2020 Hindsight

It was billed as a gab-fest and a platform for Prime Ministerial egotism by a nay-saying Opposition, but the main achievement of this weekend’s 2020 summit in Canberra was listening.

In the face of growing political apathy and community expressions of disenfranchisement, Kevin Rudd decided it was time to acknowledge Australians’ right to be heard. And, in a move even the cynics have acknowledged as a deft political act, he gathered 1002 community representatives at Parliament House to harness ideas and crystal ball-gaze.

There were disagreements and disappointments expressed at the end of the two-day future summit but there was also a palpable sense of community-building and
democratic engagement…along with several big ideas.

Among these ideas was the revival of the Australian Republic, with a five year transition from a constitutional monarchy proposed, along with a review of the taxation system and an overhaul of Federalism, with a view to streamlining state-state relations. Improvements to Freedom of Information access in the interests of more open and transparent governance; constitutional recognition of Indigenous rights in the Constitution; automatic voting enrolment at 18; and a plan for a youth volunteer corps which would allow university students to work off their HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) debt through social service, were some of the other propositions.

Some of these are old ideas given new breath – including the proposal to refer to Aboriginal Australians in the preamble of the Constitution, which was controversially proposed by John Howard in the dying days of his government. But there were fresh ideas too – including a bold scientific goal to develop a bionic eye (to mirror the Australian achievement of the cochlear ear) by 2020 as a cure for blindness and the plan to fund cheap loans for the poor – an idea which won corporate backing before the convention concluded with a National Australian Bank delegate putting $30 million dollars on the table when it was proposed by World Vision’s Tim Costello.

There has been some criticism that the delegates were restricted to, and influenced by, a Rudd Government agenda and it’s true there was a preponderance of Labor representatives, but there was bi-partisan political input too – with Malcolm Fraser and Tim Fisher among the delegates. There were also senior representatives of corporate Australia mingling with anonymous community members who’d come to contribute their ideas.

Yes, there was a degree of predictability about the selections – for example, the ABC old guard was represented by the broadcasters Phillip Adams and Geraldine Doogue along with Managing Director, Mark Scott. It was good to see journalist Leigh Sales there, but where were the Triple J delegates? Indeed the absence of a strong youth voice at the convention (a separate youth summit was held the preceding weekend) and the side-lining of youth issues were valid criticisms levelled against organisers. Prominent youth worker, Father Chris Riley lamented the downplaying of what he termed the continuing crisis of child sexual abuse in Australia.

But despite its obvious limitations, the 2020 summit was a vehicle for social inclusion – not only for the delegates, but for the thousands of Australians who tuned into the two-day deliberation which was broadcast live on Sky News and ABC 2 with cameras in every session, capturing debate, consensus and disagreement in an innovative exercise in listening to the national voice.

The importance of listening in public conversation has been highlighted for me an academic context in recent weeks as I've embarked on research (in collaboration with Jacqui Ewart from Griffith University)about the motivations and experiences of talkback radio listeners and callers who are, in effect, saying to broadcasters and the power-brokers they influence: "We listen to you, you should listen to us!". I also attended a seminar at the University of Technology in Sydney last week on the theme of listening in the context of journalism and Multiculturalism. I spoke and listened to a number of other academics, community workers, journalists and translators about notions stemming from the media theorist, Charles Husband's, concept of the "right to be understood". In a stimulating discussion (during which I was conscious of talking far too much!:) we considered the implications for the media of an audience which increasingly demands not only the right of reply, but the right to be listened to and understood. This concept has real resonance politically, too, and I think the electoral desire for social connectedness and agency is what Kevin Rudd is successfully tapping into. The PM is being seen to listen and the 2020 Summit was a vehicle for a two-way national conversation.

For this 2020 observer, it was also inspiring to hear the social-justice underpinnings of the new government’s policy agenda through politicians speaking candidly and often off-the-cuff about their ideals and motivations. Housing and Status of Women Minister Tanya Plibersek’s address to the Community and Social Cohesion stream she co-chaired was a case in point for this observer. She spoke with passion about the need for people to feel connected to one another and her belief that “birth should not be your destiny”, telling the story of a woman from her electorate who gave birth to a girl on the same day the MP had her daughter, in the same ward of the same hospital. She pointed out that the two children went to the same early childhood centre and would attend the same infants school but their life prospects were vastly differentiated because the other girl’s mother was a crack addict. She finished by putting poverty alleviation on the agenda and quoting the South American Bishop, Helder Camara, who said: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist."

It’s early days for the Rudd Government and this national conversation has only just begun, with the real test being at the stage of policy development and implementation. And, yes, the 2020 summit may ultimately be recorded as little more than an early example of a savvy political stunt. But the good news is, the Rudd rhetoric isn’t just rhetorical…this government appears to have a genuine interest in purposeful listening. This was a view echoed by one Aboriginal delegate from Western Australia who, when asked about the failings of the gathering, told media at the summit that he was just glad his black voice was finally being heard after 12 years of being ignored by the Howard Government.

Note: The Prime Minister has announced he’ll be opening up the 2020 website to continue the dialogue about the future with the broader community. So don't be shy!