Message from the Director

He's right. And so it should be.

Institute Director, Eric Sidoti

Australian Governments don’t tend to change often and so the change, when it comes, can seem more marked. This was the case for the Coalition in 1996 and it is so again now for the Rudd Labor Government.

The energy of the new Government is everywhere to be seen. The first 100 days have seen a flurry of activity. The Welcome to Country on the opening of the 42nd Parliament and the Apology to Indigenous Peoples the following day were significant in several ways: recognising that Indigenous peoples do not exist apart from, but are central to the life of the nation, while also occupying a unique place in it; establishing new Parliamentary traditions; drawing a line under certain past practices; and heralding the, as yet untested, intent to pave a new, bi-partisan way forward.

And there's been yet more. Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The rejuvenation of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The first legislative steps in re-casting the workplace relations system. Releasing the tender for the promised Broadband network infrastructure. Computers in schools. The Prime Ministerial World Tour that set out to inject Australia into the primary international debates of out time and, perhaps most significantly, deftly laid new ground rules for the relationship with China. The announcement of Quentin Bryce as our new Governor General.

So much has been set in train and, at the same time, the hunt for ideas is being propelled further; most remarkably in the audacious Australia 2020 summit.

Notwithstanding the hard realities of governing that have come with the first Rudd-Swan Budget, for many there is excitement and a sense of possibility in the air. Others no doubt find it all a bit unsettling.

In the midst of it all, there is the most profound global economic downturn since the early '90s at least and the inaugural Rudd-Swan Budget to prepare. A sobering counterpoint some would suggest.

Here at the Whitlam Institute we welcome the opening of Government to possibility and new ideas. It actually is exciting. At the same time we are taking care not to get caught up in a breathless flurry of activity or in trying to catch the wave. We see our contribution somewhat differently.

As you'll find in this newsletter, we’ve also been busy. The Whitlam Institute Program we hinted at in our last issue is now a reality with our first projects well in train and more coming on stream. These projects reflect the public policy role we envisage for ourselves.

Our determination to provide information and analysis for better decision-making is evident in the series addressing Energy Security: the real story. There is an indication of our desire to carve a place in the development of creative, forward-looking policy in the work with Young People Imagining a New Democracy. And while the painstaking work on the impact of Government contracts might not set hearts aflutter, it reflects a consciousness on our part that good ideas in themselves are not enough. Good public policy has to be workable and the best public policy is evidence-based, grounded in practice and crafted with an eye to the detail.

You will also find in this issue, news on the Prime Ministerial Collection, What Matters 2008?, a symposium on Urban Infrastructure.

Finally, readers of It's Time might like to beat the rush a reserve a seat at Gough Whitlam's 92nd birthday celebration lunch at the MCA Foundation Hall on Friday 11 July. Give our office a call for further information.

Eric Sidoti

Director