A better process for Governments to make major decisions

Independent research has found common ground on what is good policy making in Australia. There was clear agreement that there is most scope for improvement in government decision-making by using cost/benefit analysis, designing a rollout plan in conjunction with a policy statement and issuing a Green Paper to elicit public feedback before announcing a major policy decision in a White Paper.

Major political parties are being asked to publicly commit to this process. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/half-baked-policies-push-for-public-input-on-contentious-nsw-laws-20190527-p51rm3.html

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By angel

28 May 2019

Governance

Set up a Constitutional Council to sort out our Federal Conundrums

As we wrestle with the challenges of Covid-19 the weaknesses inherent in our federation are being clearly seen. These weaknesses have been present since 'federation' in 1901 but have been amplified by various legislative, legal and administrative actions. Our state and federal politicians are not willing or able to resolve these issues. A Constitutional Council of esteemed Australians, not involved in daily political life, should be permanently established to develop referendum proposals to overcome the lack of clarity in federal, state and local government responsibilities and other changes needed so that our constitution reflects the requirements of contemporary Australia.

28 July 2021 by Glenn Barnes 0 Comments

Governance

NOW is the time to re-set Australia’s federal structure

Getting the right balance between local, state and federal responsibilities for revenue and services would make Australia a stronger and more cohesive nation. “Rather than have an all-powerful unitary government, federations offer the advantage of several governments operating closer to their constituents. By rights, accountability is enhanced and sub-national governments can learn from each other.” ...“The empirical evidence from around the world is also strongly supportive of federations. Federated countries consistently have outperformed unitary states in terms of the key economic parameters, such as gross domestic product growth, unemployment and the like.”Judith Sloan – The Australian 20/7/21

21 July 2021 by Glenn Barnes 0 Comments

Governance

Referendum rules need reform before we vote on a voice

“…current rules for holding a referendum are archaic and ill-suited to modern times. Fortunately, parliament has begun work on this through a new inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.” The Australian 19/7/21 : George Williams - Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Law at the University of New South Wales The sad truth is that our politicians are not trusted enough to be in charge of an issue as important as Constitutional Reform. Our country needs a Constitutional Council outside the political sphere to undertake such important reform now and into the future.

19 July 2021 by Glenn Barnes 0 Comments