Fwd: civic ... culture
Henare Degan
Kat sent this through and I thought the list might be interested.
Cheers,
Henare
From: Katherine Szuminska <k...@openaustralia.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 07:46
Subject: civic ... culture
To:
was reminded on twitter about this:
- the franchise (who is entitled to vote in Australia);
- voting systems for the House of Representatives and the Senate;
- arrangements for enrolling to vote and for maintaining the electoral roll;
- arrangements for the registration of political parties and nomination of candidates for election;
- campaigning for elections;
- arrangements for casting votes; and
- the counting of votes and determination of election results.
The Green Paper argues that the main challenge for governments is to preserve the key strengths and stability of Australia’s electoral systems, while striving for greater improvements to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of contemporary Australia. The paper outlines a number of possible changes that may have implications for our electoral systems, including:
- changes in methods of voting, with a greater number of postal and pre-poll votes being lodged;
- technological developments, with an increasing trend towards electronic transactions and interactions with government;
- demographic changes, with the Australian community drawn from an increasingly diverse range of places, a highly mobile Australian population, and an ageing population; and
- increased opportunities for harmonisation between the Commonwealth, states and territories.
The Green Paper also examines a number of options that could achieve increased participation in elections. More than 2.3 million Australians who were entitled to vote for the 2007 federal election did not fully exercise their right to vote, either by failing to enrol to vote, failing to cast a vote, or casting a vote that was informal and therefore not counted. Strategies for maximising participation in elections could include:
- improving enrolment processes;
- improving civic education;
- amending and harmonising rules for voting, or for accepting votes as formal; and
- improving and harmonising the accessibility of voting services.
message from Arts Minister Peter Garrett - National Cultural Policy, a national dialogue.
Welcome to the National Cultural Policy web forum which will allow all Australians to contribute to the development of a national cultural policy.
This forum gives you an opportunity to help shape Australia’s cultural future. All your ideas are welcome - whether you are talking about cultural issues in your region or a grand vision. In my speech to the National Press Club on 27 October I identified 3 key themes for consideration:
1. Keeping culture strong;
2. Engaging the community; and,
3. Powering the young.
These key points, along with other ideas, are expanded on more fully in the discussion framework. This is not an exhaustive list however, so use the National Cultural Policy web forum to tell us what you think. With your help, the Australian government will create a policy which celebrates and strengthens our culture.