Summit Down Under
Two completely different views of the just-completed "ideas summit" held by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The Associated Press takes the glowing report route:
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — A free-spirited summit aimed at soliciting innovative ideas to strengthen Australia's future concluded Sunday with wide-ranging proposals, from developing a cure for blindness to a health agency funded by a junk food tax.
Some 1,000 experts, activists, politicians and celebrities put forward more than 40 proposals after two days of brainstorming.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised to respond by the end of the year, but there is no guarantee any of the ideas will be implemented. Rudd praised the event as "a very Australian gathering."
"I think the reason it's worked … is because it's been characterized by a whole lot of good humor, a whole lot of mutual respect, and a whole lot of very classical, undeniable Australian directness," Rudd said.
One group proposed the development of a bionic eye, a so-called "cure" for blindness. The proposal is part of a drive to promote research and translate that research into commercial and clinical benefits.
Other ideas included the establishment of an Aboriginal treaty that would detail their status and rights, establishing a national "carbon bank" to monitor the nation's greenhouse gas emissions and boosting Australian television content.
The first-of-its-kind summit has been touted by the ruling Labour government as a way to harvest the best ideas for the future from Australians across the nation and include regular citizens in the governing process.
But critics have derided the gathering for trying to cover too much ground in too little time, and some delegates complained Sunday that their ideas were not being heard.
Meanwhile, Tim Blair has been rounding up somewhat less rosy coverage of the festivities:
UPDATE XVII. Ruddlers in space! Summiteer Joshua Gans has Martian plans:
I decided to get more ambitious and put forward that perhaps our goal should be to put an Australian on Mars by 2020. When queried about the cost, I elaborated that it was not part of the goal to bring them back — that was the expensive bit. But let’s face it, if that idea gets up it will have the quality of being new!
UPDATE XVIII. Margo Kingston and her student Webdiarists planned to cover RuddCon ‘08, but so far they haven’t posted a single word.
UPDATE XIX. The SMH’s Mike Carlton wasn’t invited:
What a relief it is not to be on the A-list any more.
Carlton was previously on an A-list? What did the A stand for?
UPDATE XX. Rainmaker Tim Flannery didn’t turn up, thus preventing any floods.
UPDATE XXI. The summit’s best idea:
"Make death a better experience"
You really have to go over and see all the various commentary Tim rounded up - it's hysterical. From the facilitator drawing crude pictures of houses on butcher's paper to the lack of chairs, it is some pretty funny stuff.
World news | Gaius Sunday, 20 April , 2008
By Dean, Sunday, 20 April , 2008 @ 2:48 pm
Linked!