Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

To make the best of the Australia 2020 Summit, its participants would do well to put into practice some of the Choir of Hard Knocks's street level messages. Not only within the arts, but also by application to life. A ‘vision’ needs to be a popular one; but we can do without the same old spectacle of experts and celebrities that displaces that which it claims to represent.

Nelson's crusty salts, fresh from their Waterloo, would be better off hoisting John on his own petard than giving him a cushioned chair in the crows' nest. Certainly they don't need a figurehead that, politically speaking, has just killed the electoral albatross?

The financial and economic crisis now upon us is by far the most menacing of the past century - even more so than the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is not just a "subprime" crisis; it is systemic - affecting the entire financial system. (James Cumes)

Kevin Rudd’s comments in London have stirred the pot again on this perennial issue, and Greg Barnes, organiser of the 1999 Republic Referendum Campaign, returns to the fray with his recent Melbourne Age opinion piece.

One thing you can't accuse of our Dear Leader is that he is lacking guts. Not only delivering his speech to students at Peking University in Mandarin, he again repeated his concern about Tibet.

A news article on Australia-China Free Trade Agreement negotiations, emphasizing the broader ramifications of the Tibetan issue on economic policies. 

... the best prime minister we never had

[The Australian-US] alliance is steeped in history. But it is also part of our framework for meeting the challenges of the future. The purpose of my remarks is to reflect on the continued importance of U.S. global leadership, to reflect on the new Australian government's foreign policy framework, and to make some observations on how we both might engage China in the future. (The Hon. Kevin Rudd)

It is through this wider process of continuing regional and global engagement that the new Australian Government is now determined to make its contribution to the future development of a robust international rules-based order that enhances the security and economic wellbeing of us all. (The Hon. Kevin Rudd)

The States, individually, retain all the power. So whatever agreement was made at COAG is still only nibbling at the edges. What is needed is national management of, not only water resource  but also infrastructure, health, and education. I propose that the states be abolished, and we have a national government only and an elected Head of State.

I joined the Liberal Party in 1978, and was a member until the mid 1980s. Then, for many reasons, I didn’t renew. Indeed, I switched my vote back to the ALP, and kept voting for them in the House, while voting Democrat in the Senate, until 1996, when I voted for John Howard.

Not longago an appealing aspect to life in Narrung was that the water coming from yourtap was piped directly from the lake. Well, it was appealing before the water receded.  On returning there at Easter I’was greeted byan initial spurt of green-grey ooze from the plumbing, a clear sign of what hadbeen going on.  A bottle of the stuff waspresented to Victorian Premier Brumby as he entered the COAG  conference in Adelaide on Wednesday.  He wouldn’t take it.

Families are struggling to care for their older parents or grandparents. We need to act now before we are completely overwhelmed by the baby boomers who are just reaching the age where they will require more care. We must not forget our elderly...

It is to be expected that a new government coming into office will take time to settle in, read the files and gradually get used to the idea of being in power. In doing that the Rudd Government is no different to the Howard government, which took the best part of 18 months to settle into the harness. However the Howard government was not bequeathed the administrative mess of a politicised public service and the moral and ethical conundrum that now constitutes Rudd's inheritance.

"When I was originally approached to speak to this audience, I was asked to give a Reserve Bank perspective on the economy. That was a fairly general brief. Given the current state of affairs, it makes sense to fulfil it by talking specifically about inflation and monetary policy." (Glenn Stevens)

To achieve success governments need a guiding philosophy; not a zealous ideology which is insensitive to political compromise, but a directional touchstone which provides overall consistency through the years. In other words, ultimately they must be ruled by values and ideas and not only by an instinct for political survival – necessary though that is. (John W. Howard)

It is a mistake to overrate the intellectual capacity of the media as being capable of bias. Bias demands the rigour of imposed values. The sobering lesson when we look at much of today’s news coverage is the lack of intellect and values. In the place of bias, we find only the banal.

[Full report here] Australia’s interest lies in the world adopting a strong and effectiveposition on climate change mitigation. This interest is driven by tworealities of Australia’s position relative to other developedcountries: our exceptional sensitivity to climate change: and ourexceptional opportunity to do well in a world of effective globalmitigation. Australia playing its full part in international efforts onclimate change can have a positive effect on global outcomes. Thedirect effects of Australia’s emissions reduction efforts are ofsecondary importance.

The latest update from the Democratic Audit program at ANU on how our democracy is working.

We need strong government – based on the strength of the people. Democracy basically means strong people, because only a strong people can be self-governing – facing up to the costs that the demands of the present and the future will entail.

As Howard fell on his sword, the monogrammed daggers sticking in his back were obvious.  I doubt that, for John, the blows felt like the friendly pats on the back that they are now portrayed as being. Have a look tonight, and tell us what you reckon.

Government, irrespective of its political persuasion, does not have a monopoly on policy wisdom. To thrive and prosper in the future we need to draw on the range of talents, ideas and energy from across the Australian community. (Kevin Rudd)

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry. (Kevin Rudd)

In 2005 the Australian government dramatically expanded the security powers of many state agencies as part of the “war on terror”. The new sedition laws, control orders, and secret pre-emptive detention all seem major threats to civil liberties, dissent, and (dare I say it?) democracy in this country.

The Rudd Labor government has announced that it will amend contracts with the non-government sector to allow NGOs to resume their advocacy role without the need for prior government vetting.  The previous government had restricted the advocacy function of NGOs by requiring public statements to be scrutinised by government officials prior to release.

The genius of Athenian democracy lay in the fact that the people were able to join in all the discussions and decisions. However, the size of populations in modern societies has caused a reliance on government by representatives - and our political system is now contaminated by political parties. We must recreate the dream of democracy — the rule of a participating, responsible people.

Why is it that in Greece and other European countries, being on the Left or supportive of the Left is not met with ridicule, disdain or horror? Why is it that PASOK leader George Papandreou can say at the end of his election speech: ‘I ask all Greeks of democratic persuasion to vote against the Right’? And why didn’t every newspaper in the country attack him or laugh at him for saying it? (Jeana Vithoulkas)

One of the insights of behavioural economics - which is the study of the way people actually think about economic issues, not the way they should think - is that, unlike economists, most people don't add pluses and minuses together to get a net result. (Ross Gittins)

The latest update from the Democratic Audit program at the ANU - and about to move to Swinburne - on how our democracy is working.

Where will the data from the Labor government's plan to record the weight of every Australian child when it turns four be held, who will have access to it and how will it be integrated with other data that has been collected, such as immunisations? At the root of all questions about health informatics is the ability to assign data with supreme and incorruptible accuracy to the correct individual.