Prof Tom Daly of University of Melbourne's School of Government talks about the decay and challenges facing liberal democrac

Australia should support all families with free childcare. This would help with the liberal democratic principle of equal opportunity as it would:   1.     Give all children the benefit of early development of basic learning and social skills, so critical to their future development and life opportunities; 2.     Give parents the opportunity to study, train, work and build some financial independence, without their children missing out on support in their development or the heavy cost impost of privately funded childcare (the cost of private childcare is particularly burdensome or unaffordable for those on low incomes).

There are only 20 countries (4.5% of the world’s population), including Australia, that are considered ‘full democracies’ by the Economist Intelligence Unit 2018 Index. Liberal democracy is built on a core philosophy that calls for a guarantee of the rights of the individual. These include freedom from arbitrary authority, freedom of religion, the right to own and exchange private property, rights to equal opportunity in healthcare, education and employment, and rights to political participation and representation. In today’s troubled world we need to protect and strengthen our democracy or it will decay and individual rights will be lost.

As the Australian government seeks to establish a more efficient and cooperative model of federalism it is appropriate to consider how this could be locked into our system of government and not just be a fad of the times. Our Constitution is in need of considerable change in order to reflect the nation we are today, and the one we aspire to be in the future. To do so we need to develop a path that educates, earns public trust and promotes required change. The establishment of a permanent Constitutional Council of eminent citizens is a way of achieving this.

While our community is seeking a recovery strategy from recent dislocations, it is worth thinking about what we value as Australians and what sort of society we wish to be. Here are some thoughts to contemplate: 1.     Democratic: Free and fair elections (competition solely funded by the public purse); efficient, effective and corruption free government processes; community engaged with the political processes - and feels that they are listened to; the government respects civil liberties and minimises intrusions into people’s lives. 2.     Fair: Equality of opportunity for health, education, wealth generation. 3.     Compassionate and caring. 4.     Fun loving and happy.