KOCHIE: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd joins us now, good morning to you. Now, first up, why do we need a summit? And how do you see it working?
PM:Well, Kochie, our objective is how do you build a modern Australia capable of dealing with the very big challenges of the 21st century?
And the two problems we've got at the moment are these: one, because of the shortness of the electoral cycle, which is three years federally, and by the time you've got the sound and light show round an election, that comes down to two and a bit - that there is almost a culture of short term-ism in Australia. And I don't blame any particular side of politics for that, that's just been the way it's been for a long time. Whereas these challenges are seriously long term, and some of them require some long term thinking and long term solutions.
So that's why we've put out a target of what do we want Australia to be in a decade's time, hence the summit for 2020.
The second reason is this, I think as I roll around Australia and talk to people, there is a whole bunch of ideas out there amongst our brightest and best, whether it's the economy, whether it's indigenous policy, whether it's how we build a world class education system, dealing with the big challenges of infrastructure in our cities and in rural areas. There's a bunch of expertise outside Government, and we need to call forth the talents and energies of the nation.
So, for those two reasons, we're going to bring together a thousand of our brightest and best in these ten big challenge areas - 100 a piece - in the middle of April, and shake the tree and see what ideas come out of it.
MEL: And how will you pick these people? Because I read that a thousand people are all expected to pay their own way to Canberra. How will you make sure, I mean, are we talking about representatives from businesses and organisations, or are you talking about a bloke down the road from Oliver's who's always got an opinion on everything. So, how are you going to choose them?
PM: Well Mel, it's a really tough one and I accept that upfront that some people will want to come who don't get here. Firstly, on the way in which you choose, I'll be the co-chair of this summit with Glyn Davis, the Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University and he will appoint with me, a panel of ten experts, one in each in those areas, and they'll have the job, arms length from Government, to sift through up to 100 of our brightest and best in each of those fields. That's basically how it's going to work. And then, in terms of getting here, if people that we choose on a merits basis can't get here through their own financial means, then we'll look at those on a case by case basis. But, frankly, what I want is people, if they've got something to contribute, pay their own way here, accommodate themselves, two days of debate, discussion, but then producing concrete options for the future for us to look at. I think that's the way ahead. And for them to be here in their own right, not representing the organisation for artichoke management, or whatever it happens to be.
KOCHIE: Well, I think a lot of us have been critical of Government because it seems to have lacked the vision over the last couple of decades that we were used to back in the day when the Snowy Mountains scheme was built, and things like that. So it's a terrific idea. But you can't get the answer in two days, can you? It's got to be longer than that to come up with the answers?
PM:Well, my attitude's a bit like this, Kochie: if as a result of a two day summit, in the nation's parliament where we've got in these ten big challenge areas, a statement of the strategic direction we think as a Government is right for the country, questions within that which we need answers on - that is, what options should we pursue in heading in that direction or have we got elements of that direction wrong - my view is that if we can shake out of the tree a dozen good, big ideas for Australia for the next decade, we'll have done much better than simply sitting in Canberra and listening to the odd public servant and a few people who roll on our doors as lobbyists.
KOCHIE: Will you keep those groups going? You've got ten groups of 100, you know, if one group or two or three groups come up with some great ideas, you say, hey, you're in the right direction, why don't you stay together for a year and nut out the detail?
PM:Exactly - well, the rubber hits the road with this Kochie in terms of what we do with the options papers that come out. Now, what I said in my statement yesterday announcing this was that when these options papers for the future - take building a world class education system is the challenge. What do we do, for example, to rebuild science and maths across the education system, which we all know is in a bit of state of crisis. And we come up with three or four ideas through this group of experts drawn from across the country. Now, there are no right or wrong answers here. By years end, I've committed ourselves as the Government to then responding, in writing, to which of those policy options the Government is prepared to embrace, which we can't embrace, and we'll reject, and the reasons why. Then, in terms of what we do from 2009 on, I've got an open mind about what then this summit and what then these groups within it do for the nation in the following year and the year after that. But let's do it one step at a time. If it works, and we get some good results, then I'm completely open to how we sustain that in the years ahead.
MEL: Alright, we look forward to hearing how it all goes in April, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
KOCHIE: It's going to be fascinating.
MEL: Thanks for your time this morning.
PM:Thanks very much for having us on the program.
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