THE SUMMIT

PM listens to indigenous leaders
April 19, 2008 - 2:15PM

Creating an indigenous treaty and eradicating racism have emerged as central themes among indigenous leaders and delegates during the first session of the Australia 2020 summit.

Mr Rudd spoke one on one with Queensland Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson about indigenous education, and with other delegates about the possibility of rolling out more secondary level boarding schools for indigenous children.

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Mr Goodwin stressed the need to change Australia's psyche of assimilation.
"That in 2020 we no longer talk about 'normalising' indigenous Australians," he said.

Prominent indigenous West Australian Shirley McPherson suggested certain seats in parliament and spots in government should be put aside for indigenous people.

Proposals in the arts area include a scheme that would allow struggling creative types to receive unemployment benefits, and towns competing to be anointed the nation's cultural capital for a year.

Tolarno Galleries director Jan Minchin wants to see rural towns pitching for the title. "How fabulous, for example, if Bendigo beat the pants off Sydney," she said. Writer and television producer Marieke Hardy, said that while she recoiled from the phrase "artists' dole", due to the association with the word "bludger", she would like to see a welfare program for unemployed artists, similar to schemes in Canada and Ireland.

THE AGE

'Prosperous and engaged': a vision for the future


April 19, 2008 - 3:34PM

Australia by 2020 will be an independent, confident, prosperous and just nation deeply engaged with and demonstrating a close understanding of regional nations.

That's a big picture vision outlined today by participants in the future security stream of the 2020 Summit.

Despite the presence of high profile military figures, including former defence chief General Peter Cosgrove, there was little consideration of traditional security matters.

Presenting the views of his group, the retired general said it was understood only imperfectly how Australia's circumstances would change. "So we have to build an independent international relations policy. This is not code for no more alliance (with the United States)," he said.

"We have to have an Australian view which is specific to our own future.

"To have our voice heard, we have got to earn the leadership.

"We believe that we should aim for a cultural step where we are the most open and the most diverse culture in the world."

Human rights lawyer Fiona McLeod said she saw a nation where inequality was a thing of the past.

In her future Australia, women filled quotas for a third of senior positions in the public and private sectors, there had been a female prime minister and an Aboriginal woman had been president.

THE AGE