{"id":70438,"date":"2022-02-14T11:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T00:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=70438"},"modified":"2022-02-17T13:22:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T02:22:18","slug":"agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n

On 2 February, ASPI released <\/em>Agenda for change 2022: shaping a different future for our nation<\/a> to promote public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to Australia. The key message in <\/em>Agenda for change 2022 is that we need to embrace uncertainty, engage with complexity and break down the silos. Our economic prosperity, national resilience and security depend upon it.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the lead-up to every federal election, ASPI looks at the big challenges facing Australia and what\u2019s needed to address them. In Agenda for change 2022<\/em>, Teagan Westendorf and John Coyne co-authored the chapter \u2018\u201cYou will never tear us apart\u201d: building resilience while celebrating diversity in Australian communities\u2019, which highlights the need to recast our social-cohesion policies to create social, economic and political conditions that ensure difference doesn\u2019t divide.<\/p>\n

The authors suggest that the \u201811 September 2001 attacks on the US that gave rise to the two-decade \u201cWar on Terror\u201d were also the catalyst for the gradual securitisation of social cohesion in Western liberal democracies\u2019. They point to the \u2018vast scope and number\u2019 of laws passed in Australia to address terrorism as evidence of increasing securitisation.<\/p>\n

Westendorf and Coyne acknowledge that social cohesion is linked to mitigating security threats but also point out that \u2018social-cohesion policy in Australia was focused on homogeneity and tying society together\u2019. They recognise that social cohesion ensures domestic security but question whether policy measures focused on social cohesion should be classified as security related.<\/p>\n

The links with security mean that for those arriving in Australia, the \u2018value statements as on-ramps to cohesion\u2019 are often interpreted more as statements of exclusion.<\/p>\n

Westendorf and Coyne suggest that these factors \u2018present a vexing policy challenge for Australia\u2019s next federal government\u2019 that has become even more difficult given the declining public trust in governments, the \u2018social impacts of Covid-19\u2019 and the increasing socioeconomic divide.<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, we\u2019ve seen anti-lockdown, anti-vaccination and climate change protests by groups that were \u2018mobilised by this perceived trust deficit\u2019. The authors acknowledge that high levels of compliance with health mandates, as well as the high rate of vaccination take-up, suggest that a \u2018functional level of trust has been maintained\u2019 in Australia. However, they also point to consistent polling, predating the pandemic by a decade, that indicates declining trust by Australians of the political and government systems.<\/p>\n

Westendorf and Coyne say the INXS song \u2018Never tear us apart\u2019 provides a metaphor for social cohesion in Australia. The key message of the lyrics is that \u2018these two individuals from different worlds\u2019 won\u2019t be torn apart by the challenges and pain of life.<\/p>\n

\u2018A socially cohesive society works towards the wellbeing of all its members, fights exclusion and marginalisation, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust, and offers its members the opportunity for upward mobility. In doing so, it creates economic, social and security benefits for individuals and the nation. In its absence, fault lines within our communities could result in domestic security impacts and national security vulnerabilities.\u2019<\/p>\n

The authors propose changing the aperture of social cohesion and acknowledging that it \u2018is a long-term adaptive aspirational activity\u2019. Specifically, \u2018the next government must focus on setting stronger policy foundations for social cohesion, which should be understood as connection and belonging enabled by greater equality and equitable representation\u2019.<\/p>\n

The way forward? A new government should start by emphasising \u2018its commitment to social cohesion and trust in government\u2019 by moving responsibility for social cohesion (excluding \u2018security-focused responsibilities for countering violent extremism\u2019) from the Department of Home Affairs to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.<\/p>\n

Westendorf and Coyne\u2019s big idea is to establish an \u2018independent social cohesion commissioner who would be responsible for coordinating federal policy measures with a clear social-cohesion focus\u2019. They also suggest that the government identify \u2018more inclusionary principles for social cohesion and drivers for trust in government\u2019 which would form the basis of a broader social-cohesion agenda.<\/p>\n

In the long term, the next government should develop a national strategy for social cohesion that incorporates policy measures that \u2018contribute to fighting exclusion and marginalisation, create a sense of belonging, promote trust and offer people the opportunity for upward mobility\u2019.<\/p>\n

The closing message in this chapter is that social cohesion can\u2019t be forced onto Australians and shouldn\u2019t exclude those who don\u2019t agree. We need to \u2018seek out differences and give voice to their proponents\u2019 through \u2018initiatives that promote the democratic process\u2019. We shouldn\u2019t allow Australia to be torn apart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 2 February, ASPI released Agenda for change 2022: shaping a different future for our nation to promote public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to Australia. The key message in Agenda for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1148,"featured_media":70442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3200,2011,1580],"class_list":["post-70438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-agenda-for-change-2022","tag-diversity","tag-resilience"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAgenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On 2 February, ASPI released Agenda for change 2022: shaping a different future for our nation to promote public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to Australia. The key message in Agenda for ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-14T00:00:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-17T02:22:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"873\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gill Savage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gill Savage\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg\",\"width\":873,\"height\":549,\"caption\":\"ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Power fans sing Never Tear Us Apart during the 2020 AFL First Qualifying Final match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Geelong Cats at Adelaide Oval on October 01, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/\",\"name\":\"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-14T00:00:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-17T02:22:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/b1d4a5fbaeb10fa32b0f0769bdda81ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/b1d4a5fbaeb10fa32b0f0769bdda81ec\",\"name\":\"Gill Savage\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6af86cc7f09dc4f25cf66e47ebcb170e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6af86cc7f09dc4f25cf66e47ebcb170e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gill Savage\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/gill-savage\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist","og_description":"On 2 February, ASPI released Agenda for change 2022: shaping a different future for our nation to promote public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to Australia. The key message in Agenda for ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2022-02-14T00:00:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-17T02:22:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":873,"height":549,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gill Savage","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gill Savage","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1228823821-e1644793688599.jpg","width":873,"height":549,"caption":"ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Power fans sing Never Tear Us Apart during the 2020 AFL First Qualifying Final match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Geelong Cats at Adelaide Oval on October 01, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/","name":"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2022-02-14T00:00:26+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-17T02:22:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/b1d4a5fbaeb10fa32b0f0769bdda81ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-for-change-2022-building-resilience-while-celebrating-diversity\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Agenda for change: building resilience while celebrating diversity"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/b1d4a5fbaeb10fa32b0f0769bdda81ec","name":"Gill Savage","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6af86cc7f09dc4f25cf66e47ebcb170e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6af86cc7f09dc4f25cf66e47ebcb170e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gill Savage"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/gill-savage\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70438"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70549,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70438\/revisions\/70549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}