Since the last update, we’ve had a swell in numbers. Over 300 people have now signed. We still have a long road ahead to make our government wake up and take notice but I am confident we will get there. And a big thank you of course to everyone who has signed and those who continue to share the petition and discuss these issues with those close to them. If you have 5 minutes today, I encourage you to have a chat with someone about the petition and your thoughts on the subject. I also welcome you to share this on whichever platform you like,  social, email, even paper mail. The more support we can gather the better.

This past week and a half I’ve been speaking with various people. I also received a response from Mr Trevor Evans which I will summarise below. Firstly however I’d like to put out a call to anyone who would like to share their thoughts in more detail. I plan to start kicking off some online live hangouts with interested people to discuss the petition, our current government, and what we can do to improve the governance of Australia. If you’d like to partake please email dbmrla@gmail.com and check the next change.org update for details to join or watch. If you have topics you’d like to suggest as well, please send them through. I also welcome any questions or comments on the petition and progress so far.

On to the email from Mr Evans, Federal Representative for Brisbane. Here are the key notes: Disappointed in the events of last month, Mr Evans said he wants to bring back stability, predictability and certainty back to Canberra after the decade of turbulence before he was elected. Additionally Mr Evans stated he is unsure about a possible new process around changing how party leadership is determined. Understanding the aim and necessity he still believes the current system has served us well and has only shown weakness due to a breakdown in the media model or possibly due to the current generation of leaders. Lastly Mr Evans has suggested joining a political party as the views and policies of such are often a reflection of their members, and has himself had some good conversations with the next generation if upcoming leaders whom we may rally behind. Out of repspect I haven’t published the full letter yet, but will do so should Mr Evans agree to it.

In promoting this petition and speaking with signatories and interested parties, I have had a few requests and suggestions. In the main, most agree there is a problem however, a few have recommended this petition be rewritten to affirimitively address the problem and suggest alternatives. I have been hesitant to do so as I would prefer any actions or goals be defined by the signatories and not one individual. That said, I may update this petition in coming days to be a little more clear. I welcome anyone who has signed to send their ideas and / or feedback to dbmrla@gmail.com. Furthermore, there are quite a few people who believe the Westminster system on which our government is based, has served us well in recent years, especially when compared with other western countries and emerging democracies. A change to it, some feel may potentially do more harm than good. Though many agree the three year term and how leaders are elected needs some revision. Overall I would like to reiterate this is not a call to change the government system entirely (to another fundamental system e.g. socialism, facism, republic, etc.) but instead remove the current generation of leaders, build on our existing system, improve the way decisions are made, ensure representation of all demographics, and ideally remove impediments to good governance.

I thank you for support and in summary if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or would like to be a part of the live hangouts please email dbmrla@gmail.com.