Don’t look back

Nostalgia was once thought to be a potentially fatal illness, but is now co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies harking back to ‘better days’ which perhaps never existed.

The nature of nature

Changing the dictionary definition of nature from “as opposed to humans” to “including humans” would encourage people to use the word in a way that reflects how humans are intertwined with the whole web of life.

Small is beautiful

While large animals may dominate nature documentaries, most life on Earth is very small indeed, for very good reasons.

Nobel Prize Dialogue Sydney

The unprecedented challenges the world faces today demand cooperation on a global scale, but our decision-making systems were not designed to deal with such complexity. Understanding and improving the way we make decisions – as individuals, as corporations, as nations and collectively as a species – will help us address pressing global issues more effectively. […]

The Second Track

The “Second Track” process underpins GAP initiatives to streamline hithero ad-hoc mechanisms for stakeholder engagement in government consultation and decision making. A “Second Track” Process brings together creative thinkers from relevant sectors such government, business, academia, non-government organisations and consumer groups to consider issues positively and drive practical outcomes. Working collaboratively, these groups identify problems, […]

Global Access Partners

GAP will discuss education and life-long learning at its annual summit in September. Here are a range of articles published on Open Forum discussing some of the issues and solutions at hand.

Fritz Family Foundation

The Fritz Family Foundation supports initiatives and projects that provide benevolent relief to disadvantaged families to help more vulnerable children engage in early learning programs. We partner with visionary people and organisations who share our passion for high-quality early childhood education for all young Australians. A good start helps children succeed in school and work […]

The Journal of Behavioural Economics and Social Systems (BESS)

The Journal of Behavioural Economics and Social Systems (BESS) The Journal of Behavioural Economics and Social Systems (BESS) uses insights from behavioural economics to help understand the most pressing challenges facing the world today. BESS explores the theory underpinning the practice of the ‘Second Track’ with a view to broaden recognition of the methodology and encourage […]

The International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP)

The International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP) Established by GAP in July 2017, the ICDP is an independent, non-profit, non-political organisation that encourages and facilitates dialogue, discussions and better relationships between current and emerging Pacific and Australian leaders in government, civil society and the private sector on common challenges. A stable and prosperous Pacific is […]

Australia’s Health

Please join us as we explore Australia’s health. What does the future look like and what is the potential for innovators to leave a lasting legacy, one with the potential to both enhance our life expectancy whilst also improving our quality of life?

Space

The announcement of an Australian space agency bought great excitement at the recent International Astronautical Congress. And so it should – Australia spends billions of dollars a year on foreign data and technology which could soon be sourced domestically. We invite you to join the discussion on this dynamic topic and continue the momentum towards the development of a strong Australian space industry.

Cyber Security

How do we, as a nation, ensure we have the technology, and also the skillset, to combat massive data breaches? How do our governments regulate a threat that has permeable borders and no global framework? Our current Featured Forum is Cyber Security, and we invite your comments to ejohnson@openforum.com.au on this vast and fast-moving topic.