“At some point in the next term of government, sooner rather than later, the treasurer of the day will have to lay out a comprehensive program of budget repair, not simply a cursory exercise in good housekeeping.”  “It demands a set of hard rules and reforms that will enable us to live within our means.”   (Tom Dusevic, The Australian)   Politicians have been unwilling to 'bite the bullet' due to fear of voter anger. This is a classical case for a Citizens Jury to review all the facts and recommend a new revenue-raising structure that works for the common good.

"With the loss of trust in our political institutions and politicians today, we need a political summit to build consensus on democratic reform and the restoration of trust. Such a proposal, if carefully explained and implemented, could produce real political and policy dividends for its advocates and more importantly, for Australia. “Democracy” has been narrowed down to a view that it is only about elections and not about well-functioning institutions. the highest bidder."John Menadue, Pearls and Irritations 19/9/21https://johnmenadue.com/john-menadue-our-democracy-is-decaying-from-within/?mc_cid=1022438797&mc_eid=ff9389eb5b 

Google’s Jigsaw project collaborated with the digital rights NFP Access Now and the censorship measurement company Censored Planet, in a report that found Internet shutdowns are "growing “exponentially”: out of nearly 850 shutdowns documented over the last 10 years, 768 have happened since 2016"The report's results should give policy-advisors, governance and ethicists alike pause for thought. What can should we do to minimise this threat?https://jigsaw.google.com/the-current/shutdown/Image by Chaitawat Pawapoowadon from Pixabay 

Have you ever felt that your children's future is not secure and that you want to leave a better world for them? Have you ever wondered if democracy could work better for Australia and Australians? Don’t be despondent. There is a solution. We the people can all increase our shares of power and influence in our democracy and make politicians much better leaders. Find out how National IP&R makes it possible for us to do this for the first time. It's easy, it's free and it's rewarding. The more Australians that become involved, the more rewarding it will be. https://www.austcfp.com.au/national-integrated-planning-and-reporting

“Senator Cash said she wanted to bring on a national ICAC bill by the end of parliament’s current term, but would not say if the current proposals would be significantly rewritten. “This is a bill we have to get right … I do intend to bring something to the parliament,” she said.” Richard Ferguson - The Australian 3/9/21 The long-promised establishment of an ICAC for our federal government has been delayed for too long. Ongoing delays call into question the commitment of federal politicians to bring their behaviours into line with those expected of other leaders and professionals within society.

The recent UAP spam campaign and continued baulking of transparency of political donations by both major political parties, once again brings focus as to why we should trust our politicians to set the rules that they play by.  It is us, the public, who pay the costs of political governance, choose who is to govern, and are subject to the decisions made by politicians. We deserve a high level of transparency, integrity and honesty in all that our political parties and politicians do…and should not have our personal phones invaded by political spam of questionable sources and quality.