Image by Luke Stackpoole (Unsplash)      A few months ago, thanks to the uncertainty that can be living with housemates, I had to move houses unexpectedly. My partner and I were sad to leave the green walls, pink sunrises and brown wood of our home behind, but we knew it was the right decision to find a house of our own.  Image by Jelezniac Bianca (Unsplash) If you haven’t moved in a while, let me remind you of the weekends filled with calculating how much of a rent increase you can afford, endlessly scrolling through realestate.com and viewing tiny places that would req ..read more

Image by Annie Spratt (Unsplash)      Introduction: how do we make our economic system value what we value? I began this series of articles talking about a conference room, a gathering of civil society CEOs, and a very big question that I couldn’t answer: how do we transform our economic system to value what we value? What could an economy for the people look like in practice? Where are the paradigm shifts, bright spots, and where is the momentum building for wider reform? I wanted to challenge us as leaders, change-makers and citizens not to leave the economic stuff in the to ..read more

Image by Henrique Felix (Unsplash)     Australia reMADE supported the First Nations’ Voice to Parliament. Yet we know it was but one pathway, not the only one, for Voice, Treaty and Truth. If there is to be no official recognition of First Nations people in our Constitution, no First Nations’ Voice to our national Parliament, then we must now carry recognition, reconciliation and healing forward ourselves, as a people. Let us be the change we wish to see. The First Peoples of Australia extended a generous invitation, and it was rejected. But it is still possible for all of us ..read more

Image by Ken Cheung (Unsplash)     What does it mean to live in a country where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures are celebrated at the very heart of what it means to be Australian? One that celebrates over 60,000 years of history as the world’s oldest continuing civilisation as a matter of pride and learning for all Australians? One where we are unified and uplifted as a nation as we work together to acknowledge, understand and heal from the past? Where First Peoples have a rightful place and welcome voice in discussions of importance to this nation ..read more

Image by Nathan Hurst (Unsplash)      What would it take to make the Vision for an Australia reMADE our new normal? Image by Marc James (Unsplash) That is: a country with a First Nations’ Heart, a natural world for now and the future, an economy for the people, a society where every contribution counts and all jobs have dignity, a diversity of people living side by side, within a country of flourishing communities, celebrating a new dawn for women, a thriving democracy and standing as a proud contributor to a just world? Before the pandemic, under a Morrison Government, Austr ..read more

Wales. Image by Steffan Mitchell (Unsplash)      One of the major critiques of politics and politicians is the short-term nature of the election cycle and the short term nature of political visions and decisions. There are a lot of different ways to address this — from banning corporate donations, to extending the electoral cycle, to increasing lobbyist transparency, etc. Caernarfon, Wales. Photo by Mick Haupt (Unsplash) But what I’m most excited about at the moment is the idea of a Future Generations Commissioner. Recently I attended the John Menadue Oration hosted by the Ce ..read more

Image by Levi Meir Clancy (Unsplash)      Stop the Iraq War protest in London, 2002. Photo: William M. Connolley on en.wikipedia So many of us are at brainspace capacity with the thousand daily tabs of adulting… the tasks of the day ahead, our jobs, our kids, our families, everyone’s health. We worry about our budgets among rising interest rates and cost of living. We worry about damage to our climate and whether we’re doing enough to turn things around.  We worry about soccer practice and what’s for dinner.  But there’s a lot, frankly, that most of us would prefer ..read more

Image by Alvin Balemesa (Unsplash)     “We need a clear and inspiring purpose statement with a unified vision… The Service has to own its purpose.” – Gordon de Brouwer, Secretary for Public Sector Reform   Recently we’ve seen what happens when a public service fails to do its job, and when individuals are either afraid to speak up, not listened to, or absolve themselves of responsibility. While the final report is not due until the end of June, the Royal Commission into Robodebt reveals the dire state of the public service and shows an institution utterly failing to serve ..read more

        Do you ever meet people you wish you could just pop in your pocket and carry around with you? People who have wise things to say about the issues you care about and can articulate them in clear and accessible ways? I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion with three such wonderful people: Beth Thornber, a First Nations artist of the Wiradjuri people, whose art practice considers existing structures cemented in everyday life and applies this lens to reimagine ideas of sacredness, boundaries, common ownership and shared responsibility. Dr Arnagr ..read more

Image: Miti (Unsplash)    Editor’s note: Dr Wesley Watkins is an educator par excellence. Originally from Oakland, California – and having landed recently in Sydney, Australia – his specific expertise is in weaving together the study of music with subjects that students might otherwise struggle to engage with: in this case, the study of democracy.  He’s the founder and creator of the Jazz and Democracy Project, a music-integrated curriculum that utilises jazz as a metaphor to bring democracy to life, enrich the study and teaching of history, government, civics and culture, and ..read more