A new beginning…Our differences are important. They make life interesting. But since nobody is capable of being in possession of the whole truth about anything, our common humanity matters more. So you owe everybody a certain presumption of respect until they do something to forfeit it, and you should be listening.

Bill Clinton, 2014

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ContentsAUSTRALIA NEEDS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION....................................4

What do people want............................................................................................................4

The perfect storm..................................................................................................................4

The two major problems we face........................................................................................5

What can we do?...................................................................................................................5

THE HUMANITIES PARTY......................................................................................................8

OUR VALUES........................................................................................................................8

Trust....................................................................................................................................8

Respect...............................................................................................................................9

Empowerment....................................................................................................................9

Collaboration......................................................................................................................9

OUR VISION........................................................................................................................10

THE ECONOMY......................................................................................................................11

Current state.........................................................................................................................11

The marketplace..............................................................................................................11

Rising income inequality.................................................................................................11

Philanthropy......................................................................................................................11

When is enough, enough?.............................................................................................12

CHALLENGES.....................................................................................................................12

FACTS..................................................................................................................................12

Corporate profits and CEO salaries..............................................................................12

Family structures.............................................................................................................12

Life satisfaction and philanthropy..................................................................................13

POLICY OPTIONS..............................................................................................................13

A wealth tax......................................................................................................................13

Recognise further study as ‘capital investment in an asset’......................................13

Mandatory study in first year university........................................................................13

Graduate placement and career coaching/career support schools..........................13

Replace GDP measure with Genuine Progress Indicator..........................................13

Broadening the financial report in news bulletins........................................................13

Introducing an ‘education’ levy......................................................................................13

Mentoring program for dole recipients..........................................................................14

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Encourage shared ownership between the public and private sectors....................14

GENDER EQUALITY..............................................................................................................15

Current state.........................................................................................................................15

Challenges............................................................................................................................16

Facts......................................................................................................................................16

POLICY OPTIONS..............................................................................................................17

Paid paternity leave.........................................................................................................17

On-site childcare at public primary schools..................................................................17

Targets for women in corporate executive roles.........................................................17

Government supported child and aged care flexible packages.................................17

Mandatory ‘care’ work for all employees......................................................................18

TRADITIONAL LABOUR MARKET AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES...................19

Current state.........................................................................................................................19

Collaboration above competition...................................................................................19

Adhocracy.........................................................................................................................19

The 24/7 society...............................................................................................................19

Challenges............................................................................................................................20

POLICY OPTIONS..............................................................................................................20

Productivity Commission review of part time work......................................................20

Targets for women in corporate executive roles.........................................................20

Establish Freelance Australia........................................................................................20

Invest in remote access and co-working......................................................................20

Removal of the traditional working week......................................................................20

Increase school leaving age to 18.................................................................................20

Spiritual education to replace religious education in our schools..............................21

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AUSTRALIA NEEDS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION

For the first time ever I showed up to a polling booth on April 5 for the rerun of the WA Senate Election and stared down forlornly at the ballot papers. I could not bring myself to vote for any of the parties. Therefore, I folded up the papers and popped them in the boxes. Since then I have been astounded at the number of people who have told me they did the same thing. When I ask why, similar answers come back:

I have no confidence in any of the parties to help me find a job there is no Vision for this country, I’m sick of short term politics driven by the

24/7 media I feel that no one is listening and that I have no say in the future of this country

What do people want

I know retirees who now wish they had spent more time with their children (with whom they have poor relationships) instead of working long hours to earn large sums of money that they just don’t know what to do with.

I know women who are struggling to combine full time work with looking after their children or elderly parents, and are quite literally exhausted.

I know men who wish they could work part time to support their wives’ careers and spend time with their kids but they know they’ll be ostracised at work if they do.

I know women who have started their own businesses because there are no flexible jobs, no opportunities for advancement and they are sick of working for poor managers.

I know men and women who have been made redundant and are now re-evaluating their needs, wants and desires deciding that it’s okay not to take expensive holidays, pay for private schools, eat out a lot and buy expensive clothes. Bottom line is they are making a conscious decision to downshift.

I know men who are just existing but not living because they are working long hours in unfulfilling jobs, travelling a lot and not seeing their kids much. But they’ve concluded that it’s their role to do this to enable their children to attend private school in the belief it will be better for them.

I know women who only want part time work but cannot find it and if they do it’s the sort of work they were doing 5 or 10 years ago.

I know men and women, and their children, who follow their partners across the country or across the world for work only to find they feel very isolated and depressed particularly if they themselves cannot secure any work at all or no one reaches out to welcome them.

So what’s happening?????

The perfect stormI think people are starting to question the validity of the current paradigm – the market economy. It recently had only its second biggest shake up since the Great Depression. And what a shake up! With the high degree of interconnectedness now of Nation state economies the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) touched all quickly and savagely. Great economies and global corporate giants were brought to their knees, as banks ran off cap in hand to governments for money. Most of all innocent people just trying to

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make a living lost their jobs and pointed fingers at greedy corporations for whom no amount of money was ever enough. “Don’t bail them out” was the catch cry from many.

With youth unemployment reaching record levels in places like the UK, riots broke out as disillusioned youngsters rebelled against the threat of a very bleak future. Long lines of formerly well paid professionals formed at job agencies in the world’s hardest hit countries like the US, UK and parts of Europe and when it became clear nothing was available they scrambled to get a job in a slightly better economy. Australia was one of those slightly better economies, with historically low levels of debt and an economic stimulus plan designed to buffer the full effects. It certainly worked, for a while at least, but it really only delayed the inevitable and in the meantime has seen Australia flooded with professionals on 457 Visas and on a trajectory to be saddled with enormous debt. At the same time Australia’s economy is transitioning as labour costs continue to increase and make the manufacture of traditional products like cars too expensive here.

The perfect storm now erupting sees:

scores of people now unemployed including an epidemic of hidden unemployment (particularly amongst women)

young people completely lost as they see jobs their parents did disappearing, towns dying and education opportunities slipping out of reach for those without financial means

retirees gravely concerned about their future and how they will support it with fewer taxpayers

erosion of the middle class; many middle management jobs have disappeared leaving the less costly operational jobs and the few very highly paid executive jobs

a much more transient population with people expected to move to where the jobs are eroding social cohesion and family stability.

The two major problems we faceThe 2008 GFC has highlighted two things:

what happens when enormous wealth and power is concentrated in the hands of only a few whose tentacles reach all around the world and they are not afraid to take risks for short term gain

that modern capitalism; its obsession with consumption, technology and individualism has reduced life on earth down to a ‘marketplace’ and turned people into mindless ‘consumers.’

The good news is that with so many bright people now out of work and having the time to think and reflect on what’s happening, there’s a chance we can turn this around.

What can we do?We need a clear, concise and coherent long term Vision that identifies those structural changes needed to encourage the behavioural changes to truly create an Australia that is just, equal and fair. To do this we need a new political party with a new way of engaging in politics; a party that puts ‘people’ at the centre of all decision-making, where trust, respect, empowerment and collaboration are valued above all else. Only when we start to treat each other as equals will we truly become an Australia of equals.

Success in life is not just dependent on hard work, but support from family, friends, society and government, and occasionally a bit of luck. Institutional and cultural biases

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and prejudices can stymie anyone’s hard work and prevent them from realising their full potential, and prevent society from growing. Think about how life today might be if we had not abolished slavery and apartheid, and stopped Hitler. This is why we must learn to:

live in harmony work productively and meaningfully support the life system that supports us; Earth.

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THE HUMANITIES PARTY

A party that understands solving complex problems requires collaboration and innovation, not competition.

A party without a single leader but a team of spokespeople.

A party without a short term fix but a long term Vision.

A party that listens first.

A party that encourages everyone to participate equally.

OUR VALUES

TrustTrust is the foundation of all relationships, without it we cannot even begin to communicate, debate and discuss ideas. Trust is central to a thriving culture, not a dying one. Trust is a learned discipline, something we must work at. The Humanities party strives for others to trust in it and to instil in others the value of trust. Christian Feai says there are ten steps to building trust.1. Keep Your Promises2. Never Tell Lies3. Keep Confidences4. Communicate as Fully as Possible5. Have No Favourites6. Challenge the Behaviour – Not the Person7. Follow Through8. Listen Attentively9. Forgive Mistakes10. Don’t Talk Behind Backs

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From ‘I’ to ‘We’

I consume I needI work I createI watch I thinkI love fashion I love styleI garden I growI chat I discussI meet I connectI manage I empowerI conquer I collaborateI sympathise I empathiseI travel I experienceI tell I shareI die I move on

I am We are

RespectHave you ever heard of the phrase ‘innocent until proven guilty?’ This is how we should approach each and every encounter with someone. By having an open mind and heart we are more likely to listen to what the other is saying rather than hearing what we expect to hear ie what we are socially conditioned to hear. We need to undo social conditioning around ‘gender’, ‘race’, ‘age’ and ‘class’ in society and learn to treat everyone the same – ie with respect. No job, role, or situation in society is any more or less important than any other one. Hurricanes and meteorites do not discriminate. When all is gone, we are all equal. The Humanities party strives to earn the respect of all and to work with others to see beyond ‘gender’, ‘race’, ‘age’ and ‘class’ because ‘all persons are owed respect just because they are persons, that is, free rational beings.ii’

EmpowermentReal lasting change usually comes from within. Beating someone over the head (metaphorically or physically) with the intention of changing their behaviour is unlikely to do so in the long term. Emotional or physical abuse breeds fear, an alienating emotion associated with command and control type situations which are illusory only in their control. Truly empowering someone or something is complex and multidimensional, and usually part of a process which is why it takes longer. The Humanities party strives to think critically and undo social conditioning, and help others help themselves through avoiding the use of draconian measures. Empowerment means:

1. Having decision-making power. 2. Having access to information and resources. 3. Having a range of options from which to make choices (not just yes/no,

either/or.) 4. Assertiveness. 5. A feeling that the individual can make a difference (being hopeful). 6. Learning to think critically; learning the conditioning; seeing things differently;

e.g., a. Learning to redefine who we are (speaking in our own voice). b. Learning to redefine what we can do. c. Learning to redefine our relationships to institutionalised power.

7. Learning about and expressing anger. 8. Not feeling alone; feeling part of a group. 9. Understanding that people have rights. 10. Effecting change in one's life and one's community. 11. Learning skills (e.g., communication) that the individual defines as important. 12. Changing others' perceptions of one's competency and capacity to act. 13. Growth and change that is never ending and self-initiated. 14. Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigmaiii.

CollaborationTwo heads are always better than one they say but sometimes too many cooks can spoil the broth. So how do we find the balance and what are the benefits of doing so. Less energy expended for starters; think of how emotionally wrecked competition can make you feel. Even if you win the jubilation is only short-lived. And if you go it alone and fail because you forgot to take those affected on the journey with you a whole lot of resources are wasted. The Humanities party strives to work with others not against them and to break down institutional and cultural barriers to collaboration. Collaboration involves:

Awareness – We become part of a working entity with a shared purpose

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Motivation – We drive to gain consensus in problem solving or development Self-synchronization – We decide as individuals when things need to happen Participation – We participate in collaboration and we expect others to

participate Mediation – We negotiate and we collaborate together and find a middle point Reciprocity – We share and we expect sharing in return through reciprocity Reflection – We think and we consider alternatives Engagement – We proactively engage rather than wait and seeiv

OUR VISIONWe need to address the following within the context of a long term Vision for Australia:

the role of the economy in society gender equality traditional labour market and Institutional structures

The remainder of this paper will examine the above issues in the context of the: current state and challenges facts policy options champions of change

In conclusion the paper will draw this all together to outline a path forward for the Humanities party and all Australians to realise this Vision.

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THE ECONOMY

Current stateThe great English economist Alfred Marshall called economics the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life. That said, economics should be about organising ourselves, our communities and our societies to function in a way that we all lead fulfilled, meaningful lives expressed through the concept of utility ie life satisfaction. But somehow economics is now all about money and consumption. Ross Gittins believes it went pear shaped when we decided it was too hard to measure utility unless we focussed it on helping societies maximise their production and consumption of goods and servicesv1.

The marketplaceAlain de Botton and Clive Hamilton both acknowledge that the hijacking of economics in this way has reduced society down to ‘a marketplace.’ That is, where our consumption of goods and services expressed through the brands we choose are what define us, as well as the career we have. If you don’t have a career and hence no money to spend on consuming goods and services, to the vast majority of people you do not exist in our society. And this is why some environmentalists and feminists have pursued valuing environmental and social impacts in dollar terms because it is the dominant language and metric of modern times. It is the only way for these people to ‘engage’ with decision-makers to persuade them to change their decisions to consider environmental and social impacts. But it shouldn’t have to be this way.

Rising income inequalityThomas Picketty’s recent book ‘Capital in the Twenty-first Century’ is ‘one of the watershed books in economic thinking’ according to Branko Milanovic (former senior economist at the World Bank). Picketty’s extensive research covering thirty countries has found that surging inequality may be endemic to capitalism. Picketty believes that:

during periods of modest economic growth, such as the one that many advanced economies have experienced in recent decades, income tends to shift from labour to capital

rising income inequality is largely a corporate phenomenon whereby major companies are giving their top executives outlandish pay packages and the opportunity to earn dividends, capital gains, interest payments, profits from private businesses and rents which is why inequality is rising so fastvi.

Judith Sloan also thinks the rising incidence of highly educated dual-income families at one end and of single-parent families at the other is also contributing to the wealth gapvii.

PhilanthropyAs developed nations have witnessed the rich get richer the level of philanthropy has increased. Recent announcements by Andrew Forrest (FMG)viii and Gail Kelly (Westpac)ix to invest record amounts of money in funding university research highlights the value business really places on supporting research to drive our economies, increase growth, support communities and provide opportunities for those who may not ordinarily get a chance to further their education.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationx works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing

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countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.

When is enough, enough?So with more and more people now finding themselves out of paid work post GFC the questions some are now asking is how much ‘capital’ does one need. That is when is enough, enough? How much do I really need and am I prepared to accept the costs of achieving that?

A snapshot of what friends, family and colleagues say about being unemployed

“I’ve never seen my husband so lost and so depressed as he was in the 5 months he was unemployed. I never want to see him go through that again.” (Pre school Mum)

“I take the view that I’ve made my contribution to society particularly as no one seems to want to employ me now. Problem is I have to try and convince my wife that downshifting is a good thing.” (former work colleague)

“Since I was made redundant I’ve worked out that what really makes me happy and satisfied is having the house clean, cooking and eating a tasty meal and then sitting down with a glass of wine to watch a good film. Life doesn’t get much better than that for me.” (friend)

“No one ever rings me back or gives me feedback on my job application. All I get is silence. It’s as if I don’t exist. How can I get a job if I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I’m sick of applying for jobs and being interviewed only to eventually find out that there is no job – market or company conditions have changed and so the job has vapourised.” (friend)

“I rang to make an appointment with a psychologist last week as I’m feeling so low since I was made redundant after 18 years in a job. I was told I have to wait three months because they have so many people on their list to see.” (neighbour)

CHALLENGESThe challenges we all face to turn this situation around are:

decoupling money and financial issues from the economy – they are only one aspect of how societies function and flourish

understanding how politics, psychology and philosophical thinking influence economics and use this to identify structural changes in our society to ‘even up the playing field.’

having an informed debate about the merits of a wealth tax on individuals and corporations

transforming our workplaces to be focussed around the power of people and not just technology

contextualising the news –delivering the news in relation to the moral and social challenges that societies face

FACTSCorporate profits and CEO salaries

Since 2009 corporate profits, dividend payouts and the stock market have all risen sharply but wages have barely budged. Therefore almost all of the

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income growth in the US economy between 2010 and 2012 – 95% of it – accrued to the richest 1%xi.

The average American CEO in 1950 earned 20 times what a typical employee earned. Now the ratio is about 200 to 1 with some CEOs like Apple’s Tim Cook getting 6258 times the wage of an average Apple employeexii.

Of the top 0.1% of income earners in the US, 60% work in financial services.

Family structures In 1960 a couple both with university degrees earned 76% above the average,

in 2005 they earned nearly 120% morexiii. From 2005 to 2012 the growth rate of single parent families with dependents

was 14.2% compared with 9.8% for couple parent families with dependentsxiv. Unemployment and non-participation are much more common among single

parent families than couple familiesxv.

Life satisfaction and philanthropy In 2005 people earning less than $15,000 a year had an average satisfaction

level of 72% whereas those earning more than $150,000 had a level of 79% (a small increase only)xvi.

The Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation Current number of foundation employees: 1,194 Asset Trust Endowment: $40.2 billion(2) Total grant payments since inception: $28.3 billion Total 2011 grant payments: $3.4 billion Total 2012 grant payments: $3.4 billionxvii

The Westpac Bicentennial Foundation will have an exclusive focus on the education and advancement of Australians. A one-off contribution of $100 million will fund around 100 scholarships and awards every year in perpetuity to Australians from all walks of life who have the potential to shape Australia’s futurexviii.

POLICY OPTIONS

A wealth taxSupport the current government’s proposed 2% tax on income earners of $180,000+ and consider the merits each financial year of adjusting this in line with the current income divide; a progressive annual tax on capital as Thomas Picketty suggests.

Recognise further study as ‘capital investment in an asset’Treat postgraduate study (not directly related to your current career) as an investment in capital depreciated over a number of years. This may encourage some people who find themselves out of paid work and having to transition to something else for various reasonsxix to undertake further study.

Mandatory study in first year universityAll first year university students should study economics, philosophy and politics before starting their Bachelor degrees.

Graduate placement and career coaching/career support schoolsAll university students should spend their final six months of study in the purpose built and run Graduate placement and career coaching school on campus. Up front capital funding comes from philanthropic investment as well a 0.5% levy on corporate Australian companies regularly earning more than $500m. This school is also accessible to former students and the wider community where they can access

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government subsidised services (including mental health services).to help them when they are unemployed.

Replace GDP measure with Genuine Progress IndicatorSeveral states in the US have decided to stop using GDP as an economic measure and are now using the GPI. Australia should follow suit. GPI is designed to take fuller account of the health of a nation's economy by incorporating environmental and social factors which are not measured by GDP.

Broadening the financial report in news bulletinsAs well as the daily financial report we need a daily report on air quality, water quality and water availability.

Introducing an ‘education’ levyEducation is a ticket to freedom regardless of race, gender and income status. If we believe in universal education as a right for all Australians just like we believe in it for health care (ie through Medicare) then we need to debate the merits of a Medicare-type scheme for education. And we need to start the debate now.

Mentoring program for dole recipientsTo help end the cycle of poverty, all those working over the age of 60 are eligible to apply for the youth mentoring program where they are teamed up with an under 25 dole recipient and can use up to 10 hours a week of their ‘paid hours’ to provide this mentoring.

Encourage shared ownership between the public and private sectorsTo avoid the concentrated accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few private entities, we need good models of shared ownership between the private and public sector. Perhaps we could examine where and how we invest our superannuation as maybe it should go into co-ownership of essential services like water, energy, health and telecommunications.

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GENDER EQUALITY

Current state When Gough Whitlam opened the doors to higher education for women it’s possible that he and others foresaw career women happy and able to leave their children in child care centres for 8 hours a day, five days a week, and employ cleaners and cooks to do the domestic work. But life isn’t that simple as you can see from the following conversations.

A snapshot of what friends, family and colleagues say

“I really only want a part-time job now that Sally is six months old but I’m worried that the only part time work I will be able to find will be the sort of work I was doing 10 years ago” ( former work colleague)

“I can’t work school hours as it just doesn’t suit the nature of my work, I’d prefer a couple of long days per week but I cannot get good after school care” (Pre school Mum)

“Our plan was for both of us to work part time but as Joe works in the police force he said he’d be ostracised if he asked for part time work so he could care for our son. Instead I’m only working one day a week from home and one in the office and Joe feels he is missing out on raising our son” (Year 2 Mum)

“I have one part time job but it really isn’t enough. I applied for a second job recently but after three months of interviews, training and practical examinations which I passed I heard nothing until I rang them a month later and they said they gave the positions to people with previous experience. I can’t be bothered applying for other jobs now” (my Mum’s friend)

“The school our kids go to has on-site before and after school care. The facilities and carers are good, they have great ties to the school and it means my kids aren’t being taken somewhere else in a bus after school” (former work colleague)

“The CEO asked me why I didn’t apply for a Manager’s position when it was advertised. I said that there are only a handful of people I want to work for in this organisation because no one else understands the contemporary demands that working women face” (former work colleague)

Mum and Dad are in their 70’s now and their health isn’t what it used to be. Mum is so stubborn she won’t accept any in home help, she expects me to be there for her like she was for me. But I’m exhausted looking after the kids and working, I cannot now do this as well. I need help (friend).

We are squeezing women in all directions.

Not all women want to work full time after starting a family. Some want to combine work and motherhood, others want to be stay at home mums, and then there are those hoping to share the paid work, caring for family, and domestic duties with their partners. However, none of this has been simple to achieve for women and it’s greatly affecting our productivity as shown in Figure 1. In February 2014 the ABS estimates some 162,800 women were chasing part time jobs – this is the highest figure on record by a big marginxx.

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So what’s gone wrong? Firstly we failed to appreciate the oppressive nature of patriarchy and hierarchies which mostly favour men (although not all) and hence have made cultural change around women in the workforce difficult. Put simply we can’t get high enough in the hierarchies to influence change which is why women are leaving traditional workplaces in droves to start their own companies based on their needs. Secondly we failed to realise that in giving women the opportunity to attend university and keep working after they are married that this fundamental change would, and had to, affect men and the workplaces they’ve built.

Not taking men on the journey with us as we fought for equal rights has been the feminists failing. As has appreciating that patriarchy and hierarchies encourage a particular style of leadership increasingly recognised as divisive rather than collaborative, and this affects women, men and productivity. This is why we must no longer talk of feminism but of gender equality and truly work hard to engage men in the debate. Already a few good men are engaging such as the Male CEO Champions of Change.

ChallengesThe challenges we all face to turn this situation around are:

enabling women access to, and promoting women into decision-making roles

sharing the ‘caring’ among women and men supporting both men and women to ‘call out’ gender biased behaviour the economic empowerment of women and placing a value on ‘unpaid’

domestic work normalising women as the ‘breadwinners’ changing the model of leadership and workplace structures to facilitate

flexibility, engagement and collaboration

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FactsThe following are drawn from the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) 2012xxi prepared by the University of South Australia

Full-time women’s dissatisfaction with their work-life balance has risen (from 15.9 per cent in 2008 to 27.5 per cent in 2012) while men’s has showed no change.

In 2012, the gap between full-time women’s actual and preferred hours is the largest since 2007. On average they would prefer to work 8.7 hours a week less than they actually do.

41.8 per cent of mothers in full-time employment would prefer to work part-time – the largest proportion since 2007.

Women who combine care of children with other care responsibilities – the ‘sandwich’generation - have worse work-life outcomes than any other category (with AWALI scores of 54.2).

Women are much more likely to work part-time (69.5 per cent of part-timers are women and almost half of women work part time) with implications for their life-time and retirement earnings, training and job quality.

31.7 per cent believe that they have too much work for one person to do (33.2 per cent of women, 30.3 per cent of men).

Most men working long hours (72.0 per cent) would prefer to work at least half a day less.

Fathers are the group most likely to prefer to work at least half a day less – half say theywould like to do so.

Unpaid work in the household economy is of enormous value; intrinsic and economic. In fact the ‘economic value’ of unpaid housework or ‘Gross Household Product’ as Dr Ironmonger calls it was $471b in 2000 (with GDP $604b in that same year) with most of this in child care, meal preparation, laundry and house-cleaning, and shoppingxxii.

According to a recent report issued by AWCCI, research suggests the number of women starting their own businesses has doubled since 2007 and there are currently around 1 million women trading in Australiaxxiii.

POLICY OPTIONS

Paid paternity leaveEmployers will pay fathers who take leave for 6 months to care for their children (who are between the ages of 6 months and 4 years) at 50% of their salary with the government matching each dollar paid to a maximum of $50,000. Men are only eligible for this leave if their wives have returned to full or part time work. Since the introduction of ‘father specific’ parental leave policies in Sweden and Germany the number of fathers taking leave has jumped from less than 5% to nearly 25%. Women are reportedly happier and financially wealthier. 2

On-site childcare at public primary schoolsAll public primary schools are to provide on-site before and after school care funded by parents (on an ‘ability to pay’ sliding scale) with the upfront capital cost met through a

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1% levy on corporate Australian companies whose profits regularly exceed $500m. These centres also run during the school holidays.

Targets for women in corporate executive rolesExecutive managers drive the culture of an organisation more so than Boards. Targets for women in Executive positions can bring about the change needed in workplace culture to facilitate greater participation by women.

Government supported child and aged care flexible packagesWorking parents of children under the age of 12, and working adults with parents over the age of 80 can receive flexible care support packages from the government which include subsidised options depending on the individual circumstances. This may include payments for in home care, at school care, or institutionalised care eg nursing homes and day care centres.

Mandatory ‘care’ work for all employeesAll employees should spend two weeks a year working in an aged care or child care institution.

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TRADITIONAL LABOUR MARKET AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES

Current stateFor many years now our labour market and our institutional structures have developed under a style of leadership commonly referred to as ‘command and control.’ It is not collaborative, it is divisive. It can stymie innovation as it does not necessarily nurture and reward creative thinking. Women more so than men fail in this environment as they’re expected to keep quiet and do as they are told, and not challenge the status quo.

Collaboration above competitionHugh MacKay’s recent book ‘The Good Life: What Makes a Life Worth Living’ sheds some light on the traditional workplace structure versus a more modern, collaborative approachxxiv. Hugh finds that amidst all this striving for excellence, perfection and self-esteem it’s easy to overlook a fundamental fact about our species. We are social creatures “and the process of socialisation, learning how to live harmoniously in social groups, is actually designed to restrain our self-interest and curb excessive competitiveness.” We need to work together to achieve the greater good. Too much focus on Brand Me, which is on self-esteem and not self-control (our moral muscle) can result in poor decision-making and the inability to restrain our impulses towards self-indulgence in ways necessary for the effective management of our livesxxv.

Adhocracy The contemporary sustainability movement has been rightfully preoccupied with risk mitigation for some time. Yet as we experience the ramifications of climate change through extreme bushfires, cyclones, floods, drought etc and the global financial crisis a shift is now occurring towards adaption – and with it, an increasing focus on resilience. Some believe that this focus requires a transformation of institutional structures towards adhocracy – characterised by informal team roles, limited focus on standard operating procedures, deep improvisation, rapid cycles, selective decentralisation, the empowerment of specialist teams and a general intolerance of bureaucracyxxvi.

Focussing only on large institutions as the sole actors in response to a disruption can ignore and smother the opportunities for innovation. We need people and groups to work in the white spaces between large organisations and indeed between silos in large organisations xxvii– taking staff off line and creating special project teams where the rules do not apply is one way of achieving that. I was once a part of one of these successful teams.

Adhocracies can also form when small companies and sole proprietors share office space – its called co-working. There are 4400 dedicated spaces worldwide to co-working.

The 24/7 societyWe now live in a 24/7 society, largely thanks to technological advancements. We also live in a multicultural society with a melting pot of values and spiritual beliefs, a highly mobile society and a society of educated women streaming in record numbers into our workplaces. But we still labour under the traditional workplace rules which clearly aren’t working anymore given these societal changes. What people are telling me they need and want are the ability to choose when, how and where they work to fit in with their individual circumstances which may include spiritual beliefs, caring for family members, or actively participating in community-based activities. In short they want what capitalism so boldly promises and that is ‘choice.’ They also want what John

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Maynard Keynes always said the technological revolution could deliver, and that is time for relationships and time for work. With fewer people having children now, a greater spread of religious and spiritual beliefs across the country, technological advancements and peak hour traffic congestion maybe it’s time we started to question the relevance of the Monday – Friday work week, and 9 to 5pm workday.

Kate Carnell, CEO of the Chamber of Industry and Commercexxviii agrees. She says ‘The world has changed. Sunday penalties, as they stand, do not reflect the society we live in.’

ChallengesAustralia needs a bold new Vision that promises a much more flexible labour market; one that makes it easy for everyone to engage in depending on their choices around needs, wants, values and circumstances which can change over time. With the retirement age now 70 and the need for more taxpayers to fund the retirement of so very many baby boomers, this is critical.

What we all want and need is respect and support:

for the ‘work’ we do regardless of our gender, and whether paid or unpaid to easily move between paid and unpaid work throughout our lives so as to

support our families, friends and communities ie put time into those relationships

to engage in meaningful work, particularly meaningful part time work

POLICY OPTIONS

Productivity Commission review of part time workThe PC needs to review the situation with part time work in Australia with a view to measuring:

its availability employer attitudes towards it (particularly part timers ability to work in senior

management) the productiveness of part time employees the age and gender balance across part time work.

The PC can then recommend structural changes to enhance workforce participation and satisfaction among those in search of, or currently working part-time.

Targets for women in corporate executive rolesExecutive managers drive the culture of an organisation more so than Boards. Targets for women in Executive positions can bring about the change needed in workplace culture to facilitate greater participation by women.

Establish Freelance AustraliaThis is a new online database linking workers actively seeking casual work with employers needing readily available labour for short periods.

Invest in remote access and co-workingAll employers should have the technology to enable their employees to work remotely with community libraries used as hubs for workers to gather in person. Did you know

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that more than 2000 years ago the Intelligentsia would gather in libraries to work side by side, solving society’s problems?

Removal of the traditional working weekWe need to remove the Monday to Friday work week, 9 to 5pm work day and penalty rates for weekend, public holiday and night work.

Increase school leaving age to 18With people now required to work until 70 the school leaving age needs increasing to 18 with the final year of school seeing students engaged in a 12 month program which takes them through transitioning to further study (vocational or university) and adult life. The program may include two 3 month work experience placements, self-development training, volunteering, cooking, home budgeting and insurance advice.

Spiritual education to replace religious education in our schoolsReframing religious education as spiritual education and making it a normal part of the school curriculum. The focus is on teaching the concept of religion and spirituality and not a particular denomination.

ENDNOTES

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A better Australia

A modern

economy

Social capital

Gender equality

i http://www.christianfea.com/10-steps-to-building-trust-in-your-business-relationships.html#ii Kant, I., 1785/1996, Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, translated as “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals”, in Immanuel Kant Practical Philosophy, Mary Gregor (trans. and ed.), New York: Cambridge University Press.iii http://www.power2u.org/articles/empower/working_def.htmliv http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Collaborationv Gittins, R (2007). Gittinomics. Living the good life without money stress, overwork and joyless consumption. Published by Allen&Unwin.vi Picketty, T (2014) Capital in the Twenty-first Century. Published by Belknap, an imprint of Harvard University Press.vii Sloan, J (2014). Family value neglected in inequality debate. In ‘The Australian’, Saturday 3 May 2014.viii http://www.smh.com.au/business/billionaire-andrew-forrest-donates-biggest-ever-grant-to-uwa-20131015-2vjb8.htmlix http://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/media/media-releases/2014/2-aprilx http://www.gatesfoundation.org/xi Picketty, T (2014) Capital in the Twenty-first Century. Published by Belknap, an imprint of Harvard University Press.xii Cassidy, J (2014) Forces of Divergence. Is surging inequality endemic to capitalism? In The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2014/03/31/140331crbo_books_cassidy?currentPage=allxiii Jeremy Greenwood & Nezih Guner & Georgi Kocharkov & Cezar Santos, 2014. "Marry Your Like: Assortative Mating and Income Inequality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(5), pages 348-53, May.xiv Sloan, J (2014). Family value neglected in inequality debate. In ‘The Australian’, Saturday 3 May 2014.xv Sloan, J (2014). Family value neglected in inequality debate. In ‘The Australian’, Saturday 3 May 2014.xvi http://www.australianunity.com.au/about-us/wellbeing/auwbixvii http://www.gatesfoundation.org/xviii http://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/media/media-releases/2014/2-aprilxix For example those caring for young children or elderly parents, or having to transition out of a dying industryxx Australian Development Strategies Pty Ltd (2014) Australian Jobs Profile for Feb Quarter 2014.xxi Skinner, Natalie, Claire Hutchinson, and Barbara Pocock. The Big Squeeze: Work, Life and Care in 2012-The Australian Work and Life Index. Vol. 27. No. 28.1. 2012.xxii Ironmonger, Duncan Standon. Household production and the household economy. Department of Economics, University of Melbourne, 2000.xxiii http://www.awcci.org.au/ xxiv Mackay, Hugh. (2013). The good life. Sydney : Pan Macmillan. Pages 18-22.xxv Mackay, Hugh. (2013). The good life. Sydney : Pan Macmillan.xxvi Toffler A. Future shock. New York: Random House, 1970. 505 p.xxvii Zolli, A and Ann Marie Healy (2012) resilience – why things bounce back. Published by Headline Business Plus.xxviii Feneley, R (2014) ‘Business steps up campaign to end weekend penalties.’ In The Age, Saturday June 7, 2014.