There’s still the possibility of getting media accreditation, or perhaps connecting to the themes of the event in some other way. Here’s a brain-dump of my thoughts on this sunny Sunday morning… comments appreciated!

I haven’t had time to go through the list of participants in detail, except to be pleased that human rights lawyer Julian Burnside made it and to note, as The Road to Surfdom did, that some selections are… annoying:

I was trying to be positive about the 2020 envisioning thing, I really was.

Until I read that Miranda Devine is a member of the mob considering ‘Future of Australian Governance’.

Miranda Devine!!!!!

I guess she got a guernsey in the name of ‘balance’, once Phillip Adams was invited.

Both, I’m sure, will bring brilliantly innovative ideas to the wankfest that nobody ever thunk before in the history of 20 cents a word punditocracy.

Sorry Kevin but this ridiculous waste of time and money is the stupidest idea since Friday sittings of parliament in which nothing was allowed to happen.

For me, it’s not that Miranda Devine is a “right-wing commentator” and I’m perceived to be “of the left”. Far from it.

Anyone who still uses that ancient left-wing vs right-wing dichotomy — yes, “ancient”, it was invented during the French Revolution — is hopelessly out of date and should automatically be excluded from Australia 2020 or from reporting on it. Yes, I’m talking about you, Larissa Dubecki of The Age:

Old warriors from the left and right of the culture wars are most liberally represented in the governance stream, where conservatives Greg Craven, Miranda Devine and Gerard Henderson have been chosen to line up against Robert Manne, Phillip Adams, David Marr, and GetUp! activist Brett Solomon.

Is it not possible to report on anything “political” without nailing it to that outmoded framework?

Even the 2-dimensional Political Compass is 40 years old. It’s time for something a little more relevant to a multi-faceted society, people, and political reportage which is just a little more sophisticated!

But I digress…

I’m all for diversity of viewpoint. Sometimes I agree with Ms Devine, most of the time I don’t — but that’s fine, we can discuss that.

I’m annoyed with Ms Devine’s selection because her columns don’t seem to offer much new, and Australia 2020 is about new ideas — or at least that’s how it’s been marketed. I also question Ms Devine’s ability to research and marshal accurate facts into a coherent logical argument — as opposed to disgorging a jumble of pre-conceived and largely unconnected ideas and factoids that appeal to her readership.

And I’m annoyed that selecting “old warriors from the left and right of the culture wars” is still looking backwards. It’s a clear sign that the relationship between government and media really does need a thorough renewal if you can’t get any meaningful dialog about the nation’s future without rounding up these tired old cliché-ridden warhorses yet again.

My secret hope is that Chairman Rudd has decided that once all of them — Henderson to Manne, Devine to Adams — are sealed within the marble walls of Parliament House, Canberra, that the vents will be opened and the Zyklon B will issue forth…

Whether the selection of 100 people for Topic 9 is good, bad or indifferent is now moot. We now have a weekend when the focus is on Australia’s future. After Howard’s Decade of Coma, talking about the future at all seems so refreshing.

It’s not that far into the future, only 12 years — the year when someone in kindergarten today will enter adulthood. But it’s a start. And maybe, as I’ve said before and before that, if we don’t decide it’s all fucked up before it’s even started, we can get some value out of it.

So, back to what I could do…

I daresay I could get media accreditation. Crikey would doubtless lend me their name, if not any budget. (I’ll ask tomorrow.) But who knows how many media places are available? The proceedings may be streamed live, like parliamentary committees are, which could mean covering the event from my own desk in Sydney — though it’s always much better to be “on the ground” doing separate interviews and commentary.

I’ve thought of experimenting with Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans idea: putting up a proposal, calling for donations, heading to Canberra with the support of my fans and then generating the media output that those fans want. Could that work?

Or should I just cave in, and start calling it a wankfest like those radio shock jocks?

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Chairman Rudd reckons:

Lee Kernaghan’s music resonates with every Australian by connecting us all to the spirit of the bush, but more importantly he gives hope and pride to those on the land when they need inspiration most.

He has rolled up his sleeves to make a real difference for those in need in rural Australia.

Pull the other one, Kevin.

OK, Kernaghan has certainly worked hard to lift morale in the drought-stricken bush. But when 98% of us live in urban areas, and 30-odd percent were born elsewhere, can we really say that nasal, droney bush ballads represent our world?

In fact, does a concept like “Australian of the Year” even matter in 21st Century Australia?

Australian of the Year was satirised so well by Chris Lilley in We Can Be Heroes. “Worthiness” is about certain narrow, “respectable”, backward-looking middle-class values.

[Edit: And then there's the Australia Day Honours, giving out gongs to citizens who've done good things.]

In the Sydney Morning Herald today, journalist David Marr wonders why there aren’t any real artists in the list.

Is there anything for Cate Blanchett as she lines up for another Oscar? No, nothing. Or John Mawunrdjul, the greatest of the bark painters after his recent Paris triumph? Not a thing. What about Richard Tognetti, the creative genius of the Australian Chamber Orchestra? Again nothing.

There isn’t a novelist on the 2008 list. This year the nation could have tackled the backlog of great writers unhonoured by Yarralumla. But Helen Garner, Peter Carey, Shirley Hazzard, Alex Miller, Kate Grenville and Tim Winton — among many others — have still to be recognised… Republicans among them may feel now is not the time to accept such honours, but clearly the business of writing isn’t high on the list of achievements officially blessed in today’s Australia…

23 awards were made in the category of the arts, [but] closer examination reveals very few of these distinguished men and women are actually artists. God bless them for being patrons, collectors, administrators, board members, fund-raisers, producers, publishers, gallery owners, researchers, teachers, historians, agents, therapists, curators, keen amateurs and church organists. But where are the professional artists?

Only one of real — and quirky — stature is honoured in the list: Peter Travis, kite maker and sculptor who deserves a place in the pantheon of great Australians for creating the Speedo.

And while I haven’t ploughed through that list, I wonder if there’s anyone who represents our future. No, not people like Young Australian of the Year, motorcycle racing hero Casey Stoner. I mean the people caving out a new vision of Australia for when we live in a wildly-interconnected information world, and when China and India are the world powers.

So, two questions for you on Australia Day 2008:

1. Does Australian of the Year matter any more? Vote at the website.
2. If it does, who do you reckon would make a great Australian of the Year? (And this time, let it not be Dannii Minogue, OK?

Results from last time: Without a doubt, Dame Edna Everage should be our next Governor-General, followed by Ja’mie King. God bless you, Australia, always picking a bloke in a frock!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

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