Australia 2020 Summit

The "Australia 2020" Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held on 19-20 April 2008 in Canberra, Australia, aiming to "help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future". [cite web | url=http://www.australia2020.gov.au/about/index.cfm | accessdate=2008-02-18 | title=Australia 2020, about the summit | publisher = Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet] Announced by the new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the summit drew limited bipartisan support from Brendan Nelson and the opposition Coalition parties, and ran as 10 working groups of 100 participants. [cite news | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23153777-16741,00.html | title= 2020 summit not just another talkfestwork = The Australian | publisher = New Limited | accessdate=2008-02-18 | date= 2008-02-04]

1002 delegates [cite news|url = http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/rudd_opens_2020_summit_545256|title = Rudd opens 2020 summit|publisher = SBS News|date = 2008-04-19|accessdate = 2008-05-12|quote = Mr Rudd says there were 1,002 delegates attending the summit. ] attended the summit to discuss ten "critical areas". Ideas and proposals were invited from all members of the community, and an official web site was set up to accept submissions.

The 10 critical policy areas were:
# Productivity—including education, skills, training, science and innovation.
# Economy—including infrastructure and the digital economy.
# Sustainability and climate change.
# Rural Australia—focusing on industries and communities.
# Health and ageing.
# Communities and families.
# Indigenous Australia.
# Creative Australia—the arts, film and design.
# Australian governance, democracy and citizenship.
# Security and prosperity—including foreign affairs and trade.

Participants

:"For full list, see: Australia 2020 Summit participants"The summit was led by a 11-member steering committee, whose initial membership was announced on 26 February 2008. The committee played a key role in selecting the other participants, and each member led one of the working groups together with a government co-chair. Since the initial announcement, Dr Kelvin Kong (Indigenous Australia) withdrew due to family health reasons, and Dr Jackie Huggins was appointed to replace him. On 14 April 2008, an additional co-chair, Dr Julianne Schultz, was announced for the Creative Australia stream.

The members of the steering committee are as follows:cite web|url=http://www.australia2020.gov.au/committee/index.cfm|title=Steering Committee|author=Australia 2020|publisher=Government of Australia|accessdate=2008-05-13]

Related events

Several events were held in the lead up to the Australia 2020 Summit:
* [http://www.australia2020.gov.au/youth/ 2020 Youth Summit] : For 100 young people (15 to 24 years) from around Australia in Canberra, 12 and 13 April 2008.
* [http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.asp?media=3516&section=24&title=Media%20Release&id=24 Canberra 2020 Summit] : For Canberra residents, on the theme of innovation, in Canberra, 5 April 2008.
* [http://www.katelundy.info/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=34 Foundations of Open: Technology and Digital Knowledge] : Australian National University, Canberra, 3 April 2008.

= Criticism = The summit was initially criticised for the near-absence of women on the 11-member steering committee who would pick the 1,000 delegates—only actress Cate Blanchett had been named. The Government responded by saying six of the co-chairs would be female politicians. [cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2173762.htm|title = Gillard deflects 2020 summit panel criticism| date= 27 February 2008| work = ABC Online | accessdate = 2008-05-12] [cite news|title=Rudd 'blokefest' attracts 3,000 hopefuls|last=Maiden|first=Samantha|date=27 February 2008|work=The Australian|accessdate=2008-05-13] By the time of the summit, there were three women on a 12-member committee. Additionally, some conservative commentators such as the Institute of Public Affairs, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and Australian Monarchist League criticised what they saw as the unrepresentative nature of the delegates, which in their view biased the final report towards republicanism and ideas such as constitutional reform and a bill of rights. [cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2222923.htm| title = 2020 a 'blatantly political exercise'| work = ABC (The World Today)| date = 21 April 2008| accessdate = 2008-05-12 For other comments on Roskam's view, see cite news|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/21/2222966.htm| title = 2020 summit 'a PR stunt'| work = ABC Online| date = 21 April 2008| accessdate = 2008-05-12]

Some of the delegates themselves expressed criticism of how the summit was conducted. In particular, claims were made that the final paper which purported to represent the resolutions of the sub-groups did not reflect ideas which they had espoused or did include ideas which they had not discussed, possibly reflecting an agenda which had been determined before the summit. [cite news|url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23584546-5016737,00.html|title = Bright ideas fade under controversy| last = Salusinszky |first = Imre| date = 23 April 2008| accessdate = 2008-05-12| work = The Australian] [cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/glimmers-of-hope-survive-in-the-mush/2008/04/20/1208629731307.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|title = Glimmers of hope survive in the mush|last = Marr|first = David| work = Sydney Morning Herald|date = 21 April 2008| accessdate = 2008-05-12|quote = "Mush," declared Jack Waterford of The Canberra Times as he read their [the professional facilitators] attempt to boil down the first day's work of our "Open Government and the Media" substream - sorry about the language - of the Governance stream. He demanded to know: "What's happened to all our ideas?"] [cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/20/1208629703195.html|title =Feisty debate at summit |date = 2008-04-21|last = Australian Associated Press (AAP)| authorlink = Australian Associated Press|publisher = Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate = 2008-05-12|quote = Dissention [sic] has emerged in the ranks at the 2020 summit with some delegates angry their ideas are falling on deaf ears, or not being heard at all.] Others were concerned that hard issues, such as terrorism in the group examining foreign affairs and security issues, were ignored. [cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/20/1208629731352.html| title = Diverse input, but little output| last = Allard|first = Tom| date - 21 April 2008| publisher = Sydney Morning herald| accessdate = 2008-05-12]

References

External links

* The [http://www.australia2020.gov.au/ Official site]
** The [http://www.australia2020.gov.au/final_report/index.cfm final report]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/2020/ Coverage of the event] (by ABC)