The Prime Minister’s call for a ceasefire on industrial relations and two respected former Premiers’ acknowledgement of the benefits of State cooperation could be harbingers of a new, and better, way of making Australia’s future.
But that is far from certain.
With today’s launch of Next25 Navigator, we now have for the first time a clear picture of what the public believes is in the public interest, of the future Australia wants.
From today, we are Next25, building on ten years improving how Australia makes its future as Australian Futures Project. We remain independent, non-partisan, and non-profit. We remain committed to ensuring Australia maximises and shares its success across current and future generations. Our new name reflects our focus on making the future Australia wants over the next 25 years — the span of a generation.
Australia is not the United States, but we can learn from recent developments there. To protect our democracy, we must act on three important lessons. We must: address the root causes of dissatisfaction with democracy and politics; ensure that we keep our political identities separate from our other identities; shape social media and digital platforms to serve society.
Our research over the last decade tells us that a decisive factor in Australia’s ability to make the future it wants is how the media participates in the national conversation. Australia needs journalists, media organisations, social media, and digital platforms that enable nuanced debate, engage experts and the public, give space to more diverse voices, and enhance social cohesion and optimism.
This series of Q&As with Leadership alumni (previously known as Parliamentary Leaders Program) are designed firstly, to give alumni the opportunity to get to know other parliamentarians in their community better and secondly, to provide the public with new insight into the experience of being a politician and the work our alumni are putting in to their on-going professional development.
This series of Q&As with Next25 Leadership alumni (previously known as Parliamentary Leaders Program) are designed firstly, to give alumni the opportunity to get to know other parliamentarians in their community better and secondly, to provide the public with new insight into the experience of being a politician and the work our alumni are putting in to their on-going professional development.
We know that Australians want politicians who show leadership skills, work with integrity, and have the ability to listen and adapt. For this reason, we have worked not only on providing a professional development course for individual parliamentarians, but also on changing the culture that allows our politicians to improve these skills.
This series of Q&As with our Parliamentary Leaders Program alumni are designed firstly, to give alumni the opportunity to get to know other parliamentarians in their community better and secondly, to provide the public with new insight into the experience of being a politician and the work our alumni are putting in to their on-going professional development.
Our Research Committee ensures that Australian Futures Project’s research is fit-for-purpose, rigorous, efficient, and ethical. Its members review, and refine research methodologies; act as our sounding board; and assist with the dissemination of our research findings.
Why do Australians move on from some mistakes but demand heads to roll in the wake of others? Genuine apologies are an important ingredient. They require not only the apology itself, but also an explanation and justification that are part and parcel of accountability, plus the honesty and compassion that Australians seek in their leaders.
Australia’s approach to early childhood education and care (ECEC) before and during the coronavirus crisis raises important questions about how Australia makes its future. The implications extend across the national policy field. ECEC is a thread that runs through many aspects of what Australia wants, whether listening to the people or the experts.
This series of Q&As with Next25 Leadership alumni (previously Parliamentary Leaders Program) are designed firstly, to give alumni the opportunity to get to know other parliamentarians in their community better and secondly, to provide the public with new insight into the experience of being a politician and the work our alumni are putting in to their on-going professional development.
The coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread upheavals to how we go about our personal lives, how we interact with others, and how we work. It is also disrupting our traditional methods of making the future, notably in how our governments approach societal challenges, how our parliaments function, and how citizens exercise their right to protest.
