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Think our political debate is tanking? Ask the s(c)eptic celebs

By Kevin Rennie - posted Friday, 24 February 2012


The minnow is The Brisbane Institute,'Queensland's premier think tank and independent forum for ideas, insight, inspiration and innovation', with three policy staff and one administration. It has University of Queensland, Brisbane City Council, State government and private company funding. Board member Philip Bacon is the well-connected owner of the eponymous art galleries.

As the name suggests, the Evatt Foundation sports a range of mostly left-centrist ALP types and fellow travellers. It appears to have few permanent research staff but its website was far from enlightening about resourcing.

One progressive organisation that punches above its funding is the Centre for Policy Development. Executive director Miriam Lyons is fast becoming a panel celeb on current affairs platforms such as the ABC's Q&A and the TV version of the Drum. The CPD is a relatively recent addition to tanking, opening in 2007. It grew out of the online magazineNew Matilda but is now quite separate. 4 of the 6 members of the research arm are women. The board boasts directors with trade union experience, as well as former Whitlam staffer and head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet John Menadue.

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Fulltime pipers are expected to rap for their paymaster. Often it's a case of seeing what your patrons and benefactors believe. On the other hand, whether they are paid or just patronised, visiting fellows and commissioned authors appear unconcerned by potential conflicts of interest. Visiting fellows at the Lowy Institute include Paul Kelly, editor-at-large of Rupert Murdoch's The Australian newspaper, Peter Hartcher, Political and International Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and the very enterprising Hugh White.

Facts flow forth from the cluttered foreheads of the think tank performers with such predictability that it would be harmless, if it were not so pervasive. It is just one of many reasons our political understanding and debate is tanking.

Update: Free copy of How to Get Expelled From School "Offer comes courtesy of The Galileo Movement."

Very public-spirited of them!

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This article was first published on Red Bluff.



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About the Author

Kevin Rennie is a retired secondary teacher, unionist and has been an Australian Labor Party member since 1972. He spent eight years teaching in the Northern Territory: four in Katherine, followed by four in Maningrida, an aboriginal community in Arnhem Land. Kevin lived in Broome from January 2007 to May 2008 and now lives in Melbourne. He blogs at Red Bluff, Labor View from Bayside and Cinematakes. He is also a Global Voices author.

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