Refreshing to see the bipartisan commitment to a revised protocol for referendums. This includes producing and distributing an explanatory pamphlet.   Our democracy would be even better if it were compulsory for all political parties and independent candidates to issue an evidence-based policy document ahead of each election.   For the Lower House, this could cover the fundamental principles by which the parties and independents will address policy issues and the specifics for the term following the election. Senate candidates could say how they will seek to influence key policy issues and how they will work to uphold the integrity of government.

It is B Corp month this month. This year’s slogan is WE GO BEYOND. Corban & Blair is now a Certified B Corporation. We are keen to link up for a chat with other Aussie B Corps. So please make contact. To celebrate, we are having drinks at our studio Tuesday 28th March 5:30pm -7pm 2 Victoria Street, Lewisham Sydney RSVP info@corbanblair.com.au Gillian & Amandahttps://www.bcorpmonth.com/

After more than a decade of negotiations, the countries of the United Nations have agreed the first ever treaty to protect the wor

Jim Chalmers has suggested businesses should justify price increases.   The government should justify why they take our money from us and spend it on what they call “essential services” – including a large and expensive bureaucracy.   The government should have an open zero-based budget approach in annual expenditure planning, justifying every dollar spent. Explaining their revenue-raising plan to fund the expenditure – including revenue raised from bracket creep.   It is the “peoples” money the government takes and spends or re-distributes. We are owed a clear and transparent rationale for all taxes and spending – not obfuscation and political doublespeak.

For years now, many commentators, including myself, have been calling for the political class to realise that our representative democratic processes are grinding to a halt when trying to address substantive issues.   The public has become tired of watching politically driven game playing and the lack of evidence-based policy and action. Cynicism and lack of trust in politicians and other institutional power structures have become embedded.   If we are to succeed in addressing indigenous recognition, government spending, taxation and the many other substantive issues our nation faces, the government must effectively engage with the electorate.https://ideaspies.com/search?q=glenn+barnes

In today’s Australian Financial Review (2/2/23) the assistant minister for competition, charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh called for more evidence to back government programs. Mr Leigh says: “Too many programs start with too little evidence to back them up, and no study of what worked and what did not. That is going to change.”   It would be a delight if the Albanese government embraced the principle and practice behind the assistant minister’s article.   The Evidence-Based Policy Project has over recent years demonstrated the poor policy outcomes delivered by governments not using such an approach.   https://evidencebasedpolicy.org.au/