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Jo Dyer event
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Jo Dyer in conversation with Paul Barclay (Readings Emporium)

The Morrison government’s moral decline happened first slowly and then all at once. We suffered through ‘Sports rorts’ and ‘Watergate’ and an MIA PM, before the dissembling response to allegations of sexual abuse at the very heart of federal politics threw into stark relief the cynicism and moral bankruptcy of a government ready to abandon any semblance of integrity to save its own skin. But at a time when the country is crying out for leadership, the Labor Party seems paralysed, so terrified it may lose votes from its opponent’s perennial wedging that, on key moral questions, it has failed to make the case to win them.

Burning Down the House tells the story of how our political system went awry. Debunking the notion that we’ve ever had a two-party system, it examines how with a recent dance card that has gone way beyond Labor and Liberal to encompass the Nationals, Greens, Centre Alliance and a whole host of RWNJs Australia has now arrived at a place where a group of the most unlikely politicians contemplated the sort of Australia they wanted responsible, humane, moral and concluded that was not the Australia reflected in our current toxic politics. Into the breach has stepped a range of independents beholden to no-one but themselves and their electorates, ordinary Australians determined to burn it all down and build something new.

February 17, 2022
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Jo Dyer event
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Jo Dyer in conversation with Kerry O’Brien (Gleebooks)

The Morrison government’s moral decline happened first slowly and then all at once. We suffered through ‘Sports rorts’ and ‘Watergate’ and an MIA PM, before the dissembling response to allegations of sexual abuse at the very heart of federal politics threw into stark relief the cynicism and moral bankruptcy of a government ready to abandon any semblance of integrity to save its own skin. But at a time when the country is crying out for leadership, the Labor Party seems paralysed, so terrified it may lose votes from its opponent’s perennial wedging that, on key moral questions, it has failed to make the case to win them.

Burning Down the House tells the story of how our political system went awry. Debunking the notion that we’ve ever had a two-party system, it examines how with a recent dance card that has gone way beyond Labor and Liberal to encompass the Nationals, Greens, Centre Alliance and a whole host of RWNJs Australia has now arrived at a place where a group of the most unlikely politicians contemplated the sort of Australia they wanted responsible, humane, moral and concluded that was not the Australia reflected in our current toxic politics. Into the breach has stepped a range of independents beholden to no-one but themselves and their electorates, ordinary Australians determined to burn it all down and build something new.

February 17, 2022
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Gareth Evans event
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Gareth Evans in conversation with the ABC’s Paul Barclay (Readings online)

Gareth Evans latest essay, Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency explores the notion of why should we in Australia, or any country, care about poverty, human rights atrocities, health epidemics, environmental catastrophes, weapons proliferation or any other problems afflicting faraway countries, when they don’t, as is often the case, have any direct or immediate impact on our own safety or prosperity? Gareth Evans’ answer is the approach he adopted when Australia’s foreign minister. He argues that to be, and be seen to be, a good international citizen—a state that cares about other people’s suffering, and does everything reasonably possible to alleviate it—is both a moral imperative and a matter of hard-headed national interest.

Gareth will be in conversation with Paul Barclay, ABC Big Ideas presenter.

This event is free to attend but bookings are essential.

Please book here.

 

  • Good International Citizenship
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    Good International Citizenship

    Gareth Evans
February 17, 2022
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Gareth Evans event
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Gareth Evans in conversation with Geraldine Doogue (Gleebooks)

Why should we in Australia, or any country, care about poverty, human rights atrocities, health epidemics, environmental catastrophes, weapons proliferation or any other problems afflicting faraway countries, when they don’t, as is often the case, have any direct or immediate impact on our own safety or prosperity? Gareth Evans’ answer is the approach he adopted when Australia’s foreign minister.

He argues that to be, and be seen to be, a good international citizen — a state that cares about other people’s suffering, and does everything reasonably possible to alleviate it — is both a moral imperative and a matter of hard-headed national interest. The case for decency in conducting our international relations is based both on the reality of our common humanity, and a national interest just as compelling as the traditional duo of security and prosperity.

Four key benchmarks matter most in assessing any country’s record as a good international citizen: its foreign aid generosity; its response to human rights violations; its reaction to conflict, mass atrocities, and the refugee flows that are so often their aftermath; and its contribution to addressing the global existential threats posed by climate change, pandemics and nuclear war. Measured against them, Australia’s overall record has been patchy at best, lamentable at worst, and is presently embarrassingly poor.

The better news is that, on all available evidence, the problem lies not with the negative attitudes of our people, but our governments. Those in office might prefer Berthold Brecht’s solution: ‘dissolve the people and elect another.’ But the right course for the rest of us is to persuade our political leaders, on both moral and national interest grounds, to change their ways, and to vote them out if they don’t.

  • Good International Citizenship
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    Good International Citizenship

    Gareth Evans
February 17, 2022
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Richard Denniss event
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Richard Denniss in conversation with Mark Rubbo (Readings)

Please note: this event is being held online.

Join us to hear Dr Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute, Australia’s foremost public policy think tank. Richard is renowned for his ability to clearly explain complicated economic ideas and develop creative new solutions. His latest essay, Big: The Role of the State in the Modern Economy tells us it is time to jettison the obsession with the ‘unfinished reform agenda’ of the 1990s. Rather we must now consider the breadth and depth of the new challenges confronting Australia, and to chart a course in which governments take more responsibility for solving the problems that will dominate Australian lives in the years ahead.

Richard will be in conversation with Mark Rubbo.

This event is free to attend but bookings are essential.

Please book here.

Attendees will be sent a promo code to claim $5 off the price of the book when they receive the link to the event. This code will be valid until 24 hours after the event has ended. When purchasing in store, simply mention the discount code or show your digital ticket at the counter to receive the discount.

February 17, 2022
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Richard Denniss event
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Richard Denniss in conversation with Professor Anne Tiernan (Avid Reader)

Scott Morrison wants to spend a lot more money on defence, the business community wants more spending on infrastructure and education, an ageing population wants better health and aged care, and young Australians want more action on climate change and affordable housing. Each problem requires more public spending, but for decades Australians have been told that the less government spends, the better their lives will be.

Furthermore, while spending more money will be essential to fund more submarines, aged-care nurses and infrastructure, money alone will not solve the problems faced by Australia. Decades of declining standards of accountability and transparency, of privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts, combined with a lack of energy in strengthening the positive role of government, have led to apathy among the public and parliamentarians. We have allowed our public institutions to shrink and atrophy, and our creativity to wane in choosing not just which services government should provide but how best to provide them.

There is a clear alternative: follow the lead of the Nordic countries in the provision of great public health, education, housing and infrastructure, and in doing so boost economic productivity and deliver higher standards of living at lower cost.

It is time to jettison the obsession with the ‘unfinished reform agenda’ of the 1990s, to consider the breadth and depth of the new challenges confronting Australia, and to chart a course in which governments take more responsibility for solving the problems that will dominate Australian lives in the years ahead. We must abandon decades of denial that the public sector can play a bigger and better role in improving our lives. To build the bigger government these times demand, we must first abandon the baggage of the past.

Dr Richard Denniss is Chief Economist at The Australia Institute, Australia’s foremost public policy think tank. Richard is renowned for his ability to clearly explain complicated economic ideas and develop creative new solutions. A former associate professor at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University, Richard also worked as chief of staff for the then leader of the Australian Democrats, senator Natasha Stott Despoja, and as strategy adviser to the then leader of the Australian Greens, senator Bob Brown, as well as working as a consultant, company director and strategy adviser in the private sector. A prolific writer, Richard regularly contributes to The Guardian, The Australian Financial Review, The Saturday Paper and The Monthly. He has written or co-written six books, including the bestselling Affluenza: When too Much Is Never Enough and Econobabble: How to Decode Political Spin and Economic Nonsense.

February 17, 2022
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Richard Denniss event
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Richard Denniss at the Electric Future Now talk (Womadelaide)

SPEAKERS

Richard Denniss, Renate Egan, Andrew Blakers

HOST
Nick Feik

Reducing our emissions by making everything electric won’t just benefit the climate, it’s going to be great for everyone. In the long run, electrifying everything is cheaper and more efficient. We can get to 80 per cent emissions reductions by 2035 and we don’t need any new technology at all. So what are we waiting for?

Proudly presented by
Australia-Institute-logo-22

February 17, 2022
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Richard Denniss event
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Richard Denniss in conversation with Ross Gittins (Gleebooks)

Scott Morrison wants to spend a lot more money on defence, the business community wants more spending on infrastructure and education, an ageing population wants better health and aged care, and young Australians want more action on climate change and affordable housing. Each problem requires more public spending, but for decades Australians have been told that the less government spends, the better their lives will be.

Furthermore, while spending more money will be essential to fund more submarines, aged-care nurses and infrastructure, money alone will not solve the problems faced by Australia. Decades of declining standards of accountability and transparency, of privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts, combined with a lack of energy in strengthening the positive role of government, have led to apathy among the public and parliamentarians. We have allowed our public institutions to shrink and atrophy, and our creativity to wane in choosing not just which services government should provide but how best to provide them.

There is a clear alternative: follow the lead of the Nordic countries in the provision of great public health, education, housing and infrastructure, and in doing so boost economic productivity and deliver higher standards of living at lower cost.

It is time to jettison the obsession with the ‘unfinished reform agenda’ of the 1990s, to consider the breadth and depth of the new challenges confronting Australia, and to chart a course in which governments take more responsibility for solving the problems that will dominate Australian lives in the years ahead. We must abandon decades of denial that the public sector can play a bigger and better role in improving our lives. To build the bigger government these times demand, we must first abandon the baggage of the past.

February 17, 2022
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Population Shock event
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Dr Abul Rizvi on Population Shock at The Chifley Centre (online)

Join us on 16 February with leading population and immigration policy expert Dr Abul Rizvi. Dr Rizvi joins us to discuss his recent book Population Shock and what needs to be done about population policy to secure our economic future at 6.00pm (AEDST) – thanks to the generous support of leading strategic communications firm Michelson Alexander.

You can register to attend here.

 

February 10, 2022
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Is Australian media weakening democracy?
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Is Australian media weakening democracy?

Two of our featured authors, Kevin Rudd and Cathy McGowan, join this discussion on a bold plan to rebuild truth and integrity

7-8pm | 14 Feb | Online event

No matter how we consume it, we’re surrounded by news. But how many of us know exactly how the news is created, how it’s shaped and manipulated by journalists, businesses and politicians? Does that process affect or even damage culture and public opinion? And what happens when the creation of that media begins to undermine the institutions that our democracy rests on?

With one of the most consequential elections looming, how the media works is a crucial question that we all need to engage with. To help us understand the answer, the Community Independents Project has assembled a peerless — and fearless! — panel who know intimately the impact of the news media on Australia’s democracy.

Join storied former ABC journalist, Kerry O’Brien, as he hosts an incredible discussion with two former Prime Ministers, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, and pioneer of the independent movement, former MP for Indi, Cathy McGowan.

February 10, 2022
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