A fair go for all: Why Australia needs intergenerational policymaking
Abstract
The desire – and need – for intergenerational policymaking has never been greater. This research sought to understand the extent to which Australian voters care about longterm policymaking, whether politicians and government are matching their expectations regarding long-term policymaking, and what priorities Australian voters see as key issues requiring more intergenerational approaches to policymaking.
We find that:
- 97% believe that policies today should take into account the interests of future generations.
- 81% agree that Australian politicians generally think too short-term when making decisions.
- Three quarters agree that visions for the next 10-20 years are given too little emphasis in the political debate in Australia.
- Australians have the least confidence in policymakers’ skills and knowledge to make policy on AUKUS, artificial intelligence and climate adaptation.
- 78% believe that Australia should establish a Commissioner for Future Generations.
Australians across different demographics had relatively consistent views on long-term policymaking, however there were some key differences:
- Young people have a more positive view of policymakers' skills and knowledge than older generations.
- Older generations tended to rank health a higher priority concern than young people.
- LGBTIQ+ are 20 percentage points more likely than heterosexual people to care about the loss of biodiversity in Australia (63% compared to 43%)
- People with a disability were more than twice as likely to strongly disagree that policymakers have the skills or knowledge to develop long-term policy on housing (20% as compared to 9%) on average.
- Women were much more likely to care about healthcare, wellbeing for children and youth, welfare, and economic reform for environmental sustainability than men are.
The Fair Go for All: Intergenerational Justice Policy Survey, an EveryGen report was co-authored by Professor Susan Harris Rimmer, Griffith University, Dr Elise Stephenson, The Australian National University (ANU), and Taylor Hawkins, Foundations for Tomorrow.