Message from the Director

The first flush of Spring and the thawing of the bones after what has felt like a long, cold winter is mighty welcome. At the same time, it is a reminder that the year is flying away. We're not about to put our feet up just yet though.

As you'll see from this Spring edition of It's Time there's been a lot happening at the Whitlam Institute these past weeks and a good bit more to come before the year's out.

You'll find in this edition news on our projects. You will also find an original poem by Gough Whitlam written during his university days and recently acquired for the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Library.

We've mentioned previously the Literature Review Philippa Collin produced for us. This insightful survey of Australian and international research on young people’s political participation was published on August 27, attracting a good bit of media attention.

Looking ahead, the fifth and final session of our Energy Security series kicks off at 4.00pm on 18 September with Dr Bert Drake from the Smithsonian Institute delivering the principal address. It promises to be a fittingly dramatic conclusion to the series. If you can't get there don't forget that each of the sessions is available through our YouTube channel.

For myself I’m particularly looking forward to the 'democracy forum' we're convening at the end of September as the next stage in our Imagining a New Democracy project. We’ll be spending the day in conversation with some 40 invited 'change makers' of all ages and a diverse array of backgrounds. We'll make sure to provide a report for the next edition of It's Time.

And lastly, a little hint to keep an eye on our website for news of an exciting event for later in the year, We're hoping to confirm very soon, so fingers crossed…more of that when it’s in the bag.

Eric Sidoti

Director