MEDIA STATEMENT: Hundreds of conversations at IndiTalks A Politicians Pledge, a Country Summit and making ethics as important as economics in government policy deliberations, were some of the key ideas to resonate with those hundreds of people who attended Voices for Indi’s IndiTalks events in Swanpool and Yackandandah this weekend. A Politicians Pledge to be signed by all candidates and which commits them to high standards of ethical behavior was one of the many ideas proposed by guest speaker Simon Longstaff AO, CEO of the St James Ethics Centre. The idea for an annual Country Summit where local organisations would come together to debate issues and reach a consensus that would inform their local Members of Parliament came from a rich discussion led by Tony Windsor. There were also conversations about why ethical considerations in government have been lost by an elevated focus on economics. More than one hundred and twenty people attended IndiTalks in Swanpool on Saturday and one hundred and forty five people participated at today’s Yackandadah event. Both events were headlined by former Federal Independent Tony Windsor and Dr Simon Longstaff AO, Executive Director of the St James Ethics Centre. Mr Windsor and Mr Longstaff were joined by locals for panel discussions. In Swanpool this included former Commissioner for the Environment Kate Auty along with Mansfield community identity Joan Tehan. In Yackandandah today Murmungee resident Judy Brewer who is a well-known family advocate, speaker and writer joined former Indigo Shire Council Mayor Ali Pockley on the panel. Voices for Indi President, Alana Johnson, said IndiTalks had come about due to a strong desire expressed by many people in Indi and beyond, to better understand how our political system operates and the role of ethics in our government. “It was wonderful to see people truly understand the implications of d Dr Simon Longstaff explaining that politicians have no intrinsic power but only exercise the authority that has been invested in them by the people, Ms Johnson said . Tony Windsor stated that the world is run by those who turn up, and the people of Indi are not just turning up, but willing to act.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 03:58:13 +0000
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