Is It Time to Change Australian Politics Across the Bored?
I felt to share this as a contribution to the thought – another world is possible. What we have seen in Australian Politics on both sides has been a waste of tax payers money. I feel the people deserve better. I certainly tried to craft a system that was better, but it is not easy getting the financial support to make it happen, especially when you are a peace clown. No-one takes me seriously… seriously … stop laughing. Oh well one of the side shows of being a clown for real. I did have a fantasy of going to Parliament dressed as a clown and calling them clowns – smiling. It nearly happened, I did get permission to go into Parliament on the first day of Question Time but they said I couldn’t go as a clown – sob!! I thought it might be funny as they all call each other clowns. It is an insult to clowns but we actually don’t care. We just laugh. Perhaps that is what is needed a bit of lightening up. They take themselves too seriously me thinks hmmmm
PM Elect Kevin Rudd mentioned that young people had turned off politics, that was correct as they feel disengaged. Young people are indeed our future and let’s start creating a better future by educating them in decent behaviour that works towards solutions and possibilities. We have to start in the education system to change politics. The politicians of today are not modelling new visions to deal with the financial collapse, the environmental collapse, inequality and corruption (lack of values) around the world. We definitely need to see differently and learn to work together. I see the public as active in this, not as observers of a coliseum but participants in a vibrant democracy. Anything is possible when it is possible to be anything (my philosophy).
I wrote to Julia Gillard recently as Prime Minister and sent her a poem called the Politics of Love.
Here are some ideas to share with my global and Australian community. Who knows maybe someone out there agrees. Perhaps we create something fun!! That would be a good starting point.
A Children’s Parliament
This was an initiative that came from sitting in Federal Parliament and the Senate and observing the politicians. What I observed was critical and punitive behaviour. It surprised me to see members yelling out and interrupting others believing this was the purpose of opposition. What I felt was that it was not a good example for children. I observed the public gallery and questioned why the public cannot ask questions. That might have an impact on the politicians bringing the people they serve closer to them. I saw the process as a waste of energy (opposing) and public money. What I felt was that we need to educate people how to critically appraise without hating the ‘other’ and to put more energy into solving together the actual problems that besiege our countries and the world.
I did research into the meaning of democracy and found that it was representation by the people for the people. I looked at the politicians sitting in Parliament, the majority were lawyers or from elite backgrounds. We had a two party system that was adversarial. The Labour Party indicating it represented the ordinary people yet with substantial union presence in its ranks and the Liberal party which was more conservative representing a conservative position that was more in alignment with business. So it seemed to me we had to powerful groups representing labour and business that seemed to be fighting it out in a forum called parliament which seemed to me more of a Coliseum. I didn’t feel either represented the people. I also wanted to know if they actually survey their constituents and act on what they want, well in most cases, they do not. They work out as a party their platform and policies influenced by key political pressure groups of lobbyists or in the United States they call them Political Action Committees (PACs). Again, I felt we the people are not asked seriously. I also mulled over setting up an internet system whereby everyone can vote from home but all have a say. I also felt it shouldn’t be just ticking boxes for people we don’t know but actually have a survey that people can fill in and enable their input into the society which affects their daily life. As a market analyst I am very much interested in what the public have to say. It has been my job to reflect exactly what they want through research and reporting of findings. I didn’t find this same faithfulness to the public in politics. For me it was the game of influence, power and control not really about democracy.
The Children’s Circle Parliament Research and Pilot
I started this process by designing some ideas and then inviting key public, educational and political stakeholders to come to a meeting to discuss the concept of a Children’s Parliament. Invitees included:
The Leader of the Democrats, The Brotherhood of St. Laurence, Borderlands Cooperative, NAPLAN, UNICEF, school principal from Heidelberg, Office of Child Safety, Department of Education, Allanah and Madeline Foundation, Create foundation, Victoria University, Sherbourne Primary School, University of Melbourne, Values Education coordinator, Oxfam and the City of Melbourne.
An excerpt of the notes taken from this initial meeting provided feedback on the initial Children’s Parliament concept, as follows:
“Dynamic – includes all children;
Learning to empathise;
Youth forum – alternative civics and citizenship, issue relevant to youth, inclusive, could have a kit for schools;
Inclusiveness – regional or rural – don’t have access. Have the parliament in one rural school;
Scholastic level – there are winners and losers, it should be open to all;
Embedding into school;
Student Representative Councils – could be built in to this existing structure;
Set up with representatives from each classroom;
Welcoming committees;
Democracy – the outcome must be realistic. Solving problems, but what if nothing happens.
A school based approach;
Can be undemocratic;
A Model – Children’s Advisory Board – Government. Resourced by adults;
Balance skills and attitudes. Outcomes focus on issues or processes? (answer – processes);
Who they are? Where they come from, there are problems at home, a cultural shift, individualistic sense;
Parents relationship to children;
Having fun
Alternative – life skills, democracy (SOSE), alternative to current propaganda, no question of problems, equity left out;
Knowledge, education and skills or attitudes, worth, abstractions, how we practice the change we see?
Give influence – channel outcomes to government ministers;
Council of Elders – leadership role;
Wisdom of aged – connecting young people e.g. Heidelberg – more connected then South Yarra;
UNICEF Article 12;
Minister of Children, Child Safety Commissioner;
Parliament – group leaders;
Local government – disillusioned. Victorian local governance – democratic community capacity building.”
After the initial research I designed a Children’s Parliament and sought a local school to undertake a pilot test.
The introductory Proposal was as follows:
The Children’s Circle Parliament was envisaged as a pilot program based in Melbourne, Australia for primary school children in grades 5 and 6 and later the whole school. The Circle Parliament will provide empowerment skills for children to participate as citizens in a nonviolent democracy based on the model of democracy in the classroom.
The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and, the next generation of parliamentarians. The Circle Parliament is the first parliament of this type in the world that is collaborative and proposes a central philosophy of conflict resolution and focussed creative, integrated thinking methods.
The Circle Parliament is importantly a fun parliament. Children learn best when not only are the issues they are learning about relevant to their lives, but when they are also having fun. The symbol of the parliament will be Peace Fool the World Peace Jester. Peace Fool is playful and always asking questions. The clown symbolizes virtues such as: justice, compassion, non-judgement, fairness, unconditional love, creativity and humour.
The Children’s Circle Parliament is collaborative, there is no opposition party. Its core intention is to solve problems and create possibilities through creative collaboration and compassionate communication within the class environment and share ideas at an Agora Assembly. It operates as a holistic we/us rather than antagonistic we/them paradigm. It will focus on local community issues that directly affect children and the community within which they live. The community includes both the school community and the local community. Children will learn to look at all sides of issues that are of concern and explore creative solutions and present these to the school in an Agora Assembly. Ideas with considerable merit will be presented to either a local Council or State Parliament delegates on the final Agora meeting of the parliament. The children learn to become citizens, to connect with others and participate in the democratic process.
The Children’s Circle Parliament is designed to be in alignment with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992) and Rio Earth Summit (2002). The action plan or Agenda 21 of this conference focuses on issues at the local level, in particular local governance and sustainability.
The Children’s Circle Parliament provides a preparatory foundation providing children with real skills and values to enable them to deal with problems and develop solutions (possible futures) in a collaborative manner. The program links schools and children with the United Nations, International Youth Parliaments and State Parliaments (Australia) to provide children with further developmental steps to enhance their sense of citizenship, participation in democracy and awareness of the current parliamentary system.
The Children’s Circle Parliament encourages children to “be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mohandas Gandhi.
The key aims were:
- To provide children with an opportunity to express their opinions within a context of a democratic classroom;
- To create a Children’s Parliament that is child centred whereby children design the parliament they wish to participate in;
- To create a Children’s Circle Parliament that provides children with the experience of having a voice and skills to actively co-create the future they wish to see;
- To create a values based Parliament that is focused on values within a collaborative environment which honours and respects diversity;
- To practice conflict resolution to facilitate an understanding and acceptance of different points of view, prevention of bullying and resolution of issues in a responsible manner In the long term to foster a culture of wellbeing across the university;
- To inspire educators in democratic practices in the classroom;
- To engage parents in a dialogue about democracy and their children;
- To collaborate and network with State Parliament, Local Councils, community groups, experts, schools, parents and local communities.
Overall objectives were:
- To work with children to meet their full potential, engage in positive social relationships as active democratic citizens of a community.
- Children will learn a range of tools in the foundation program to facilitate expansive decision making abilities, such as:
- Democracy, power, similarities and differences, creative thinking, collaboration, cooperation/competition, universal values, problem solving, win/win, conflict resolution, positive thinking, public speaking, inclusivity, teamworking and solutions etc.
- Children will learn to participate, that all voices are important, in a democratic community;
- Children will learn the practice of democracy as their decisions will be accountable to the school community
In the aftermath of deposing PM Julia Gillard and the issues of moral behaviour, the fact remains that many people, including youth, are bored with the same rhetoric from parliamentarians. My question to Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott is – if elected Prime Minister – would you engage youth in a new politics that is morally decent and no longer negative?
This idea above is one of the ways.