Alone Australian or collaboration for the nation we want?
Image by George Coletrain (Unsplash)
After the success of Alone Australia, I’ve had a great idea for a new reality TV show.
Image by Ajeet Mestry (Unsplash)
It’s called “Alone Australian” and we get to watch ten plucky people dropped, completely alone, into the middle of a housing crisis and rely only on their wits and a dodgy internet connection to access the services they need to survive.
You can imagine the episodes now. Episode One: a single mum has to tap out because her car breaks down and she has no way to get to her mutual obligation appointments. Episode Two sees the cheerful young student in tears because he finally found a share house to live in but the roof leaks and the mould makes his asthma worse. Episode Three and people are starting to get hungry. The food pantries are empty, and funding has just been cut to key food relief charities and the increase in JobSeeker is still not enough to get people over the poverty line. Contestants are getting creative with their resumes, but no one has yet managed to get through to Centrelink. An elderly man finally speaks to someone, but they patch him through to a different department and he’s back on hold.
All of this is filmed against the backdrop of a public service covered in scandal. The camera pans to the hearings at the Robodebt Royal Commission and we see the harshness of a system that lost its moral compass. Another promo shot shows us the leaked emails from PwC, highlighting the broken consultation ecosystem driven entirely by profits rather than the public good. More quick flashes to sports-rorts, medi-rorts, the Ben Roberts Smith trial (the case of a public servant engaging in truly despicable behaviour) and vicious prioritisation of profit over care by the many outsourced and privatised care industries such as aged care and the NDIS – to name a few. A grim backdrop that shows how harsh this environment truly can be.
CUT!
I’m not sure that Alone Australian would make for inspiring viewing. I suspect it would have us pulling up the drawbridges on our couches and clutching what remaining cash we have, rather than motivating us to get out into the world and do something.
That said, there’s no way to hide from the fact that we’re not seeing the actions of the state in a good light at the moment. It’s a mix of incompetent and corrupt individuals at all levels, but more importantly, Robodebt, PwC etc are all symptoms of a much bigger systemic issue. Primarily one in which the state has become separated from purpose and driven by profit rather than the public good. Of course there are some fantastic people within the service who believe that public service is a verb, not just a noun; and some excellent, essential work is being done. It’s certainly not all doom and gloom. It’s just that, as I've written before, public servants are caring and passionate but the institution itself has “lost its mojo”.
Image by Tim Foster (Unsplash)
But maybe it’s time to renovate the public service so that it is fit for these times?
Yeah. Scrap Alone Australian. What about Renovation Nation, where citizens from all walks of life work together with the public service to build a state infrastructure that meets the needs of our times?
Episode One is a walk through of the problems faced – lack of trust in government services and processes, reduced capacity of the public service, privatisation of key services, replacement of policy capacity with private consultants, neoliberal narratives intentionally deriding the value of the public service, political appointments of key staff, and internal confusion about the role of ministers, ministerial offices and departments. It also sets the scene for a changing landscape as the economic, social, political and environmental context shifts. The old ways of governing and being governed are no longer fit for purpose. We've faced real pandemic and climate disasters, a cost of living crisis, housing crisis and don't have patience for blame-shifting and BS. Our climate is changing, and with it our flood-and-fire wary people demand better.
Episode Two and things start to get exciting. The camera pans to the new Australian Public Service Commissioner who gives a rousing speech about the purpose of the public service being to serve the public good. Public servants and the broader community get out the butcher’s paper and start exploring the load-bearing elements of the public service that help or hinder this purpose.
Episode Three (one of my favourites) is where the experts are brought in. The Future Generations Commissioner from Wales offers her insights into how the purpose of government can be reoriented to serve to address long-term key challenges at their roots, rather than just treating the symptoms. Folk from the Anti-Poverty Centre explain what it’s actually like to live in poverty and where they see opportunities for national renovation.
Episode Four is a bit of a slog. Major clean-up work before renovations get under way. Big Consultant are kicked out of bed as are the weapons lobby, the coal lobby, the gambling lobby, etc. In fact the whole bed needs to go and it’s a struggle for citizens to get it out the door. A cheer goes up as it’s finally demolished.
Image by Fidel Fernando (Unsplash)
Episode Five and the engineers are at it. This is where things get serious as the deadline for the renovation looms. It’s an ambitious project to shift to a collaborative, open, purpose-and-values-driven state; but to everyone’s excitement the walls are coming down and the bureaucrats are doing a lot of heavy lifting to build rooms that make space for us all.
Episode Six and really it’s a big party. You can see the joy and thrill as citizens realise that together they have built a state willing and able to collaborate. To share resources, to offer services and expertise, and to listen to what is needed on the ground. A state that will nurture and support its citizens’ needs, rather than propping up the infrastructure of corporate profit.
The final episode is obviously a tear jerker.
The closing shots show a single mum, warm and cosy in her house. She’s neighbours with the student whose mould issue has been resolved thanks to new regulations that make sure everyone’s home is healthy (he’s even had the community around to repaint the bedroom in his favourite colours). We see no sign of the food pantries because local food producers are finally able to sell directly to communities thanks to the dismantling of supermarket duopolies, and for those who need extra help our welfare system has kicked in effectively and there is no shame on our screens as people access it. An elderly man accesses free healthcare and support where he needs it -- in his home. It’s an episode that doesn’t even need the dramatic music to get everyone crying into their hankies on the couch. People turn off their TVs inspired and ready to try it out for themselves.
I may not actually know much about reality TV, but I do know that we’re at a fascinating point in history -- with an opportunity to rewrite the social contract between citizen and state. I know that the public service itself is ready and willing to renegotiate and I know that citizens are excited about pathways for contributing. The flurry of recent media highlighting the profit-driven motives of big consultants and the outrage at Robodebt, sports rorts etc suggests we, the citizens, are ready for another way.
Casting calls for Renovation Nation begin this week in local politicians’ offices. Who will make the final cut to show the courage, vision and the willingness to collaborate which can build a country that serves us all?
DR MILLIE ROONEY
Millie is a Co-Director for Australia reMADE. She has a qualitative research background and has spoken in-depth with hundreds of Australian's about their lives, communities and dreams. Millie is also a carer for her family and community and is passionate about acknowledging this work as a valid, valuable and legitimate use of her time.
SELECTED OTHER BLOGS BY MILLIE:
Owning purpose: what do we want the public service to be?
The Public Service for the Public Good
Government can do AMazing Things
