What is it that Australians want for themselves — and their kids?

We need to talk about the ways in which Australians can be united behind common goals, shared aspirations and, as old- fashioned as it may seem, a love of country.

We need to talk about the ways in which Australians can be united behind common goals, shared aspirations and a love of country. Picture: istock

I have always been an avid reader of assessments of the future, produced by government bodies and/or advisory firms. And rightly so: we need to prepare for whatever threat or opportunity lies beyond the horizon. These forward-looking reports often explore emerging “megatrends”.

A list of popular megatrends in recent years would include climate change, ageing, digitisation and decarbonisation, as well as possible strategic threats. The bent is invariably towards megatrends that can be measured.

Perhaps this is why I have always thought these assessments have never given enough attention to the impact of social change. This is an issue doesn’t lend itself to being defined by a single metric; social change is a hard topic to grapple with and to definitively measure.

And yet here we are almost a quarter of the way into the 21st century and there has been considerable change in the way people (at least in the West) think. The workplace is now shaped by the ideology of diversity, equity and inclusion. The death of George Floyd in the US at the start of the pandemic unleashed a wave of protest and social upheaval around the world, including in Australia; that Black Lives Matter movement stemmed from a collective thinking around issues of social justice.

We are happy to talk about the effects of new technology, the consequences of climate change and our seeming unpreparedness to accommodate the scale of ageing – and yet in these (often scary) future assessments there is scant attention paid to the issue of social change. If we are a nation divided, how can we agree on funding priorities? If we do not have faith in our national institutions, how can we defend our way of life? In fact, what might be the outlook for a nation that doesn’t know or cannot agree upon what it stands for?

US President John F Kennedy set the agenda in 1961 with the bold proclamation during his inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” It’s a line that played well to a Middle America that could recall the privations of the Great Depression and of WWII. Politicians today choose their words carefully when asking an already stretched electorate for yet further sacrifice.

I would like to see future assessments by boffins, bureaucrats and others that scope the way Australian society might change over the coming decade and beyond. Not in relation to the kind of work we do, or our response to climate issues (these matters get canvassed daily); rather, we need to talk about the ways in which Australians can be united behind common goals, shared aspirations and, as old- fashioned as it may seem, a love of country.

We need to find a way of thinking, a set of values, a JFK-line that encapsulates what it is that the Australian people want for themselves and for their kids. I’ll kick things off. I say we want opportunity for all, fair treatment under the law, respect for people and property, trust in our institutions and businesses and (I really like this one) unashamed pride in our nation.

Australia will surely change in the future but if we are united behind common ideals and aspirations that can be freely discussed, then we will be better positioned to meet and to manage whatever the future may hold.