After Covid-19 Volume 3: Voices from Federal Parliament
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After Covid-19 Volume 3 Voices from federal parliament Edited by Genevieve Feely and Peter Jennings December 2020 STRATEGY After Covid-19 Volume 3 Voices from federal parliament About ASPI The Australian Strategic Policy Institute was formed in 2001 as an independent, non‑partisan think tank. Its core aim is to provide the Australian Government with fresh ideas on Australia’s defence, security and strategic policy choices. ASPI is responsible for informing the public on a range of strategic issues, generating new thinking for government and harnessing strategic thinking internationally. ASPI’s sources of funding are identified in our Annual Report, online at www.aspi.org.au and in the acknowledgements section of individual publications. ASPI remains independent in the content of the research and in all editorial judgements. It is incorporated as a company, and is governed by a Council with broad membership. ASPI’s core values are collegiality, originality & innovation, quality & excellence and independence. ASPI’s publications—including this paper—are not intended in any way to express or reflect the views of the Australian Government. The opinions and recommendations in this paper are published by ASPI to promote public debate and understanding of strategic and defence issues. They reflect the personal views of the author(s) and should not be seen as representing the formal position of ASPI on any particular issue. Important disclaimer This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in relation to the subject matter covered. It is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering any form of professional or other advice or services. No person should rely on the contents of this publication without first obtaining advice from a qualified professional. © The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Limited 2020 This publication is subject to copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of it may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers. Notwithstanding the above, educational institutions (including schools, independent colleges, universities and TAFEs) are granted permission to make copies of copyrighted works strictly for educational purposes without explicit permission from ASPI and free of charge. First published December 2020 Published in Australia by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ASPI Level 2 40 Macquarie Street Barton ACT 2600 Australia Tel + 61 2 6270 5100 Fax + 61 2 6273 9566 Email [email protected] www.aspi.org.au www.aspistrategist.org.au Facebook.com/ASPI.org @ASPI_org ISBN 978‑1‑925229‑64‑6 (online pdf) ISBN 978‑1‑925229‑63‑9 (print) No specific sponsorship was received to fund production of this report Contents Introduction 1 Genevieve Feely and Peter Jennings Parliament after Covid 2 Australia’s House of Representatives: a resilient and responsive parliamentary institution 2 Tony Smith Global outlook 7 The new security: is Australia prepared to confront contemporary threats? 7 Anne Aly The future of Australian foreign policy: beyond the major powers, towards a ‘fulcrum’ of middle powers 12 Peter Khalil Global crossroads: fostering greater cooperation in a post-Covid world 16 Jordon Steele-John The threat of China and the response of Australia 20 Eric Abetz No more ‘business as usual’ with the communist regime in China 24 Concetta Fierravanti-Wells Rebalance, don’t decouple the relationship with China 30 Tim Wilson Finding common ground on China 35 Andrew Leigh Securing our sovereignty 39 Jim Molan The consumer data right: Australia as a global standards-setter 43 Jane Hume Australia’s global role in building democracy after Covid-19 47 Patrick Gorman Supplying Australia 52 An agriculture-led recovery 52 David Littleproud The first strategy: secure our food 55 Joel Fitzgibbon Agriculture: the new national security frontier 59 Raff Ciccone A critical-minerals vision for Australia’s geostrategic advantage 63 Vince Connelly Our national interest requires more than just headlines on critical minerals 67 Matt Keogh After Covid-19 Volume 3: Voices from federal parliament i Securing critical supply chains 71 Daniel Mulino Defence industry rises to the challenge 76 Melissa Price Technology, and rethinking Australia’s approach to tech supply chains 80 Tim Watts It matters that we make things 84 Kim Carr Procurement: priorities, partnership and programming—no future in past practice 89 David Fawcett Preventing intellectual property theft and protecting Australian manufacturing 94 Melissa McIntosh Prosperity post-pandemic 97 Funding our future 97 John Alexander Infrastructure 101 Catherine King Participation and productivity 104 Kevin Andrews Holiday at home: charting a path to recovery 108 Don Farrell The Local Power Plan: a blueprint for everyday regional Australians to benefit from the coming boom in renewable energy 113 Helen Haines Learning from misery: post-pandemic prescriptions for prosperity 118 Kimberley Kitching Preventing long-term unemployment is key to the Covid recovery 122 Julian Leeser Economic growth and wellbeing 127 Peta Murphy Coronial inquiry: post-Covid inter- and intragenerational inequality in Australia 131 Anika Wells Climate smart recovery 135 Zali Steggall Green-led investment key to economic recovery 140 Libby Coker The domestic matters 145 Policy after neoliberalism 145 Adam Bandt Beyond complacency: Australian social democracy after the pandemic 150 Tim Ayres ii ASPI STRATEGY Multiculturalism and Covid 154 Gladys Liu Multiculturalism, Covid-19, history and choirs 159 Graham Perrett Foreign interference via social media after Covid-19 163 David Van Right-wing extremism in a post-Covid world 166 Kristina Keneally A better migration system for all 170 Andrew Giles Opportunities in health care after Covid-19 175 Mike Freelander As the world rapidly ages, developed nations need new thinking to fund aged-care services 179 Dr Katie Allen A pathway to building a fairer social security system after Covid-19 183 Rachel Siewert Young Australians: a generation at risk 188 Josh Burns Any strategic exit out of the Covid pandemic must have education and skills investment at its core 194 David Smith Closing the digital divide 199 Marielle Smith Covid and gender 203 Kate Thwaites The 1950s are calling; they want their government back 207 Larissa Waters The promise of our federation 212 Jason Falinski Conclusion 216 Genevieve Feely and Peter Jennings About the authors 217 Acronyms and abbreviations 219 After Covid-19 Volume 3: Voices from federal parliament iii Introduction Genevieve Feely and Peter Jennings ASPI published its first volume of the After Covid series in May this year and the second volume in September. After the success of the first two volumes, this third volume offers a platform for policy innovation and contestation among parliamentarians from all sides of politics. The introduction to the first volume prepared readers by saying, ‘But now is no time for resting. Australia needs to be ready to deal with the crisis after the crisis.’ We know now that the crisis is far from over and is exacting a terrible toll in many countries. Initial estimates that the pandemic would be over by the end of the year or even the middle of next year look overly optimistic. In Australia, we may see a reliable vaccine emerge soon, but it will presumably take most of 2021 and beyond for that to be widely available. The economic and social costs of the virus will be with us for a long time and will surely shape the environment for Australia’s next federal election, which some people speculate could be as early as late 2021. With an election cycle in prospect and a once-in-a-century global disaster in full swing, it’s an important moment to tackle key questions that need resolution after the pandemic is brought under control: • What will be the key strategic, economic and social challenges for government after the crisis? • What considerations should shape the recovery? • What sectors will define and boost Australia’s economic recovery? • Is this an opportunity for a full reset, and will that opportunity be taken? We asked politicians to consider the world after the crisis and discuss policy and solutions that could drive Australian prosperity through one of the most difficult periods in living memory. This time, ASPI is the messenger, not the message. All contributions in this volume are the authentic voices of Australia’s elected representatives. For policymakers, this volume offers a window into thinking from all sides of the House of Representatives and Senate, providing greater insights to better inform their work in creating further policy in service of the Australian public. For the broader public, this is an opportunity to see policy fleshed out by politicians on their own terms and engage with policy thinking that isn’t often seen on the front pages of major news outlets. We were delighted to see so many parliamentarians respond with gusto to our call for policy ideas. As the member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon MP, says in his chapter: extraordinary challenges require extraordinary thinking. There is indeed some extraordinary material in these pages. Engaging in a contest of ideas presents our parliamentarians at their best. Our thanks go to our Publications Manager, Steve Clark, for his indefatigable work and the wider ASPI team for their engagement and support. After Covid-19 Volume 3: Voices from federal parliament 1 Parliament after Covid Australia’s House of Representatives: a resilient and responsive parliamentary institution Tony Smith MP Introduction On a normal sitting day, members of parliament assemble in the House of Representatives chamber to consider draft legislation, scrutinise the government and raise important constituency matters. However, the circumstances imposed by Covid-19 have been anything but normal. When it became clear in March that robust measures were needed to prevent the spread of the virus in Australia, particular challenges for the House were identified.