The submissions to the 2020 summit have finally been made public here.
There’s over a thousand submissions on the sustainability topic alone. Given that the internal discussions on the 2020 participants’ website are, reportedly, not exactly humming, I can’t see many of them being read directly. A summary of the submissions, which I was fortunate enough to get a copy of, indicates that the contents will hardly be a shock to the participants (or LP readers) - lots of stuff on renewable energy, urban water use, public transport and urban land use planning; bugger-all on things like agricultural water use.
That said, for all the justifiable criticism here and elsewhere of the process, it’s interesting to see how much discussion of Australia’s long-term challenges the 2020 summit has sparked in the mainstream media - something that, as was discussed at the LP forum in Melbourne last night, they do less and less of. And that’s not a bad thing in its own right.
Great. This one’s the best I’ve found so far, though:
I also think that’s a fantastic outcome in its own right - and it’s sparked similar discussions online. Tim Dunlop, for instance, has had a series of posts and discussions on each summit theme:
http://blogs.news.com.au/news/blogocracy/index.php/news/comments/2020_summit_the_future_of_australian_governance/
I had planned to do a post with links to other online activity stimulated by the summit, but time’s got away from me today in terms of other work commitments. If anyone has any links, I’d be grateful for them!
Other highlights:
“A new coal fired power plant could be built underground so emission can be easily distributed through a forest of trees and ivy that has sufficient water and fertiliser.” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=1177&count=1
“Follow the example of Switzerland and Japan. Do not get involved unless we have to…” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=4206&count=1 Japan????
“a. Buy back Australian land and industries sold to overseas interests by previous governments, individuals and companies…
e. Pay higher salaries to teachers” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=5098&count=1
“3. Population, sustainability, climate change and water
Getting States nationally to require all new houses face north with incorporated passive solar design, and all new sub-divisions required to place streets & blocks facilitating this.” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=6705&count=1
“Science can be fun. Just look at the appeal of Adam Spencer and Dr Karl …” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=7324&count=1 Non sequiturs can be fun too!
“I think future poloticial parties should focus on giving more money to poor countries such in Africa. Every year nearly half of their people are dying at the age of 50 becuase they have no food supplies,water and clothes.As australians please help us donate money to African people.” http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=7877&count=1 - Submission 7877 : Year 6 Ashfield Public School
It’s a cruel game but fun. Star Wars Government:
For my money though This is the winner, hands down.
That’s tough to beat. To quote Mark, “I also think that’s a fantastic outcome in its own right.”
Karenp6 is runner up:
Yeah, guys, and some friends of mine have found some other similarly amusing examples.
One unfortunate thing about the primitiveness of the online setup is that there’s no opportunity for non-participants to discuss each submission.
It’d be nice to at least try to explain to some of the sincere, but in my view hopelessly misguided submitters why their proposals are bad, or infeasible. Perhaps, in the process, some might be able to argue that their proposals aren’t quite so misguided after all…
I debated for a while as to whether to send in a submission. But my ideas aren’t new so I thought others would cover them in better detail. I am too busy doing something in my own town to try and teach the Federal government about sustainability.
http://www.sustainabundy.org
Hehe, we’ve got a new leading candidate for the most amusingly crazy submission.
http://www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/viewTopic.cfm?id=562&count=1
My candidate for “most amusingly crazy submission” is (in it’s entirety)
(- in the ~15% of submissions that mention “China” )
”
1. The future of the Australian economy
My submission is that now on the 19th May 2009, I will take my innovations to China to commercialise.
I have been ignored once to many times and now I have no regrets in losing this Australian innovation overseas.
”
Surely the best thing to do with any genuinely good idea for the world to use is to take it to China, they can actually produce stuff, and at global scale, whereas here the best you can do is win an episode of the new inventors.
Mental note: put episodes of The Inventors up on youtube for translation into mandarin, as part of online english language curriculum.