The Distributed Capital: Guidance of Public Participation

Australia at the dawn of the 21st Century is facing the following severe issues:

• Unacceptably high levels of poverty for an OECD country
• Over 2 million people living below the poverty line (12% of the total population);
• 70% poverty risk to sole parents;
• 50% poverty rate for single pensioners over the age of 65 (NHRAP, 2011)
• Poor environmental management
• Water;
• ageing infrastructure,
• over extraction and irrigation of major river systems,
• drought.
• Climate Change;
• over 250,000 homes at risk from rising sea levels,
• lack of security and economic adaptability.
• Energy;
• high reliance on fossil fuels,
• unutilised high capacity in solar, wind, marine, and geothermal energies,
• need for long term thinking in government
• 20 conventional coal fired power plants,
• worlds largest coal exporter,
• no development of renewable energy solutions on a large scale.
• Biodiversity;
• 1500 land based species threatened,
• highly urbanised society,
• no economic value placed on services (with the exception of food and timber) provided by the ecosystem.
• Oceans;
• Great Barrier Reef under threat,
• lack of regulation in the harvesting and production of seafood.
• Population;
• 35 million people by 2049,
• lack of studies/knowledge on the nations carrying capacity.
• Cities and Development;
• greater water and energy usage per person than almost every other country,
• need for more sustainable infrastructure,
• Transport;
• lack of investment in public transport,
• heavy reliance on car and road transportation (Environment, 2009).

From the above figures, it is quite apparent that there is a great room for improvement in the field of resource management and social inclusion. Clearly there has been an unacceptable level of failure at a government level to address these issues.

Risks of Greater Public Political Participation

I have thought it necessary to come up with a strategy designed to guide public participation in the political decision making process. The question is how do we include greater public participation without running the risk of extremely vocal interest groups potentially hijacking the political system? It is reasonable to assume that such groups would seek to achieve self-serving goals that could possibly alienate other members of the community. Furthermore, how would the system be protected from being led astray by large numbers of people who lack an adequate understanding of the issues involved? A system that simply disregards the opinions of some while accepting those of others would run the risk of becoming elitist.

The best answer would be to guide the participation process in a way that strives to tackle the nations most serious issues. The purpose of introducing a more direct democracy should be to assist in building an ideal Australia that is both prosperous while simultaneously being free from corruption and interference by powerful self-serving interests.

Basic Principles of Guidance

Using the outlined issues listed above, I have begun to think about some basic principles that could serve in the development of an ideal Australia. These principles are based on subjects which have all too often been ignored or ineffectively addressed by politicians in the past. If backed by a mandate as powerful as one caused by the direct contribution and collaboration of the voting public, politicians would find these principles very hard to ignore.

1. All members of the population should have access to;
• the basic necessities of life (i.e. food and shelter),
• a high quality education, and
• an efficient and reliable health system.
2. Government decisions and actions should be transparent and reflective of the needs of the general public, with members held accountable for their actions.
3. There should be no political, cultural, or religious bias involved with any decisions made in government with regard to the future direction of the nation.
4. Knowledge, understanding, and respect for the Australian environment and its natural processes should be of the highest level possible, leading to;
• the maintenance of the natural equilibrium,
• the protection of biodiversity,
• the safety of human and environmental health, and
• prevention of exhaustive use of resources.
5. There should be a strong drive in technological development, pushing for the best possible solutions in supporting the population through the best known methods, including;
• renewable energy sources,
• high efficiency and longevity of goods and services,
• efficient and reliable public transport, and
• the reduction of wastage through the recycling of materials and efficiency in production and construction practices.

References
 
Environment. (2009). "Our Top 10 Environmental Problems". ABC Environment (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved October 16, 2011 from http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2009/12/07/2764044.htm

National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP). (2011). "Poverty". Human Rights Law Centre. Retrieved October 16, 2011 from http://www.equalitylaw.org.au/nhrap/focus-area/poverty