Australia 2020 Summit

The summit was criticized by Australia’s Jewish community for being scheduled over the first two nights of Passover, which prevented many Jews from applying or attending.{{Cite web |date=2008-02-05 |title=Australian summit slated for Passover |url=https://www.jta.org/2008/02/05/default/australian-summit-slated-for-passover |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}} The Government responded by convening a special half-day symposium in Sydney five days beforehand, attended by 56 leaders of the Jewish community, plus senior Government representatives Kevin Rudd, Peter Garrett, Nicola Roxon and Jenny Macklin.{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Maria Hawthorne and Karen |date=2008-04-14 |title=Rudd makes amends for Jewish summit snub |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/rudd-makes-amends-for-jewish-summit-snub-20080414-263a.html |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

The summit was also criticized for the near-absence of women on the 11-member 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 |access-date=12 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502120259/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2173762.htm |archive-date=2 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|title=Rudd 'blokefest' attracts 3,000 hopefuls|last=Maiden|first=Samantha|date=27 February 2008|work=The Australian}} By the time of the summit, there were three women on a 12-member committee. Additionally, other commentators such as the Institute of Public Affairs, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and Australian Monarchist League criticized 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=12 May 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423013403/http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2222923.htm |archivedate=23 April 2008 |url-status=live }} 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 |access-date=12 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525080645/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/21/2222966.htm |archive-date=25 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}

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 that 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 |authorlink=Imre Salusinszky |date=23 April 2008 |access-date=12 May 2008 |work=The Australian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429132753/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C23584546-5016737%2C00.html |archive-date=29 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/glimmers-of-hope-survive-in-the-mush/2008/04/20/1208629731307.html?page=fullpage|title=Glimmers of hope survive in the mush|last=Marr|first=David|authorlink=David Marr (journalist)|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 April 2008|accessdate=12 May 2008|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 = 21 April 2008|last = Australian Associated Press (AAP)| authorlink = Australian Associated Press|work = The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate = 12 May 2008|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| work = The Sydney Morning Herald| accessdate = 12 May 2008}}

Journalist Nicholas Stuart was initially struck by the people who were not invited to Australia 2020, including two Australian National University professors Paul Dibb and Hugh White who had both advised Kim Beazley. Looking at the list of those invited, he found that "the holes kept expanding as I looked further and further, searching for the others who should have been there." He said "it began to appear as if one group of advisors ... under Howard had been replaced with another group of similarly hand-picked individuals," plus some media names.{{sfn|Stuart|2010|p=5}} There was no continuing secretariat for any follow-up action for the recommendations from the conference or the ten subgroups or forums.{{sfn|Stuart|2010|p=6}} Wayne Swan managed to get a review of the taxation system, to be prepared by the Treasury,{{sfn|Stuart|2010|p=7}} but in May 2010 when Rudd eventually released the report, he rejected 135 of the 138 recommendations .{{sfn|Stuart|2010|p=256}} Stuart wrote "The 2020 summit provided a paradigm for much of the activity in Rudd's term of office ... His rhetoric inspired and enthused voters. And yet ... and yet ... nothing happened."{{sfn|Stuart|2010|p=9}}

{{main|Australia 2020 Summit participants}}

The summit was led by an 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.

There were two additional late participants who had been granted special entry as winners of competitions and their names did not show in the original lists of participants. They both attended the Productivity Stream Agenda. Their names were Susan Roberts, TAFE Head Teacher of Child & Family Services from Taree who had won a national competition by Channel Nine[https://archive.today/20141015234348/http://today.ninemsn.com.au/home/387016/2020-summit-winner "2020 Summit winner"], Today, Nine Network, 17 April (2008) and Ernie Peralta, a university lecturer whose "Golden Guru" concept of business mentoring was later adopted in Queensland.[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ernies-golden-gurus-get-ok/story-e6freuy9-1225701248832?nk=b1faa856eab09bc1dcc80bc4aecf458f "Ernie Peralta's golden gurus to share knowledge with young workers"] by Emma Chalmers, The Daily Telegraph, 22 April 2009

The members of the steering committee were as follows:{{cite web|url=http://www.australia2020.gov.au/committee/index.cfm|title=Steering Committee|author=Australia 2020|publisher=Government of Australia|accessdate=13 May 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403235508/http://www.australia2020.gov.au/committee/index.cfm|archivedate=3 April 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

Eleven young people were also selected by their peers at the 2020 Youth Summit, running from 11 to 13 April 2008, to represent Australian youth at the Australia 2020 Summit.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080608185943/http://www.australia2020.gov.au/youth/ 2020 Youth Summit]

Several events were held in the lead up to the Australia 2020 Summit:

• 2020 Youth Summit: For 100 young people (15 to 24 years) from around Australia in Canberra, 12 and 13 April 2008.
• Canberra 2020 Summit: For Canberra residents, on the theme of innovation, in Canberra, 5 April 2008.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080408232111/http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.asp?media=3516§ion=24&title=Media%20Release&id=24 Canberra 2020 Summit]
• Foundations of Open: Technology and Digital Knowledge: Australian National University, Canberra, 3 April 2008.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090226074806/http://www.katelundy.info/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=34 Foundations of Open: Technology and Digital Knowledge], Kate Lundy

{{reflist}}

Sources

• {{Cite book

| edition =

| publisher = Scribe

| isbn = 9781921640575

| last = Stuart

| first = Nicholas|authorlink=Nicholas Stuart

| title = Rudd's Way: November 2007 – June 2010

| location = Melbourne

| year = 2010

}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.australia2020.gov.au/docs/2020_participants_alphabetical.pdf |title=Australia 2020 Summit – List of Participants |date=9 June 2008 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |accessdate=2 April 2014 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080609140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/81461/20080610-0000/www.australia2020.gov.au/docs/2020_participants_alphabetical.pdf |archivedate=9 June 2008 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
• [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/full-list-of-participants/2008/03/28/1206207389365.html Australia 2020 Summit – full list of participants], The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 March 2008

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080907195738/http://australia2020.gov.au/ Official site]
• [https://apo.org.au/node/15061 Final report]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/2020/ Coverage of the event] (by ABC)
• [http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/923 Coverage of the event] by professor of politics, Robert Manne, May 2008, The Monthly

Category:2020 in Australia

Category:2008 in Australia

Category:April 2008 in Oceania

Category:Political history of Australia

Category:2008 conferences

Category:2020s in Canberra

Category:Lists of Australian people