The 2020 Summits (1 Viewer)

[Stott Despoja]

As strange as it may seem, nobody has created a thread for the 2020 Summit as yet, so I thought that I'd throw one up for discussion (a thread was created for the recent Youth Summit, see here, but come on, who cares about the kids' table, eh? . Seriously, there's little point in limiting the discussion to the smaller of the two national summits).

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

Welcome to the website for the Australia 2020 Summit.

This is an important initiative to harness the best ideas for building a modern Australia that is ready for the challenges of the 21 st century.

With the complex challenges that Australia is facing, we need to get the best ideas we can from all Australians – business people, experts, community leaders – and just ordinary Australians.

I know from travelling around the nation that many of the most creative solutions to our big future challenges are in the minds of Australians whose voices normally aren’t heard in our national Parliament.

The Summit will help us shape a long term strategy for the nation’s future – covering the economy, the nation’s infrastructure, our environment, our farmers, health care, indigenous Australians, the arts, national security, how we improve our system of government, and how we strengthen our communities and ensure nobody is left out of Australia’s future.

It’s a big agenda, but we need to think big.

The new century has thrown up enormous challenges, as well as breathtaking opportunities. The ground rules of economic success are being re-written with the rise of nations like China and India. New technologies are continuing to transform our work lives, our social lives and everything from health care to entertainment. Our own society is changing rapidly as well as we live longer and expect greater fulfilment in our older years.

I invite all Australians to contribute their ideas as we look ahead to how Australia will tackle all these challenges. This website is a great way for you to have input to how we plan for our common future.

If we want to shape the kind of nation Australia will be in 2020, the work needs to start now. There are few limits to Australia’s future potential – now is the time to start turning our nation’s potential into a reality.

What do you all think about the upcoming Summit? Is it a great opportunity for debate? Will it be nothing more than a talk-fest?

Any thoughts on the recent youth Summit, too?

Personally, I think that for the Summit to be a success it has to provoke a little controversy and that the delegates have to argue seemingly sensible positions from across the political spectrum. Let the NSW Teachers Federation debate those arguing for performance pay! Let the delegates debate the merits of welfare vs. charity! HECS-like subsidies for artists vs. greater emphasis on commercial investment in the arts! I could go on!

I'm looking forward to the fruits of the Summit. Here's to hoping for a grand statement of ideals coupled with a practical plan for the future.

 

[JaredR]

I'll reply more sensibly in a little while, but for now I think there are many more flattering pictures of Scott-Despoja!

 

[banco55]

Pathetic waste of money. As if you are going to get good ideas from a committee of 100 in a weekend and most of that weekend will be spent socializing and glad handling. All it will produce is lowest common denominator ideas and "motherhood statements". I bet if you were to name any given topic at the summit we could guess what the ideas will be. ie Climate change: more renewable energy, greater research into clean coal, carbon trading blah, blah

 

[iamsickofyear12]

What is a 2020 Summits?

 

[Stott Despoja]

What is a 2020 Summits?

The thread clearly refers to both the 2020 Summit and the 2020 Youth Summit, but if it helps, feel free to ignore the 's'.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

The thread clearly refers to both the 2020 Summit and the 2020 Youth Summit, but if it helps, feel free to ignore the 's'.

I wasn't trying to point out that the title was wrong, I was looking for an explanation of what the 2020 Summit is and why I should care in less than the amount of words used in the first post, like 2 sentences or something.

 

[chicky_pie]

Isn't the 2020 summit is on the same day as one of the Jewish festival, not sure what it is called, but something along that line.


Anyway, who gives? like what does Cate Blanchett knows anything about Australia or Australians? Especially the future lol, she's a damn celebrity, and Kevin Rudd is a dud.

 

[incentivation]

It is nothing more than a PR exercise designed to reflect favourably upon the government.

As Banco said, how will 1000 people gathered at a convention for a weekend, make any significant impact upon policy development or in communicating issues and ideologies that we are not aware of..

It is a misuse of public resources, and won't even touch the surface of any problem society faces. How about we address the very core issues of society by creating real and transparent dialogue with those doing it tough out there, before inviting these supposed 'best and brightest', of whom many live in a vastly different world.

I can predict right now, that there are two imperative issues which are at the forefront of the problems of Australian society which will receive minimal, if any, attention whatsoever at this 'quest for ideas':
- parenting
- personal responsibility (or the recognition thereof).

We can produce platitudes about Climate Change, 'Education Revolutions' and the blight of binge drinking, but when it comes down to addressing the core issues of each of these problems, as well as the most important issues facing society, substance is clearly lacking..

 

[JaredR]

Yes, the Summit falls on the Jewish Holdiay Pesach (or Passover) and so PM Rudd has met already with a group of Australian Jews.

 

[bigboyjames]

fuck zionists. but jews are good.

all throughout the election year i was going g to vote Howard. right at the end i voted rudd coz of iraq. what a mistake. this rudd is an absolute idiot.

 

[JaredR]

You should always go with your gut instinct. The War in Iraq was never a major issue in Australia - it was only made major by the opposition (now government) so you were a sucker and fell for it. At least I voted the right way, and now my conscience is clear.

 

[law]

These summits are nothing more than rehearsed statements from people who believe they can make a difference. Many will have brains but no action plan, hence both will be a WHOLE LOT OF TALKING AND VERY LITTLE DOING.

The youth summit is idiotic. ANYONE CAN RAMBLE ON ABOUT HOW ABORIGINES NEED BETTER MEDICAL RESOURCES... WOW, YOU'RE SOOOOOO SMART!!!

 

[incentivation]

When the delegates on governance were asked about support for a future republic, there was one lonesome dissenter among the crowd (surprise surprise). The response from the majority; laughter. If that is the type of attitude that this summit is promoting to alternative ideas and freedom of thought, then it has failed abismally.

It is a sad reflection on this exercise as a politically manipulated gathering which is doing nothing more than to reinforce the ideas of those in government. The list of delegates cetainly confirms this.

Achievements after day one?..

 

[-WaxingLyrical-]

Achievements after day one?..

http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=450096&rss=yes&_cobr=optus

Republic by 2010, summit told
Saturday Apr 19 18:38 AEST
Australia will be a republic within two years if delegates to the 2020 summit in Canberra have their way.
Summiteers in the governance stream voted three to one to endorse the ambitious target, proposed by federal Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus on Saturday afternoon.
Delegates originally agreed to a 12-year target.
But when Mr Debus challenged delegates to commit to a shorter time frame, he was cheered and clapped.

"I want us to say that we will proceed to a republic by 2010," Mr Debus told the 100 delegates in his group.
Asked for a show of hands, the summiteers overwhelmingly voted for the suggestion...

2020 summit on the whole: Some nice thoughts there, but too idealistic in my opinion.

 

[chicky_pie]

To quote Rudd "Rather than pretending that we, the politicians of Australia, have all the answers, and the truth is we don't, we are turning now to you the people of Australia," he said.

How does that statement make those idiots feel about voting this lot in the last election? Gullible. Because he made everyone think he had the answers. lol

 

[Slidey]

I don't want Australia to be a republic. Exactly what good would it do us?

 

[Iron]

Could score some points with A-sians

 

[JaredR]

To quote Rudd "Rather than pretending that we, the politicians of Australia, have all the answers, and the truth is we don't, we are turning now to you the people of Australia," he said.

How does that statement make those idiots feel about voting this lot in the last election? Gullible. Because he made everyone think he had the answers. lol

I'm confused? Wasn't the point of a democratically elected government always to represent the people and their ideas? I didn't think a 2020 Summit was necessary to achieve that?

Rudd must have failed Primary School HSIE.

 

[Iron]

You dont get it. They are elites. They are the supermen of Australian society. The Summit is an acknowledgement that our culture praises mediocrity, lavishing great honours and powers upon the vulgar and barbaric. The end result of this corruption and decadence will be a nihilism that ends the nation.
Prime Minister Rudd is conscripting these ubermench to construct elaborate, complex, grand, noble lies to keep the nation chugging along for 12 years. By far, his most important message at the opening yesterday was

A nation needs a vision. Without one, we perish

We may sleep well once again

 

[Triangulum]

Here's an idea:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/20/2221919.htm

Hey ... I was too late to submit a suggestion to the Summit, but want to put this idea out there in a public arena to either be flamed, or to float:

With the two major trade blocks in the world currently excluding Australia (EU, NAFTA), and the US not really serious about free-trade with Australia, why don't we as a nation apply to become a part of the European Union?

The past fifteen years of negotiations with the US on forming a free-trade agreement have led to hardly any benefits for ordinary Australians, but lots for America.

But with European Union membership there could be real practical advantages for Australians in visa-free travel, tariff-free commerce, freer movement of Australian employment seekers, tourism, etc. It could really broaden our cultural horizons.

It's not like something similar hasn't already occured elsewhere - Ireland is already a member (remember it's separate from continental Europe as well). And Ireland's prosperity has surged since that time.

Why not?

Yes, why not? What could possibly be wrong with this proposal?