SUMMIT’S GOTTA GIVE

Back in February when the newly-elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced his 20-20 ‘people’s summit’ I know I surprised some people by supporting it. True, I did open my program by saying : ‘So, will it be just another gabfest? Another piece of Canberra window-dressing and pollywaffle?’

But I concluded with: I think it should be applauded, supported and encouraged.

I don’t think that any more.  The rot started to set in when the PM announced his so-called team leaders for the summit and only one was female and she is an actress who spends most of her time living overseas.

Mr Rudd attempted to correct that by announcing a swag of female deputies –all politicians from his team. Then it all became a chook raffle with the PM inviting the ABC’s Kerry O’Brien, on-air, to join the parade.

Then newspapers and radio stations, sadly including 3AW, started giving away spots for delegates. Like it was some sort of game show. Come on Down!

Already some delegates have pulled the pin. Indicatively two former High Court Judges Mary Gaudron and the former Chief Justice Anthony Mason.

So, wisely has the Editor of The Age, Andrew Jaspan has belatedly withdrawn as a delegate and will instead attend as an observer. As it should be. We are there to watch and report and critique. I also don’t think my friend John Hartigan, the Chief Executive of News Ltd should be chairing a committee on governance (the new buzz word after infrastructure) although we have seen by example that his reporters and columnists will be unfettered in their coverage or criticisms over the weekend.

Andrew Bolt in the Herald Sun this week said that the  summit –supposedly designed to give the Government ‘fresh ideas’  is in fact stacked to deliver the Left’s agenda. Bolt claimed that the lobby group GetUp has 118 delegates. I can’t believe that. I can’t believe that more than 10% of the delegates will be from a group whose main claim to fame, or infamy, is the ‘David Hicks is Innocent’ garbage.

With this summit, and with some of his other actions in these first few months in Government Rudd looks like the Entertainer. You want glitz, you want, excitement, you want glamour, you want circuses?  WE’ve got a new committee to provide just that.

Shucks, he even thought it was more important to take a fluffy toy to hospital for Kate Blanchett’s new baby than attend the funeral of a Labor Party stalwart.

One thing that has always niggled me since the 20-20 ‘best and brightest’ ideas festival was announced as a matter of national urgency. We had just come out of a marathon federal election campaign during which Rudd and Gillard and cohorts effectively painted John Howard  and his interminable government as old men  with old views and fresh out of ideas.

The Kevinistas were new. Give us a go. We’ve got the map to Utopia.
Rudd and his team said ‘we’ve got the answers’.

By calling a summit for 1000 people it shows they don’t even have the questions.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008