“Competent government is a beautiful thing to behold. So much militates against it“… in modern-day Australia. “Politics also offers a venue for the playing out of ancient tribal bonds. Large minorities will ally themselves with a political party for life – although today this attach­ment is diminishing. The bond is visceral and not compromised by poor performance, corruption and mediocre representa­tives.”  Prof John Carroll   Putting the focus back on "common good solutions" that the majority of the community support, via inclusion and evidence-based policies, rather than political party dictate or individual ego drive is what we need.

Have you ever wondered how ancient indigenous cultures maintain so much information about the thousands of species of plants and animals—without writing it down? Traditional Aboriginal Australian songlines are key to a powerful memory technique used by indigenous people around the world. It's intricately tied to the landscape and it can be applied in our everyday lives.https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/indigenous-memory-code/7553976Source: The ABC

“How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism.”   "…If we dare to dream of a more loving country – kinder, more compassionate, more cooperative, more respectful, more inclusive, more egalitarian, more harmonious, less cynical – there’s only one way to start turning the dream into reality: each of us must live as if this is already that country. If enough of us live like that  - and in turn, demand our elected representatives embrace those same values and aspirations – change will come. Revolutions never start at the top.”   Hugh Mackay

I’m excited to share this Thrive by Five campaign video, starring a bunch of cheeky, beautiful children.Not only is the video virtually impossible to watch without smiling and laughing, it also tells the story of why early learning is so important, and why it’s crucial that our leaders reform the system.Click here to watch:https://www.facebook.com/ThriveByFiveCampaign/videos/489604155479282/...and share far and wide!Brought to you by the Minderoo Foundation.

With the recent increases in social support spending, a lot is being written about what needs to be done about debt levels and the direction of Australia’s fiscal health.   This discussion gives us as citizens a great opportunity to contribute to a clearer definition of the type of country we wish to be, and how this should be funded.   If we want: ‘A truly participative liberal democracy that offers equal opportunity, cares for the less fortunate and encourages individual endeavour’. Then let’s have a discussion on the ‘how’. A great topic for a citizen’s jury!  

Federal Budget time again and lots of ideas are swirling around about how we should change the tax mix and re-distribute the revenue.   Unfortunately, the ideas continue to add to already over complex tax and distribution processes – and the numbers and cost of the public servants that administer the system.   Australia has one of the highest taxing environments of the developed world – and some good re-distribution systems. However, there are areas requiring improvement and great frictional loss in the system due to process ineffectiveness and inefficiencies.   We need to rethink and reset the system for better outcomes.