Building Sustainable Prosperity

“What do you stand for?”

It’s a simple enough question yet can be read a number of ways:

What do you stand for?

What do you stand for?

If you disallow as cynical backchat a third interpretation: “What do you stand for?”, the core
questions-within-a-question are:

What issues and ideas are most important to you?

What are your core principles and values?

I’ve been contemplating my responses to these questions over a long while and recently made an
attempt to focus in one statement my core values and philosophy:

To develop an economic, social and environmental future for the Canberra

community that builds sustainable prosperity; to share that prosperity equitably
without impeding its development, sustainability or diversity; to ensure employment
rights are enshrined as a core value of that prosperity, and to deliver inclusive social
outcomes based on the fundamental tenets of respect and dignity for all, and early
intervention programs for a life of wellbeing and learning.

I would suggest we cannot consider our economy, community or environment in isolation. In

Canberra we have, at our heart, an ongoing prosperity in a range of areas including our general
standard of living, education levels, academic and cultural institutions, community connections and
lifestyle. Add to this our natural “bush capital” environment and we are a pretty lucky lot. But we
also have a range of challenges such as population, global warming, burgeoning health services
requirements, an ageing demographic, homelessness, distribution of resources across the region,
urban development, transport etc. We need to ensure that our prosperity is available to be shared,
and that we have macro and micro reforms in place to overcome or adapt to our current and future
challenges.

Yet, we cannot share our prosperity effectively without being conscious of how we have achieved
such advantages. We cannot develop our economy to the significant detriment of our local
environment. We cannot ignore the importance of diversifying our economic base. We cannot
cordon off economic and environmental outcomes without attention to building social and
community capital.

Employment rights are also fundamental to our sustainable prosperity – we cannot say that we are
truly prosperous unless everyone has a safe work environment; that people have reasonable
remuneration, conditions and flexibility. That employers and employees operate in an effectively
regulated workplace, while allowing business to generate investment and new jobs.

The way in which we deliver policies and programs is also critical to our future. I have written before
about the lens of social inclusion – each policy being assessed against its potential to alienate a
section of the community, to “keep all groups and individuals within reach of what we expect as a
society”1

Respect and dignity are two fundamental principles that guide our future. If we cannot as a
prosperous and inclusive city-state frame each social outcome so that respect and dignity is available
to all citizens, then we have failed in our duty.

Finally, our prosperity should be based not on our reaction to circumstance, but on a proactive
approach, developing preventative programs for education and wellbeing. Research and experience
from other jurisdictions show that very early education has a significant positive impact on the
outcomes for children throughout their lives, including their intellectual, social, physical, emotional
and creative capacity. Similarly with the mental and physical health of our community, government
expenditure in preventative programs has a marked impact on the health outcomes of individuals
and the budgets for reactive health services.

Footnote:
In 2008 I stood for the electorate of Molonglo emphasising an approach to the development of
sustainable prosperity, early childhood education, balance, and a focus on dignity & respect. The
term “sustainable prosperity” has been used by a range of groups over the past few years. Ross
Garnaut said in 2007 his review would examine “the impacts of climate change on the Australian
economy, and recommended medium to long-term policies and policy frameworks to improve the
prospects for sustainable prosperity.” Australian futurist Dr Peter Ellyard released his book
“Designing 2050: Pathways To Sustainable Prosperity On Spaceship Earth” in 2007. At Harvard
University,  The Center for International Development aims to “generate shared and sustainable
prosperity in developing economies” while in Canada, a think tank called Sustainable Prosperity is
looking at market-based mechanisms to “build a stronger, greener economy”.

1
Power and Wilson, 2000