Australia needs a 40-year vision — but for society, not submarines

Australian democracy is a world of constant change: competitive positions, streamlined communications, a dynamic politics with more and more responses to the day’s latest…

Wait a minute. That’s not democracy. That’s capitalism.

Don’t get me wrong. Democracy thrives when diversity is strong, people are well informed, and policies are tested in a robust marketplace of ideas. Capitalism, however, is interested entirely in the here and now. It cannibalises long-term vision, seducing us into doing the same: constant consumption, immediate gratification.

So what happens when we need to take immediate action to prevent future disaster? How can the diversity, dynamism and active citizenship that uphold democracy meet the complex challenges of the next political cycle, and the next, and the next?

Taking a long-term view doesn’t quite fit that model — unless you’re a submarine. After high-speed rail, submarines are Australia’s most frequent political announcement made without any outcome. This is possible only because of the unspoken understanding that military spending will always attract bipartisan support.

Which is why there was no need for the prime minister — nor indeed, any minister — to do any media on the day of the AUKUS announcement. It was coast-to-coast opposition MPs lining up on every live platform to throw unconditional support behind the government’s 40-year vision. Anthony Albanese couldn’t’ve scripted it better.

What would it take to see that kind of parliamentary solidarity on the climate crisis? Poverty? Energy? Education? Infrastructure? None of our most perilous challenges will be met with immediate action until we reconfigure our democracy to take a long-term view.

And one day, much sooner than we’d like to think, all those critical problems will have become immediate crises — unless we take that long-term view now. 

Reconfiguring our democracy has already begun. Australians increasingly turn their backs on two-party politics. They are no longer ageing into conservatism. And while trust in democracy is in decline, appetite for substantial change is increasing.

More and more, we’re challenging what’s long been taken for granted as fundamental to how Australian democracy works. It’s now time for politicians to take a more active role, driving those reconfigurations from within. Small steps have been taken around question time reform and the disgraceful secret ministries, moving to strengthen integrity on a small scale. We need to make substantial moves — from the superficial to the systematic.

Let’s rethink portfolio silos adventurously. The national cultural policy, for example, embeds itself across Indigenous affairs, communications, workplace relations, foreign affairs and trade, as well as arts and culture. Let’s see a 40-year vision that couples cultural policy with infrastructure, health and mental health, that makes sure towns and suburbs of the future are places of deep cultural understanding with affordable homes, accessible transport and places to create our own culture.

Let’s treat the climate crisis with the urgency it demands. Let’s see a 40-year vision for climate targets and a just energy transition that’s embedded across environmental and education policy, making sure we’re able as a society to recognise the crisis we’re in — without panic, but with foresight and great care.

Let’s listen to First Nations voices with the greatest respect, embedding the perspective of long time into all Parliament’s work. How can considered, consensus decision-making rise above politicking? What’s a 40-year vision in the context of more than 60,000? What must caring for country come to mean for all of us?

Imagine an announcement in the hundreds of billions about how Australia is going to lead the world in securing renewable energy independence. Or permanently end the housing crisis. Or eradicate poverty. All of this is possible — and well within our means. What’s stopping us? Is the demand unclear? Is the message too hard to sell? Or is the political gaze set too far below the horizon?

It’s time to harness all the talent and goodwill in this uncharacteristically expert Parliament, and develop those 40-year visions before it’s too late. The prime minister’s commitment to implementing the Uluru Statement in full demands a long-term approach. How could it be otherwise?