Fast Forward to the Future
Having first set out to make peace with the past, in his deftly-worded apology to indigenous Australians, Kevin Rudd is now in a hurry to make the future.
In Canberra this weekend, about a thousand of the country's sharpest and most forward-thinking minds will meet for the much-vaunted - a two-day brainstorming session to map out the country's trajectory over the next twelve years and beyond.
To many, it will be seen as a gimmickry talking shop - a glitzy and headline-grabbing one at that, especially since the prime minister has asked the Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett to chair the Creative Australia panel, one of the 10 discussion groups.
Others will see it as a much-needed confab to discuss how best to modernise Australia.
Perhaps historians will come to view it as an attempt by Rudd at the outset of his term in office to fashion what might be called "the new Australian consensus - a country, to borrow a phrase from his predecessor John Howard, that's 'relaxed and comfortable" both about its past and future.
Here are some possible topics for discussion, in no particular order:
• how to provide state of the art telecommunications in a country with the sixth largest land mass but only the 52nd biggest population; and how to do so in a way that doesn't create a three-tier digital divide between urban, regional and rural Australia.
• how to address the overlapping problems of chronic water shortages and disruptions to food supply in a country where droughts will most probably become more frequent and more severe.
• how to protect its vital tourism industry from the effects of climate change, which poses an existential threat to must-see destinations like the Great Barrier Reef and which might ultimately make it "environmentally incorrect" to fly all the way to this far-flung corner of the planet.
• how to modernise the constitution: deciding on how power should be best divided between the federal government and the states, and the long-term role of the British monarchy.
• how to repair the breach between black and white Australia in a way which eventually eradicates the disparities in the quality and length of life.
• how to revitalise 'Brand Australia' in a way which avoids old-fashioned stereotypes, like Paul Hogan's "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you" television campaign, or its more recent incarnation, "Where the Bloody Hell are You?"
Seems to me, at least, that Australia is better placed than many liberal democracies to confront tomorrow's challenges.
Its plentiful mineral resources should protect its economy from the worst effects of the global slowdown, and secure its prosperity well into the century whoever is in charge in Canberra - that old "Lucky Country" argument.
There's also no shortage of people wanting to live here, and new arrivals usually have a renewing and energising effect. That said, the impact of global warming is likely to be more severe.
Part of the aim of the 2020 summit is to spark a national conversation among Australians living both near and far (of course, non-Aussies are welcome to weigh in too).
So what do you think are the big challenges, and what would you do to go about addressing them? Or do you think that 2020 is a complete waste of time, money and emissions?
Should Kevin Rudd trust in his own brain, rather than bringing together this Brain Trust?
PS As you may have noticed, we've revamped our blogs. Now you need to register to comment, but it doesn't take much time.
I'm 
Comments
or to comment.