A particularly Australian decency…

I don’t get the patriotism bug very often, though the Ashes Series gives one a good excuse and is also far more sensible than much that has been going on here lately. However, I revisited the good Sir William Deane’s Centenary Of Federation Speech last night and it went to where I live, if you know what I mean. We could all stand to consider this yardstick and measure our subsequent promise or decline.

The opening words of the national anthem we have just sung tell us to rejoice. And so we should. For we have much to celebrate as we recall the coming together, exactly one hundred years ago today, of the six Australian colonies to “be one people”.

We all remember our gratitude and pride in Australia during the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games. We bring that same grateful pride to this celebration of our nation’s 100th birthday.

Grateful pride in the land itself: this matchless continent, its islands, its surrounding seas. For those of us who love this “wide brown land”, there is nowhere else on earth that comes even close to its ancient majesty, its mystery, its varied beauty and its sheer wonder.

Grateful pride in the commitment to democracy under the rule of law, which created our nation and which has deepened down the century. We have sealed it by sacrifice in war. We have maintained it tenaciously in peace. Few other nations can look back on a century of democratic rule, unbroken by dictatorship, military coup, civil war or conquest.

And, above all, grateful pride in our Australian people who, as our Constitution makes plain, are our nation. All those who have been and are Australian. And what they were and are: their decency, their generosity, their sense of fair play; their spirit of ANZAC.

And their mutual respect and acceptance which underlie our greatest achievement, namely, the way we are making our diversity, of origin, race, culture and belief, a source of national strength and unity rather than a cause of weakness and division.

So let us rejoice and be grateful for all the achievements of our past and for this day.

At the same time, let us be honest and courageous about the failures and flaws which mar those achievements and which together we can address and overcome.

The damage we have done to the land, its rivers and coasts, notwithstanding our love of its beauty.

The unacceptable gap between the haves and the have-nots, in this the land of the “fair-go” for all.

How far we still have to travel on our journey towards genuine reconciliation between Australiaís indigenous peoples and the nation of which they form such a vital part.

Conscious of all these things, let us re-dedicate Australia to the ideal of unity, under freedom, democracy and the rule of law, which brought our Commonwealth into being, one hundred years ago.

And, in this Centennial Park, on the ancestral land and meeting place of the Eora, Cadagal and Tharawal [Dharawal] peoples, let us look to the future, and dream of what it might hold for our nation.

Let us walk together into that future with honesty, vision and determination, with Australian generosity of spirit, and with Australian goodwill and fair play.

Thereby we will truly, in the best and fullest sense, “Advance Australia Fair”.

The Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics

Nice to see an ex-student in this list from Politics Online!

PoliticsOnline and the World E-Gov Forum are proud to announce the list for nominations of the Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics. For the seventh year in a row, PoliticsOnline subscribers and visitors from around the world are invited to help select the top 10 individuals, organizations and companies having the greatest impact on the way the Internet is changing politics.

This prestigious award seeks to recognize the innovators and pioneers, the dreamers and doers who bring democracy online. This year marked the toughest year ever in choosing the 20 finalists. The integration of politics and the Internet are reflected in this year’s diverse, international nominees.

The winners, those top 10 nominees who receive the most votes, will be invited as honored guests to the World E-Gov forum October 18-20, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, (Paris, France), where they’ll take part in an awards ceremony and other special programs throughout the three-day forum.

Michael Mori in Sydney

Just got this email from GetUp Australia and thought I’d pass it on to fellow Sydney-siders.

On his final night in Australia this Friday, GetUp will host an evening with Major Michael Mori in Sydney to discuss David Hicks’ case: what’s been achieved, the next steps and how we can help. It’s the final wrap-up of Major Mori’s official visit, and we’re honoured to invite our Sydney members to take part.

When: Friday August 25, 6:00pm to 7:45pm (get in early to secure seats)
Where: City Recital Hall, Angel Place (near Martin Place, enter from George or Pitt streets)
No booking required: first-in, best-dressed. This event is free and we encourage you to bring friends and colleagues – however seating is limited so please arrive early.

Good thoughts on APEC protesting

Bruce has written a very well-considered post on the perils of APEC protesting. I would never have called such a post APEC sado-erotica for the modern Australian conservative, but that is by the bye. (You know, I had to check the spelling of that!)

Bruce wisely says:

Not that I think that the content of the APEC meeting (specifically our Government’s participation) is going to be particularly good, it’s just that I pick my protests based on their capacity to get a point across. APEC protesters don’t get listened to. Even if the media gave them a fair go they simply don’t have the gravitas or an informed consistent message to get across to the public.

Their campaign isn’t like the 2003 protest against the Iraq war. That protest had a consistent message and it had gravitas in spades. That protest wasn’t tainted by the confected outrage of a jaded group of the usual suspects.

I want an alternative to what is being sold at APEC, but I don’t want the Democratic Socialist Party’s alternative. More importantly, I want alternatives delivered more effectively…