Last year I wrote a paper for a policy ideas competition open to young people. Criteria was based on originality of idea and practical application, limited to 1000 words. An op-ed suggesting a tax on property ownership won.
My entry, Indigenous Knowledge, Policy and Economy is over the fold.
On Lateline last night Tony Jones talked to Environment consultant Terry Tamminen, who said:
This country alone has spent almost half a trillion dollars on that misadventure [Iraq]…Of course, [Alan Greenspans] right, just nominally that if the United States takes action on climate change but these emerging economies don’t, well, of course, he’s right nominally that their emissions may outweigh our reductions.
But that doesn’t mean we should do nothing, because obviously if we do nothing and they do nothing they’ll be twice as bad and the consequences will be twice as bad. But again I think we need to look at the fact there are far more worse consequences already going on around the world today.
You know it’s interesting that a couple of years ago when President Bush started talking about hydrogen vehicles the American petroleum institute came out and said, “Well, wait a minute Mr President it would cost $140 billion to build a fuelling infrastructure in the United States that would have access to everyone for hydrogen vehicles – $140 billion is about what we spent invading Iraq in one and a half years.”
Memorable moments #3 over the fold.
The possibilities of democracy presents an opportunity to address the greatest social, economic and environmental challenge we face: climate change. And while rhetoric is easy and words are cheap, it is political leadership that remains the greatest driver of substantive reform.
The idea works like this. A referenda would be held to determine each Australian’s willingness to contribute to tackling climate change and the amount they wish to contribute. This would be enforced at a national scale.
An expansion over the fold.
Continue reading ‘Modernising democracy and internationalism: a response to climate change’
International development concepts are markedly different from internal Australian policy. In part this is a necessity: the governance structures, economies, demographics are substantially different in character. International development often occurs in countries with no welfare safety net. Aid often relies on the employment or funding directive of donor countries.
The Indigenous Knowledge for Development Results of the World Bank identifies a four step process for development: (1) disseminating knowledge; (2) learning; (3) mainstreaming the application of IK; (4) partnerships.
It is the third step that focuses on the IK economy.
Memorable moments # 2 over the fold.
Conservation volunteers recently completed the landscaping of Diarama park. The park features in various media and is a story in the Town Council magazine (inserted in last weeks Alice Springs News).
I visited the park the other morning. In one word, ‘magnificent’. The landscape, design, choice of sand and materials and features is breathtaking. The full colour red of the Sturt Desert Peas blends in with the overall concept.
The volunteers designed the concept, submitted it to the Town Council for approval, and facilitated the project. There are many skills involved, and it is something that all involved in the project can be proud of. Practical achievements like this instill a sense of value in terms of the skills developed.
If the UN Declaration was passed at a different time, then it would have received far wider media coverage.
While I’m not suprised that this Gvt would polarise division by overstating the impact that signing the Declaration would have, I am suprised by the extent that our Constitution is mis-interpreted.
Dr Chris Sarra is a remarkable Australian.
The public debate concerning education and indigenous policy is loosely defined by two groups*: those that argue for removing perverse incentives that detract participation, and those that argue for positive incentives aimed at encouraging participation. The second group claims to be more inclusive, whilst the first claims paternalism as an underpinning policy style.
I’ve recently finished reading Barack Obama’s ‘The Audacity of Hope’. The book offers a much more complex analysis of politics and policy than the Liberal media image projects.
In the Chapter ’Race’, Obama explains that since the civil rights movement there has been a significant lift in upward mobility of minority groups. He attributes this primarily to the concept of hard work, determination and resolve, and that progress ‘occured primarily because the same ladders of opportunity that built the white middle class were for the first time available to minorities as well’.
A summary of this Chapter is over the fold.
The UN General Assembly recently adopted the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
It is a non-binding document. 143 nation states voted in favour and 4 voted against: the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. 11 countries abstained.
The Declaration can be accessed here.
My response is over the fold.
In the years to come I hope my children reflect on this blog to explore the issues of our time and my personal observations.
Because children grow up so fast the memories of what they do and say can often pass unrecorded. My first family memory post is over the fold.
Alice Springs Mayor, Fran Kilgariff, presented a paper to the Bennelong society, found here.
An excerpt:
2006 census figures indicate that the indigenous proportion of our population is growing faster than the non-indigenous…Mal Brough said in a recent talk to the National Press Club (15/8/07) that over 2000 kids in the NT, between 6 and 15, are not enrolled for school, let alone attend. In my opinion the biggest economic issue for the NT today is that a rising proportion of the population is neither educated or job ready and unless that can be remedied then our future economic growth is untenable.
I was recently told by a Queenslander that Alice Springs has many facilities for a town our size. An American told me how he is fortunate to play baseball on a weekend during the evening, under lights and in perfect weather.
The town is expanding in terms of infrastructure, with various units and buildings constructed. Plans are put to the public for an in-door pool in addition to the current town pools (and in the same area).
Further, there are still many possibilities, such as a slide or series of slides designed for younger people, or a water park. A concept plan with research into the sustainability and feasibility of the idea would be a necessary first step. Water resources is an obvious issue, as is commercial viability. The time to commence such research is now.
ABC Hindsight provides audio access to a Robert Manne lecture ‘Whatever happened to reconciliation?’, located here.
I admire Professor Manne because he left Quadrant magazine in order to pursue a more non-partisan (and more substantial) contribution to Aboriginal history and politics, including (2001) In Denial: The Stolen Generations and the Right. The circumstances of his leaving Quadrant are well documented.
Community development is underpinned by a simple notion – that every young person receives an education that builds their capacity to actively navigate the formal systems of society.
Continue reading ‘Education, capabilities and the IK economy’
I’m a firm believer in the capacity of social capital to influence positive change, particularly in relation to Indigenous affairs (for an introduction to the general subject and its application in ethnically diverse populations see Dr Andrew Leigh’s post, here).
A number of important studies of social capital are used in the context of the immigration debate.
In terms of bridging social capital (across ethnic boundaries), the Indigenous context provides two further considerations: (1) Indigenous Australian’s aren’t immigrating, either from this country or to this country, and often reside over long periods in the land that they are associated with; and (2) the character of acculturation is shaped by history and is unevenly spread.
Furthermore, the scope of Indigenous participation is defined by one end characterised by Indigenous people who retain a strong traditional identity, and the opposite end characterised by Indigenous people who retain only remnants, if not then no traditional identity, and every Indigenous person in between. Social capital is relevant to both ends of this spectrum because it is concerned with identity, self-perception, family and social relationships and social norms.
Interestingly, exploring the concept of social capital may open up new thoughtlines in relation to Indigenous policy.
Continue reading ‘An introduction to social capital and Indigenous policy’
10 years ago I decided to pursue legal studies because I believed that all people are grounded in reason, and that knowledge of the law would enable me to develop coherent, sound and persuasive arguments.
Recently I was informed that the Larrakia peoples aspirations for leave to the High Court had been denied.
During University I was fortunate to work as a minute-taker for the Larrakia Nation. Through this work I was able to meet many Larrakia people and their families.
I met families who had always lived in Darwin, who knew the stories and dreamings as passed by previous generations. I met Elders who have since passed, who used to gather food around the northern suburbs – Rapid Creek, Mindil, Nightcliff & Millner during the first part of the last century. Casuarina was a place where families would visit for picnics travelling on dirt roads.
My boss, Alison Anderson MLA, featured in this fascinating ABC Hindsight series exploring the Centralian environment and its stories.
An edited abstract of Noel Pearson’s speech published here in the Age, discusses amongst other things the pursuit of the Radical Centre.
The leadership pyramid with idealism and realism at each bottom corner, and a synthesis of both expressing the height of leadership at the top is, in my view, an interesting metaphor for describing the Radical Centre.
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