They have very strong vested interests, both in maintaining high immigration and in upholding the ABSURD nature of our primary economic indicator; GDP.… which counts ALL economic activity as being equal, regardless of whether it is highly beneficial, neutral or detrimental (which it could be if it causes a lot of environmental damage, for example) to the wellbeing of us all and of our nation.

If we could somehow make our governments, at all three levels, independent of the business fraternity and therefore able to truly do the best thing for all their constituents, we’d have the problem virtually dealt with.

Governments would then be highly likely to see the eminent sense in heading towards net zero immigration, a stable population and a sustainable society…. and in developing a primary economic indicator which properly expresses the health of our economy, instead of grossly misleading us as GDP currently does.

Ludwig, it's a double edged sword, as while big business may have it's draw backs, it also either directly, or indirectly, creates most of the jobs in out country.

We can't afford to jeopodise that, so better to ensure those arriving have something to offer in my opinion.

Reconciliation Declaration

Stand: That every Australian be invited and encouraged to support the most proactive movement ever undertaken to reconcile with indigenous Australians. The first step to be the signing of the following Reconciliation Declaration:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/THE_RECONCILIATION_DECLARATION/

As an Australian citizen I acknowledge that before Europeans ever set foot upon this land, many great nations already prospered here. I acknowledge that this land I now call home was colonised without the consent of those original inhabitants and this has resulted in great hardship and suffering. For this I am sincerely sorry. It is my desire to reconcile past wrongs and a build a future where indigenous Australians live in complete equality with non indigenous Australians. All rights afforded, all opportunities open. I therefore support renewed efforts toward reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander’s as a process of recognition, respect, healing, justice and unity.

The vision of reconciliation is a complex and sensitive matter and one of this countries most important national responsibilities. It is my belief that true reconciliation requires the recognition of an aboriginal nation.
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I see the indigenous nation as being a nation within a nation. Sovereign to a point with independent values, beliefs and governance but not to the extent of independent laws, currency or geography. I see the aboriginal nation as being as much symbolic as sovereign, co-existing independently as well as interdependently with modern Australia and living within the existing rule-of-law. In the sense that we acknowledge aboriginal people as the traditional owners of this land I see the same circumstances applicable to the formal recognition of an indigenous nation.

Flowing on from this important declaration I propose that the Australian Government in conjunction with the private sector fund the establishment of a world class University dedicated to preserving and teaching the cultural and spiritual laws, language’s, stories and beliefs of indigenous Australians.

more: http://www.visionforaustralia.com.au/reconciliation.html

Shame on you VfA,
are you going to deny Elders their right of taking the pick of the young girls?
Are you advocating freedom for women?

Where will it end?

Further to the above.

"As an Australian citizen I acknowledge that before Europeans ever set foot upon this land, many great nations already prospered here....."

References please; what were the names of these great nations and where may their histories be found?