On August 26 2015 in
Sydney Australia business and community will meet at the National reform
Summit. It is sponsored by News Limited
(The Australian Newspaper) and Fairfax (Australian Financial Review - AFR) and
is being orchestrated by senior corporate leaders, Westpac and Transfield
Chairman Lindsay Maxsted, Wesfarmers Managing Director Richard Goyder, CEO of
the Commonwealth Bank Ian Narev and by Governor of the Reserve Bank of
Australia, Glenn Stevens. 90 senior people from other entities such as Secretary
of the Australian Council of Trade Unions,
Dave Oliver, Business Council of Australia Jennifer Westacott and
Catherine Livingstone. The extremely influential and charismatic Cassandra
Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Services will also attend.
Ms Goldie said, in the
AFR 22 August, 2015: “I don’t think we can sit on our haunches and criticise
politicians for failing to deliver on reform if we are not carrying our own
responsibility.’
No politicians are
attending as delegates and only two will speak, Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey
and Labor leader Bill Shorten.
This summit has come
about through disenchantment with the two major parties (Liberal and Labor) and
the function of the Australian Parliament. The continual partisan and blind opposition
to anything the other side does not agree with or may be seen as an opportunity
to politically wedge the other. This is not an endorsement of the ability of
our politicians and their performance. It is a reflection on their failure.
No doubt the political
spin merchants will be working feverishly to ut a gloss on it and to present it
as business getting together with politicians to pursue the national good. The summit deliberations will be diced to
extract the god and glowing endorsements (if any) and to exclude the criticism
and failures. Tey will be hoping that the current enthusiasm of the attendees
will wain and it will all slip away like Kevin Rudd’s national (go nowhere)
summit of ideas.
The two parties will
ignore the recommendations and the values where they are in opposing frames to
their own views and agendas. There will
be no dealing with tax, industrial relations reforms, financial sector reforms
and the holy grails of partisan politics in our national Parliament.
Whilst two newspapers
and digital media (Sky too) are sponsoring it and will keep it alive since they
are paying, it is unlikely that the major newspapers Herald Sun (Melbourne) and
Telegraph (Sydney) will give it deep coverage or more than a passing
reference. The Australian Broadcasting
Corporation including radio talk back John Fain and Neil Mitchellll (Melbourne)
and SBS will do their job but expecting thoughtful attention from the likes of
Channel ten and Seven will be a chore.
The question arises,
will the participants keep at it and will the wider business and community come
on board?,