Last week The Bulletin published a list of the 100 most influential Australians. At a luncheon to mark the occasion, The Hon Peter Costello MP delivered an outstanding speech. I encourage you to read the full speech here. To give you a taste, here is an extract:
And now let me conclude by asking this question. Who will be on our list of the most influential Australians in 2100 when we get our cyber edition of The Bulletin magazine.
For those of you who have not made this list but would like to, can I suggest some avenues that you might like to explore. I come from the field of politics and public policy so let me suggest a few here.
The person who can solve the problem bedevilling Australian political life in every area, the problem of federalism, will be there. In 1900 Federation was a great success, the coming together of colonies in a customs and economic union within an empire. But the empire has faded and the nation now has consciousness of itself. We are no longer dealing with self-governing sovereign colonies. I believed that by giving the States a revenue base - a financial free kick - we would restore that sense of sovereignty. It was a failed hope. States are moving towards the role of service delivery more on the model of Divisional Offices than sovereign independent governments. Legally, constitutionally and practically we must fix the problem of federalism.
The second person who might be on this list in 2100 is the person who can solve our water problem. We are the driest continent on earth, water storage has not been the subject of proper investment, we have wasted water and we have not properly priced it. Scientific, economic and engineering reform will be essential to fix this problem.
The third problem solver who could be on our list in 2100 is the person who arrests Australia’s fertility decline. We are an ageing society, we need to rebalance. Hopefully not just rebalance but have a larger population which is essential for our national aims and our ambitions. Arresting our fertility decline will be of enormous importance to Australia’s future. Hence my frequently stated refrain to have, one for Mum, one for Dad and one for the Country.
Fourthly, the person who provides a model capable of winning genuine public support to improve and preserve our democracy and translate our current legal arrangements into those of a Republic will be a person recognised as influential. A Republic is where we are already in our sympathies and in our imagination. And the person who can accomplish this in a legal and a constitutional sense will win a place in the list of 2100.
Fifthly, there will be a place for a person on the list in 2100 who has a genuine workable way of lifting our indigenous people from the margin to the mainstream. Many have tried, many people of goodwill have tried and there have been no shortage of resources, this is not a question of spending. There has been no area where we have had more ideological experimentation and more failure. There will be a place on the list in 2100 for that person.
Again, I encourage to you read the full speech here.
