It is with great pleasure I announce today that 1000 of Australia's best and brightest people have been selected to help shape the nation's future at the Australia 2020 Summit.
The 10 member independent Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Glyn Davis, has had a very tough job selecting the participants from nearly 8,000 very high quality nominations.
The selection process was extremely rigorous and demanding and I commend the Steering Committee for their efforts over the past month.
The 1000 people who have been selected will receive their invitations this coming week.
I would like to personally congratulate those invited to participate in this national debate about Australia's long term future.
This Summit will bring together a diverse and talented range of people who are incredibly positive about gaining the opportunity to put forward their ideas on a national platform.
I would like to encourage every Australian, whether selected as a participant or not, to contribute their ideas and ambitions to the 2020 Summit by making a submission to one of the 10 critical discussion areas which will form the basis of Summit discussions.
In addition to making a submission there are a number of associated events where people can put forward their ideas and participate in discussions.
School Summits will be held by individual primary and secondary schools over a three week period, starting on the 17th of March. The 2020 Youth Summit will involve 100 young Australians and will be held in Canberra on April 12 and 13.
In addition some State and Territory Premiers will be holding their own Summits and there has also been a great deal of interest from Local Members of Parliament to host Summits in their respective electorates to ensure that the ideas of their constituents are considered.
All of the key issues and ideas from the submissions and associated events will form part of the discussions at the 2020 Summit in Canberra on April 19 and 20.
As Prime Minister, I congratulate and thank everyone who nominated. I look forward to hearing your ideas for Australia's future.
20 Participants for 2020 Announced Today
Options for the future of Indigenous Australia
* Rodney Dillon TAS
* Leah Armstrong NSW
Australia's future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world
* Waleed Aly VIC
* Peter Cosgrove NSW
Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion
* Sara Haghdoosti NSW
* Freda Briggs SA
Future directions for rural industries and rural communities
* Joel Clark NSW
* Terry Underwood NT
* Claire Penniceard VIC
* James Fitzpatrick WA
The Productivity agenda - education, skills, science and innovation
* Joshua Gans VIC
Population, Sustainability, Climate Change and Water
* Erin Cini QLD
The Future of the Australian Economy
* Lachlan Murdoch NSW
A long-term national health strategy
* Rosemary Stanton NSW
Future of Australian Governance
* Tanya Smith SA
* Michael Tate TAS
Towards a Creative Australia
* Astrid Wootton TAS
* Ron Radford ACT
* Ana Kokkinos VIC
* Katrina Sedgewick SA
10 Critical Discussion areas at the Summit are:
* 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.
See the Australia2020 site for further information.