The Centre for Policy Development, which originated from an online policy portal, is very interested in expanding the circle of citizens involved in the research and development of policy ideas. 

Barack Obama's victory represents a watershed in American history, but it will also have ramifications around the world. Before I head out to celebrate I thought I'd just bash out a few quick notes on some of the policy implications for Australia of this momentous turnaround in the state of US politics:

Climate change

1 state down, 5 more & a couple of territories to go!

Good news. In a testament to the parallel evolution of ideas, it turns out that one of the projects I advocated at the 2020 Summit was already being built at the time:

SBS Cutting Edge last night carried an outstanding story "Sick Around the World" which underlined the fundamental importance of getting health system design right.

See here for the link.

As Chairperson for the Women's Electoral Lobby Australia (WELA), I've been heavily involved in preparing a submission for the Productivity Commission's inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave.

The WELA strongly supports introducing industrial based, paid maternity leave as soon as possible with three clear arguments supporting this proposal:

1. Financial reasons for maintaining income in households around the time of birth rather than decreasing it by the loss of an income earner;

In the 18 years from 1989-90 (the base of the consumer price index) to March 2008, the “private motoring” component of the CPI has risen at an average annual rate of 2.7%. That’s happens to be exactly the same rate as the broad “all groups” index. In other words, the real (inflation adjusted) price of private motoring remains unchanged.

Should the NSW Government have more interest in the state's creative future? How are the arts related to NSW's economic fortunes? What can be done to resuscitate the arts?

I am part of a team of organisers who are asking these key questions as part of the next Fabian forum: Art Attack!

New South Wales needs investment in electricity and public transport. Whether these assets are privately or publicly owned, there will be the same requirements for labour and materials to construct them, and the same demands on financial markets for billions of dollars of debt and equity finance.

The issue of public or private ownership should be a secondary one, based on consideration of risk and market failure, rather than some illogical notion that the government cannot afford to make these investments, for, whichever way, the people of NSW will have to pay for them.

Much of my thinking on the questions listed in the governance background paper has been shaped by contributors to the Centre for Policy Development - a couple of whom, Janette Hartz-Karp and Lyn Carson, are participants in the governance stream, while others, like Marcus Westbury, have ended up elsewhere.