2020 Summit

Well I am back. I never really went anywhere. Yes I am committed to this blog, I just well haven't been committing my ideas to this column. I have thought of plenty, but time has escaped me.

Alas, spurned on by this weekend's 2020 Summit, I thought a blog with the title 'You gotta have ideas' should surely be participating in this national event.

I did attend, two weeks ago, a local 2020 Summit organised by my local Member, Kevin Rudd MP and the new Member for Bonner, Kerry Rea MP. I was impressed by the event. It did not include the 'usual suspects' of people who lobby politicans regularly. My impression was that it was very grassroots and I was more than impressed with the school students who attended.

Now the real summit is on in the big house in Canberra. I have read some of coverage and analysis; apparently Canberra hasn't been buzzing this much since 'Bob Hawke walked across Lake Burley Griffin on the night of the '83 election' (Bernard Keane, Crikey.com.au).

Tonight's coverage has been dominated by pictures of the milky skinned Cate Blanchett; having given birth only six days before was leading the discussion on Creative Australia. Thankfully, she exploded the myth that she is the embodiment of Superwoman by saying where she would normally have been:
"It is a measure of my belief in the weekend that I am here at all, as you could imagine I would rather be in bed," (ninemsn.com.au). But she is a Super Woman I reckon.

2020 participants had to submit 200 words on their big idea. But that wasn't all, they also had to submit 100 words outlining an issue where they have completely changed their views. Crikey.com.au invited participants to submit their entries and have published them on their website.

As a Mum, running a small business, I am often a couple of days behind the world, so I haven't submitted my big idea to the 2020 Summit via the net, so here, late at night, I will for the record cast some ideas to the wind.

In no particular order:

1. Mandate that sustainability frameworks are part of all government, private and non-government sectors decision making.
2. Rethink the current connections and structures between government,non-government and philantropic organisations in order to achieve better outcomes on the ground.
3. A bill of rights enshrining the right to a home. This will force the Commonwealth and State to take action and maintain action on homelessness.
4. State and Commonwealth Budgets to produce a Children's Budget. Every department has to do up a Children's Budget statement which indicates how their programs will affect children.
5. Allow community housing providers to use the equity in the government housing they manage in order to grow affordable housing stock.
6. Look at violence in our culture. Family violence, youth violence - how can we get rid of this really destructive flaw in our communities.

And I have changed my mind on.....

My lecturer from Swinburne University told me about a program in the United States which provided mostly African-American sole parent mothers with housing. In order to maintain that housing they had to enter into education or training programs. Most exited into private rental or home ownership after completing their qualifications. Apparently this program lifted a generation of sole parent led families out of poverty. This represents an example of thinking differently, of beyond left and right. As a committed leftie, I am shuddering at the thought of the words I have just written. But with results such as those, thinking differently might just do the trick.

Good luck to the 2020 participants. The summit has been bagged by some quarters of the commetariat. 'It has to come out with stuff, it is just a talkfest.' yea, yea. I have every confidence that good ideas will emerge. I have faith in a process that facilitates people connecting with each to talk about making our country the best that it can be in 2020.

Cheers
Michelle