News

Anglicans among nation's brightest & best ?
By Market Place
February 13, 2008
Archbishop Philip Aspinall Archbishop Philip Aspinall

The quality of ideas able to be sourced from Australia's churches, and particularly from Anglicans, is set to be in the spotlight as planning gets underway for a national summit in April.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a National Summit called 'Australia 2020' will be held 19/20 April bringing one thousand of Australia's "brightest and best" together to look at long term options in ten key policy areas.

"For too long Australian policymaking has been focused on short-term outcomes dictated by the electoral cycle," Mr Rudd told reporters. "If Australia is to effectively confront the challenges of the future, we need to develop an agreed national direction that looks at the next 10 years and beyond."

"The Government's interest is in harnessing and harvesting ideas ... that are capable of being shaped into concrete policy options. What we want is for this gathering of the nation's brightest and best to put forward options for the nation's future, to produce summary documents which we will then consider in the second half of the year."

While the PM has indicated no one will be appointed on the basis of an organisation they represent and that appointments will be on the basis of individual merit, national Anglican church leader, Brisbane's Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, is optimistic Anglicans will be part of the summit.

"Church organisations are integrally involved in the life of the community at a lot of levels," Archbishop Aspinall said, "and the Prime  Minister acknowledges that and would welcome contributions from churches and church leaders at the conference."

"I've begun to give some thought to who in the Anglican Church might be able make a contribution."

Rather than be pigeon-holed into fields of traditional church 'expertise', Archbishop Aspinall believes Anglicans can offer ideas "across a range of (the conference topics including) "economic, social, justice, reconciliation" issues.

"There are people in the church who could make a contribution to all those areas from the perspective of faith."

The summit will be chaired by the Prime Minister and Professor Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.

Among the ten key policy areas are the economy, infrastructure, population and sustainability, rural issues, health, strengthening communities, indigenous Australia, the arts, government and security.

According to media reports, 400 people flagged their interest during the week after the summit was announced.

Mr Rudd said he wanted to bring people from outside politics and government to work on developing policy.

"Government, irrespective of its political persuasion, does not have a monopoly on policy wisdom," Mr Rudd said. "To thrive and prosper in the future we need to draw on the range of talents, ideas and energy from across the Australian community."