Reclaiming Democracy
In the lead-up to the election, the then Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd
spoke of the lack of transparency in government as a cancer “eating away at
democracy”. But what do we have to do to make this cancer go into
remission? And how can we ensure
that it doesn’t return?
In this bumper edition of InSight we look at what happens to democracy when the corflutes fade and the
campaign stickers start peeling off car windscreens.
Despite promising ‘open government’,
there is still a risk that a Labor government will end up slipping into the comfortable
shoes that Mr Howard and his predecessors have left behind.
For those interested in Labor’s plans in this area,
we’ve prepared a handy guide listing the main
issues and Labor’s current position here.
Democracy is
not a partisan issue. There is now an opportunity for people across the
political spectrum to unite to make our political system worthy of our trust
and confidence.
The ‘
Reclaiming Democracy‘ edition is packed with ideas on how to do just that.
If you like what you’ve been reading in InSight this year, stay tuned for an update on what CPD will be doing in 2008 – and how you can help.
How to clean up Canberra
Miriam Lyons looks at the history of ‘open government’ in Australia and introduces the Reclaiming Democracy edition.
Democracy 101: the right to know
John Hartigan challenges our new parliament to remember that the people who voted for them are entitled to know what they are doing.
Accountability, authoritarianism and a new separation of powers?
Marcus
Westbury argues that in a “me-too” era, the real debate is between authoritarianism and accountability.
The case for deliberative democracy
Australia has been a democratic innovator in the past and it can be again, writes Janette Hartz-Karp.
Unchain my heart: regulating government advertising
Christian
Kerr argues for regulation to stop governments from using taxpayers’ money for political advantage.
Australia – is our democracy for sale?
Australia faces a choice: radically constrain political donations or slide towards an American-style ‘big money’ system, write Lee Rhiannon and Norman Thompson.
The Californication of Australian politics
Jason Falinski asks how unseating an incumbent government became such a Herculean task.
Unsilencing civil society
Joan Staples describes how civil society lost its voice and argues that measuring the sector’s economic value won’t be enough to unsilence it.
Human rights and democracy
Susan Ryan details
the citizen’s campaign for a Human Rights Act for Australia.
GettingUp and at ‘em
Brett Solomon talks about what groups like GetUp mean for the future of Australian democracy.
Spinbusters: exposing the dark underbelly of the PR industry
PR industry critic Bob Burton argues that citizen journalists are best placed to expose democracy’s doctor deaths.
Coming up
The Centre for Policy Development is hosting two sessions at the GetUp Refresh Conference in Sydney on the 7th and 8th December. Click here for details.
About the CPD
The Centre for Policy Development researches and promotes policies for a fair and sustainable future. If you’d like to support what we’re doing, please donate online.
Contact us
email: contact@cpd.org.au
phone: (02) 9264 0263
Having trouble viewing this email? View Online Version
