Why aren't we leading the world in solar energy? Credit:Paul Rovere It’s easy to rail against the “system” but that doesn’t help. Each of us has a part to play in addressing the problems and finding the solutions. For that to happen, we need leaders, institutions and individuals everywhere to have the courage to speak out – think Rosie Batty on domestic violence and Alan Joyce on marriage equality. Loading We need humility to trial solutions with no guarantee of success. Think CareerTrackers, which is creating internship opportunities for Indigenous university students; the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, which is working with young people on job opportunities; or the South Australian government with its approach to renewable energy. And we need to bring down the pressure a little, giving others the permission, time and space to fix things. Why do we let congestion waste around $20 billion a year in our capital cities alone? Credit:AFR

It’s no wonder people feel that no one person can make a difference and that if they try to suggest a solution, they’ll be shouted down. People everywhere feel trapped in a system that prevents them from doing what they believe is best for the future, and they feel powerless to reshape the system. While this might feel dispiriting, solutions are both possible and already being created. After a career in the private sector and international public policy, living and working in dozens of countries around the world, I started the Australian Futures Project seven years ago to try to understand the reasons for Australia’s short-termism, and to find ways of addressing it. To that end, I've met more than 1000 leaders across Australian society to work out ways to end this logjam while ensuring Australia’s continued prosperity. I’ve spoken with politicians, public servants, community leaders, chief executives, heads of think tanks and charities, vice-chancellors and academics, and senior editors, journalists and opinion makers. I asked four questions. Is there really a problem with short-termism in Australia? The response was a unanimous yes. Is this problem any different from other times in Australia’s 230-year history? Yes, again. It’s the worst in living memory. What can be done about it? Only 2 per cent of the leaders I spoke to had concrete suggestions. You read that right: only about 20 of the 1000 leaders had tangible ideas. Loading There’s no one simple fix. Improvement will come from a messy mix of immediate gains in specific parts of the system, slow system-wide changes, and some failure along the way. It will involve work from the top-down (government, big business, established civil society organisations) as well as the bottom-up (grassroots action and engaging the public at large). Patience and tenacity are required.

It’s almost 120 years since the ground rules for Australia were set at Federation. The world has changed dramatically and Australia’s system for making important decisions hasn’t kept up. It’s like there’s a bunch of new hardware and software but Australia hasn’t updated its operating system. While some people have taken advantage of this weakness and hacked the system, in other cases it’s just not working as well as it could. The system needs some updates. It’s time for Federation 2.0. A new Commonwealth integrity commission and reforms to the rules around lobbying and political donations are important steps. What if we went further? Could we unleash a wave of collective purpose, contribution and accountability by setting “national challenges” under which tax would be reduced if Australians collectively reached certain goals? For example, if we reduced obesity and diabetes by enough to save $10 billion a year from the health budget, personal income tax would be reduced by $10 billion annually. Imagine if the prime minister and opposition leader each gave a state-of-the-nation speech every year explaining their party’s vision, how their policies and actions aligned with the public’s aspirations and values, and why they’d have to make compromises.