Need for balance, can’t do everything, resistance to paying more tax…the excuses for budget shortfalls against community expectations are increasing in the lead-up to the annual budget release by the federal government.   This situation gets worse each year as the distrusted political class attempt to persuade a cynical electorate that they, and only they, can manage the complexity of our country’s budget.   There is a ready solution to help end this annual political agony – ask the public to help sort through the trade-offs in a transparent deliberative forum such as a citizens' assembly. After all, they consume the services and pay the bills!

The AEC register lists prominent pieces of disinformation the AEC has discovered regarding the announced referendum on the Voice to Parliament. It also provides details of actions the AEC has taken in response.The AEC is not responsible for fact-checking claims about the Yes or No case for a referendum, and we do not seek to censor debate in any way. However, when it comes to the referendum process we conduct, we’re the experts and we’re active in defending Australia’s democracy....MOREhttps://www.aec.gov.au/media/disinformation-register-ref.htm...TRUSTED SOURCESSee trusted information about how Referendum processes work.https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/

Sweeping changes to fuel efficiency standards have been proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency to boost the sales of electric vehicles so that they account for 67 per cent of new passenger cars sold in the US by 2032, although EVs only captured 6 per cent of America’s new car sales last year. The Biden administration has also pledged to spend billions to encourage the take-up of EVs, including nearly $15 billion for charging stations and $7 billion to support battery manufacturing, as well as up to $7500 in tax credits for people who purchase an EV and billions of dollars in grants to US manufacturers.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/world-s-rejected-cars-heading-our-w

David Thodey has led successful transformations across Australia’s public and private sectors. He recently sat down with McKinsey to share his recipe for success."It’s got to be driven from a purpose that we feel good about. More and more, I think we all live in an environment where we work for money, but you want to feel like your work matters and it counts, and makes a difference. That’s why having clarity of purpose will drive employee engagement."...Morehttps://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/lessons-in-leadership-making-government-a-great-place-to-work

This report was sent to Government on 7 February 2023, then tabled in Parliament and publicly released on 17 March 2023. It is the second in a series, undertaken at 5 yearly intervals – the first Inquiry report Shifting the Dial was completed in 2017....Read the Reportshttps://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/productivity/report...Listen to the Podcast Michelle Grattan speaks with Michael Brennan. Note what Michael Brennan says about the importance of ideas!https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-michael

Allegra Spender is attempting to catalyse a conversation on holistic tax reform and get the government to move away from piecemeal change.   Jim Chalmers claims to use a “staged, methodical approach” to tax reform.   There is a problem for them both. The average Australian does not trust the political class or the elites to fairly and equitably manage tax reform.   We need to engage everyday citizens in a deliberative forum to answer the question: How do we fund the Australia we want? Then all can understand the required trade-offs to government services and taxes and the reasons for them.