Nick Hossack, a former adviser to John Howard, has written an interesting article about truth and trust in politicians. https:/

Historical political allegiances have weakened, and political parties are finding it very hard to win over and maintain a solid mandate.   In early December, a major post-election study by the ANU found trust in Australia’s Government was at its lowest level on record.   The nation's politicians need to do better in transparently determining “common interest” policies that the majority can live with.    Political parties will need to demonstrate that they can effectively address the economic issues plus make sensible progress on the more challenging and complex issues - such as climate change - to win future elections.   https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/politics-in-the-2020s-the-economy-th

More than 1000 domestic violence offenders in south-west Sydney have received a visit from police this Christmas season as part of a targeted operation to prevent family violence at one of the most high-risk times of the year. Https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/police-mark-christmas-on-the-doorstep-of-more-than-1000-domestic-violence-offenders-across-sydney-20191218-p53la1.html?btis

Elizabeth Proust - a widely experienced company director, business leader and who was also a leading member of Victoria’s Public Service – has joined the Research Committee of the New Democracy Foundation. The committee includes former West Australian Labor premier Geoff Gallop and former NSW Liberal premier Nick Griener.The New Democracy Foundation (nDF) is supporting initiatives designed to improve Public trust and participation in Australia’s governance. The nDF is also involved in international projects seeking the same outcome – including one sponsored by the United Nations.https://www.newdemocracy.com.au/ 

“We live in a world where organisations have learnt to exploit our privacy for commercial and political gain. This needs to change. Our parliaments should set down a new standard for privacy protection that matches the global baseline set by the GDPR. This will fix the confusing mix of laws and regulations, thereby providing greater clarity, certainty and stronger enforcement. It will also build trust in the community that our governments and businesses are using personal data in ways that are respectful of people’s wishes and their privacy.” George Williams, Dean of Law, University of New South Wales.

“Australia needs a circuit breaker when it comes to constitutional change. One option would be for parliament or an independent body to hold a review of the Constitution…This could be one way of educating the community and drawing them into a conversation about how the Constitution can reflect their aspirations for the nation. An independent commission should also be charged with engaging with constitutional change in a non-partisan manner. It should have an ongoing role of identifying where there is a need for reform and where this would attract broad community support.” George Williams, Dean of Law, University of NSW