WEBVTT - The push to consider young people in govt decisions 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:05.120 Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:06.840 Oh, now it makes sense. 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:17.160 Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Thursday, 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:20.400 the thirteenth of February. I'm Zara, I'm Billy. This week 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.919 an independent MP introduced a new bill, and that bill 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:27.680 would require the government to consider the economic, social, environmental 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.720 and cultural wellbeing of future generations when deciding national laws. 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:34.559 It's just the latest in a broader push to consider 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.960 the rights and well being of young people here in Australia. 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:43.360 Now, this is a bill that is obviously specifically designed 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.360 for young people in Australia, which is why when The 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:49.120 Daily Oz posted it to our Instagram, there was a 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:51.159 whole lot of interest about it. Yeah. 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:54.160 The cross section of like a TDA audience caring about 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.680 something and politics. This is where it happens. 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:58.800 Yes, so do you want to just take us through 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.360 first what exactactly is in this bill? 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.120 Yeah? Absolutely, So. First of all, I just want to 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:06.840 start by talking about who introduced the bill, and the 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:08.720 reason I want to talk about that is because it 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.640 makes quite a bit of a difference as to whether 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:13.000 or not this bill will actually become law. So it 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:16.200 was introduced by Independent MP doctor Sophie Scomps. She's the 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:19.280 independent member for Mkeller, she's one of the teals. It 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:22.160 is really important to flag that because of her role 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.840 as an independent, it is highly unlikely that this bill 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:30.360 will pass and become law. That said, don't lose me here. 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:33.920 It is still a really interesting topic to discuss. And 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:36.800 you know, pieces of legislation are introduced all the time 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:40.399 as private member's bill and it prompts conversation both in 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:43.720 Parliament and broader Australian community as to the contents of 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.640 that bill. So I think definitely worth talking through. 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.560 So just to be clear, we're saying it's very unlikely 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:52.880 that this legislation will go through, but it's the idea 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:56.280 behind this bill that is a broader discussion in politics, 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:57.960 which is what we want to talk about today. 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:00.680 Yeah, and so I'll go through what to actually in 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.360 the legislations. So under the proposal, there would be a 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:08.240 positive duty for the government and other public bodies to 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:12.320 consider the well being of future generations. Now decision makers, 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:16.920 so politicians, bureaucrats whoever, would be legally bound to consider 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:19.880 the well being of younger people when they were drafting 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.240 laws and policies. They'd also need to release their well 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.760 being objectives and to report on their progress every six months. 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:31.160 This whole process of protecting the well being of future generations, 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:35.080 this would be overseen by a Future Generations Commissioner and 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.560 that person would be appointed through a competitive panel selection if, 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:40.560 of course, this bill were to come into force. 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.519 That phrase, or positive duty, is a phrase that we've 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:46.440 seen across a lot of different legislation. We've seen it 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.280 on legislation about workplaces and it's basically just about taking 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:51.639 proactive action rather than. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:53.520 Reactive reaction exactly. 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:56.360 Okay, so you mentioned the commissioner. Now that will be 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:57.400 a new role. 0:02:57.320 --> 0:02:59.920 Right, Yeah, so we don't currently have that role. We do, 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.680 you have advocates for children and young people at statain 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:07.160 territory levels, but not this position explicitly. So the key 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.080 responsibility of this Commissioner would be to advocate for the 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:13.840 long term interests of Australia and current and future generations. 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:17.400 It would also oversee what it called a national conversation 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.680 public forum, and it would invite young people, first nations, 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.000 people and people with disabilities to partake in this forum. 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.120 After that process took place, the Commissioner would then be 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:30.679 tasked with publishing a report observing what they would see 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:34.040 as the medium and long term trends, risks and opportunities 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:36.520 that could impact the future well being of Australians. 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.839 And so what was the reasoning behind why doctor Scomps 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:41.480 introduced this legislation. 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:45.320 Well, essentially, she's arguing that there is a problem in 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:49.160 Australia with short sightedness when it comes to policymakings. So 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.000 here in Australia we go to a federal election every 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.720 three years, and what she's saying is that that's led 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:58.680 to futile policy solutions to some of the country's biggest problems. 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.600 So when we're talking about this bill and the policies 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.760 that it would affect, think about things like the housing crisis, 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:08.720 like climate change, these kind of really big, multi generational 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:12.360 ideas and issues that aren't going to be solved in 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:14.600 a day. They're going to take that long term thinking. 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.440 And what doctor Scomps is saying is that we don't 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.279 have that long term thinking currently. We're not thinking about 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.080 the future generations. When, for example, the government or the 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.599 opposition is coming up with its policy on housing ahead 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:29.680 of the next election. Now obviously the government would disagree 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:31.800 with that they would suggest that, you know, they are 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.960 thinking ahead when it comes to creating and designing this policy. 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:36.840 But we'll get to that in a moment. I want 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:38.800 to just go back to what doctor Scomp said was 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.760 her justification. She said Australians want long term solutions, and 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.040 she was citing research from Griffith University that said that 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:49.640 nearly all Australians, so ninety seven percent of those who responded, 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:54.320 support policies that take future generations into account. She said, 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:56.800 they want pollies to think beyond their own re election 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.719 prospects every thirty years and to put some serious effort 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:02.080 into turning the ship around for future generations. 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.400 You know you're a politics nord when you refer to 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:04.680 them as. 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.280 Honestly, I'm surprised that you let me do that. I 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:08.600 was just trying to shorten the sentience. 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:11.800 Okay, so I think I understand the policy, but I 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.360 wanted to turn to the actual politics of a bill 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.159 like this, which you briefly touched on before. Yeah, because 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.560 as we said at the top, it is unlikely to 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:20.599 pass yes. 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.840 So any bill that's introduced to Parliament by a non 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:28.120 government politician is called a private member's bill. So you 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:31.240 know Sophie Scomp's is an independent member and so she 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.520 introduced this piece of legislation as a private member's bill 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:38.039 into the Parliament. For this piece of legislation to pass, 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.440 to become law, to become you know what we have 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.640 here in Australia, it would need the support of the 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:46.719 government and also other people on the cross bench in 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.120 order to pass. And getting that sort of support when 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:53.280 you don't come from inside the government but instead outside, 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.480 that's really really rare. And the only time that that 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:59.880 really happens is when the government doesn't have a majority, 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:02.720 and so we obviously have to go to the government 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:04.800 then and try to understand what they think about this. 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.960 Is this something that they would support. Prime Minister Anthony 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.400 Abernezi did say earlier this week that he would have 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:13.279 a look at the ideas in the legislation, but they 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:16.120 have ruled out on a number of occasions supporting this 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:20.120 sort of legislation. I do want to add really quickly though, 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.040 that the bill was backed by Liberal MP Bridget Archer. 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:25.920 Now she is a moderate Liberal who has crossed the 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.240 floor on a couple of occasions, so she's voted against 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:31.360 her party. This doesn't really change the success or the 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:33.320 possible success of this bill. But I do think it's 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.360 interesting to look at this kind of cross party or 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:40.680 independent liberal coalition that has emerged on this issue. 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:43.599 And just before we finished, some people might be listening 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:47.440 to this episode and thinking they've heard a cinema. Yeah, 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:52.279 thinking that they have heard us explain a similar or 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.920 proposed legislation before. Yeah, because there was one that was 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.800 specific about climate change that was called the Duty of 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.480 Care campaign. Yeah. Do you want to take us through that? 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:05.240 Yes? So that campaign was run by and Shama, a 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:07.960 young person who I believe we've had on this podcast before, 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:10.280 and she was, as you said, running this duty of 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:13.680 Care campaign that essentially, if it had been successful, would 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:16.040 have meant that the government had to protect the next 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:18.880 generation with this duty of care when it came to 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:23.800 climate change policy specifically. Now, the government did reject that proposal. 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.080 It went to a Senate committee which was chaired by 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.920 a Labor member, which suggested the bill was too broad, 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:33.280 there would be too many difficulties in protecting areas like 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:36.440 health and cultural and spiritual wellbeing, and so with that 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:40.640 lack of definition, there wasn't support for that. But Billy, 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:43.040 you have asked on a number of occasions to a 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.120 number of politicians this very question of why they don't 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:50.160 support something like this, why there isn't something explicit in 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:53.840 our national Parliament to protect future generations. Can you talk 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:57.480 me through what we've heard from the government on this topic. 0:07:58.000 --> 0:07:59.960 Yeah, So over the past couple of years, I've spoken 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.840 to the Youth Minister Ann Ali and also the Climate 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:06.679 Change Minister Chris Bowen about this, and to be honest, 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:10.520 they haven't really said a whole lot. But what they 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:12.720 did say was consistent with each other, which is that 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:16.840 the government does consider future generations when it's making decisions 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:20.440 about its policies and its legislation. But what they are 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:24.520 against is making it a legal requirement for them to 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:28.000 consider future generations. So they say they're already doing it, 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.960 but we don't need this to become law. And the 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.520 other thing that they said is that whilst they do 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:38.360 consider future generations, it's also really important to consider the 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.640 needs of today, and so it's a constant balancing act 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:43.080 between the two of them. 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:46.760 I mean, I think, just to close this conversation, when 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.480 you asked Anthony Albinezi a couple of weeks ago what 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.520 he thought the big issue facing young Australians was he 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:56.480 did answer intergenerational inequality, so I know, and. 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.440 It didn't come to me at the time to bring 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:00.480 this up, and I wish it did well. 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:02.800 The Prime Minister will just have to return and I'm 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:04.920 real hymn fair that Billy. Thank you so much and 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:07.240 thank you for joining us for another episode of The 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:07.880 Daily os. 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.920 If you learn something from today's episode, it would really 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:14.160 help us if you could press follow on Spotify or Apple. 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:17.199 It helps us climb up the podcast charts and helps 0:09:17.240 --> 0:09:19.880 other people find us. Thank you so much and we'll 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.080 be back this evening with your afternoon headlines. 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:28.800 My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:33.839 Bungelung Kalkutin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.079 that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:39.640 Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:42.600 Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.400 first peoples of these countries, both past and present.