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
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
