The Rudd Government will convene an Australia 2020 Summit at Parliament House on 19 and 20 April to help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future.
The Summit will bring together some of the best and brightest brains from across the country to tackle the long term challenges confronting Australia's future - challenges which require long-term responses from the nation beyond the usual three year electoral cycle.
To do this, the Government will bring together 1000 leading Australians to the national Parliament to debate and develop long-term options for the nation across 10 critical areas:
* Future directions for the Australian economy - including education, skills, training, science and innovation as part of the nation's productivity agenda
* Economic infrastructure, the digital economy and the future of our cities
* Population, sustainability, climate change and water
* Future directions for rural industries and rural communities
* A long-term national health strategy - including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population
* Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion
* Options for the future of indigenous Australia
* Towards a creative Australia: the future of the arts, film and design
* The future of Australian governance: renewed democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
* Australia's future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world.
Participants will be selected by a 10 member non-government Steering Committee. The Summit will be co-chaired by the Prime Minister and Professor Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
This Steering Committee will select up to 100 participants in each of the Summit areas who will attend in a voluntary capacity. The participants will be drawn from business, academia, community and industrial organisations, the media and include a number of individual eminent Australians. Summit participants will be invited in their own right rather than as institutional representatives from any particular organisation. Each of the 10 Summit areas will be co-chaired by a Federal Government Minister and a member of the Steering Committee.
The Summit will have the following objectives:
* To harness the best ideas across the nation
* To apply those ideas to the 10 core challenges that the Government has identified for Australia - to secure our long-term future through to 2020
* To provide a forum for free and open public debate in which there are no predetermined right or wrong answers
* For each of the Summit's 10 areas to produce following the Summit options for consideration by government
* For the Government to produce a public response to these options papers by the end of 2008 with a view to shaping the nation's long-term direction from 2009 and beyond.
In providing this response, the Government in providing may accept some options and reject others - but will provide its reasons for embracing its course of action for the future.
The Government has no interest in a talkfest. The Government's interest is in harnessing and harvesting ideas from the community that are capable of being shaped into concrete policy actions.
Government, irrespective of its political persuasion, does not have a monopoly on policy wisdom. To thrive and prosper in the future we need to draw on the range of talents, ideas and energy from across the Australian community.
For too long Australian policymaking has been focused on short-term outcomes dictated by the electoral cycle. If Australia is to effectively confront the challenges of the future, we need to develop an agreed national direction that looks at the next ten years and beyond.
For these reasons, the Government will also be inviting the Leader of the Federal Opposition to participate in the Summit, together with State Premiers, Chief Ministers and their Opposition counterparts.
In addition to those participating in the Summit, all Australians will be invited to make submissions on each of the 10 future challenges. These will be submitted to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet which will act as the secretariat for the Summit. An Australia 2020 website will provide a digital forum for this purpose.
The Rudd Government believes Australians, whatever their political views, can come together to build a modern Australia capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
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Australia 2020 Summit
Future Directions for the Australian Economy - Education, skills, training, innovation and productivity
The Australian Government is committed to building on our $1.2 trillion economy so that we can compete with the leading nations in a world economy that is being transformed by globalisation, new technologies, and the rise of China and India. While we take full advantage of the mining boom, we must also build long term competitive strengths in the global industries of tomorrow - industries that will provide the high-paying jobs of the future.
In implementing the Government's human capital agenda, the objective is to build a world class education system that can transform our workforce into the best educated and most highly trained in the world. This in turn is aimed at boosting long-term workforce participation and productivity. This program has begun with the immediate priorities of expanding training places to tackle the skills crisis, as well as providing universal early childhood education, a rigorous national school curriculum, improved information technology and trades training infrastructure for the 3.3 million young Australians at school.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* After a long period of sustained economic growth and with the added benefits of the global mining boom, how do we best invest the proceeds of this prosperity to lay the foundations for future economic growth
* How we best prepare for a global economy that will increasingly be based upon advanced skills, advanced technology, low carbon energy sources and integration with global supply chains
* How we take advantage of Australia's proximity to the fast growing economies in the world
* How Australia attracts and retains the most talented, creative and highly skilled people, including researchers and scientists, entrepreneurs, and professional and skilled workers
* How we ensure that our children have the highest quality teachers, whether in early childhood, school, TAFE or university, including dealing with the crisis in maths and science related disciplines across the education system
* How we foster innovation in the workplace; encouraging the transfer of ideas across businesses and economies.
Economic Infrastructure, the digital economy and the future of our cities
The Australia Government is committed to building world class infrastructure to improve the competitiveness of our businesses and quality of life in Australia's cities and regions. Our priorities for advanced infrastructure include modern, safe and efficient freight and passenger transport networks, a high speed National Broadband Network, and reliable water and energy infrastructure. World class broadband infrastructure alone could add $20 billion to the Australian economy each year according to some estimates. Modern infrastructure is critical to reducing costs for business and building the platforms for future economic growth.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine ways to:
* Boost public and private investment in economic infrastructure
* Improve planning and coordination of infrastructure investment across different levels of government and the public and private sectors (including maximising the most efficient future design of our cities)
* Ensure that digital technologies are harnessed to improve consumer services, business productivity and the delivery of government services.
Population, sustainability, climate change and water
The Australia Government is committed to decisive action on climate change, to transform a current threat into an opportunity. As the driest inhabited continent in the world, Australia is more vulnerable to climate change than almost any other developed nation and we need a comprehensive plan to facilitate population growth. But climate change also gives Australia a unique opportunity: with our abundance of natural resources, sun, wind and ocean tidal flows, we could be a world leader in the global low carbon energy revolution that will transform the global economy in coming decades.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How Australia develops a long term plan to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change on our environment
* How does Australia best plan for its long-term water and energy needs
* How we position Australia to become a global leader within the next decade in the new low carbon technologies and industries
* How do we plan future population growth at a national and regional level, given the constraints of water shortages and sustainability
Future directions for rural industries and rural communities
Australia's 130,000 farmers generate $30 billion worth of exports each year and are custodians of 60% of our land mass. The Australian Government is committed to working with rural industries, and the communities they support, to grow their contribution to Australia's economic prosperity and our social wellbeing. The Government is also committed to examining how best to deliver services to rural communities in the future.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* What rural industries are best positioned to take advantage of the global consumer markets of the 21st century
* What options are possible for effective structural adjustment for rural industries and communities suffering the long term impact of climate change
* What is the most intelligent form of support the Government can provide to ensure the long term sustainability of rural and regional communities, including the fostering of the next generation of Australian farmers.
A long-term national health strategy
The Australian Government is committed to improving the overall health of our nation through improved preventative primary health, increased access to general practitioners and new dental care services. Investing in prevention can reduce the estimated 550,000 chronic or preventable admissions to hospital each year. The Australian Government is also committed to reforms to improve our hospital system and to ensuring Australians are able to access the best possible care when they experience serious illness or disease. The Government is also committed to a greater national medical research effort - particularly into the major disease categories impacting millions of Australian families.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How we invest to help prevent chronic and acute health problems
* How we plan to ensure all Australians continue to have access to the very best of modern medical technology including pharmaceuticals
* How we meet the emerging regulatory challenges of modern medical technology
* The use of electronic infrastructure to facilitate efficient and effective patient care
* Strategies to preserve Australia's internationally unique blend of public and private health services
* How Australia best plans for the future demands on our medical workforce.
Proposals identified at the summit will also be provided to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commissions for consideration.
Strengthening communities and supporting working families
The Australian Government is committed to practical measures aimed at helping families cope with the collision of work and family life. The Government is also committed to examining new possibilities in partnership with the community, church and charitable sector. Through its focus on social inclusion, the Australian Government is also determined to reduce the barriers to full participation in the economy and Australian society, address locational disadvantage, isolation and the economic dislocation experienced by a significant minority of Australians.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How we provide practical support to families to combine the tasks of work, raising children and caring for ageing parents
* How we make a long term difference on homelessness
* How we better harness the goodwill and commitment of the Australian community through voluntary and community organisations and philanthropic endeavour
* How we build social capital within and between communities, particularly those that are cut off from the economic mainstream.
Options for the future of Indigenous Australia
The Australian Government is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. This includes the gap in literacy, numeracy, infant mortality, health outcomes and overall life expectancy.
The Government is also committed to working with Indigenous Australians to ensure they are able fully to participate - both socially and economically in the life of the nation. This includes providing access to high quality education, health services generally and addressing alcohol, violence and homelessness in those communities where these threatens the safety and wellbeing of individuals and families.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How we forge a new partnership with between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia to overcome disadvantage and provide practical pathways to the future
* The role of targeted programs and interventions such as the Northern Territory Intervention and the Cape York Welfare Reform Trials in achieving change in remote communities
* How we might promote economic development in remote Australia to provide Indigenous community members with the opportunity to be economically independent
* Improving access to mainstream programs by Indigenous Australians
* Promoting and preserving Indigenous culture, languages and traditions.
Towards a creative Australia: the future of the arts, film and design
The Australian Government is committed to promoting a national culture of creativity, innovation and enterprise. The Government is committed to examining new forms of advancing the arts, film and creative design across Australia, including urban design. The Government is also committed to examining how best we deploy our national and international broadcasting capabilities, both to enhance Australia's creative industries, technologies and expertise - as well as promote a new, modern and innovative Australia to the rest of the region and beyond.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* Future directions for Australia's principal arts bodies
* Future directions for the ABC, SBS, Australia Television and Radio Australia
* How best to develop a globally innovative and competitive film industry
* How to encourage participation in emerging global industries such as game design, the internet 2.0, graphics-rich applications and animation
* How we build on the creative sector's potential as a major Australian export industry.
The future of Australian governance: open government (including the role of the media), the structure of government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
The Australian Government is committed to greater access to freedom of information, effective parliamentary reform and removing as many dysfunctional dimensions to the Australian Federation as possible. The Government is also examining ways in which Australians can increasingly deliberate in the making of government policy through a range of mechanisms, including community cabinets, as a part of a commitment to contemporary democracy.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How best to implement an effective an agenda of open government which best balances the legitimate requirements of the media and the confidentiality requirements of cabinet government in the Westminster system
* How best to engaged the community in government decision making
* What forms of Federation reform are appropriate for the future to maximise outcomes for the economy and the community
* How to ensure the future viability of local government operations and infrastructure provision.
Australia's future in the region and the world
The Australian Government is committed to restoring Australia's place as a nation of creative middle power diplomacy - both in our region and in broader international forums. Australia has the potential to be a significant force for good in our region and on the world stage, including through our diplomatic efforts, increased contribution to efforts to reduce extreme poverty and fostering stability and peace in our region.
The Australian Government is acutely aware of the new range of security, economic and foreign policy challenges across our international operating environment. The Government is conscious of the need for creative, long term responses to these challenges.
The Australia 2020 Summit will examine:
* How Australia best protects its national security interests in the face of an increasingly complex threat spectrum, including terrorism, bio-security and other threats to human security - as well as the adequacy of existing institutional arrangements for dealing with the threat spectrum into the future
* How Australia should maximise its cooperation with its long-standing ally the United States
* How Australia engages with China and India in the coming decades as both play an increasingly important economic and political role
* How Australia can make the greatest contribution both within and outside the framework of the United Nations in addressing the challenge of extreme poverty
* The long-term adequacy of Australia's existing foreign language capabilities to meet increasingly complex challenges presented by the globalisation.
The Government may add to or amend the questions in each of these 10 challenge areas following the settlement of conference participants. Full agenda papers will be circulated to conference participants approximately one month prior to the Summit.