Welcome to Australia's first national community-based futures planning process
We have it in our power to create the world anew
Welcome to participation with Australians in building Australia Together
Australian Community Futures Planning - ACFP - has designed a process that can bring Australians together for the first time to plan a better future for:
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our society
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our environment
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our economy and
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our governance.
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Australians have never done this before. The plan they can build is called Australia Together. ​Any Australian can become involved in building Australia Together, including school children. Click here to find out more about Australia Together.
ACFP is providing the coordination process and research necessary for Australia Together by establishing a centre of excellence in National Integrated Planning & Reporting or National IP&R. This is totally new in Australia. Click here to find out more about National IP&R.
Click here to view the latest draft of
Australia Together
How to become involved in building Australia Together
Between 2020 and 2026, ACFP will be in start up phase. During that time we will be:
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pilot testing the whole process of National IP&R to assess whether it is working efficiently to help Australians become involved in planning for their future; and
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testing the structure of Australia Together itself by building what we call "starting drafts" of the plan, each of which will be released for public comment and tested for their efficiency in helping Australians select the best combination of integrated Targets and Strategies for a better future.
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While the starting draft of the plan is growing there will be ongoing opportunities for Australians to get involved in building Australia Together including by:
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providing comments and suggestions about the Vision for Australia Together;
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providing comments and suggestions about the Directions for Australia Together,
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providing suggestions on Targets and Strategies for Australia Together, or
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simply watching Australia Together being built.
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All comments and suggestions on Targets and Strategies are being and will be responded to. Documentation on how feedback has resulted in changes or inclusion of new Targets and Strategies is provided by Newsletters. Access all Newsletters here.
For the period 2020 to 2022 ACFP designed a Community Engagement Program for Australia Together which provided a time sequence for developing the first drafts of the integrated plan and producing reports. This was Australia's first ever cycle of National IP&R. The sequence was aligned to the Australian federal election cycle and was completed just prior to termination of the 46th parliament of Australia. See below for more information on the completion of this first ever cycle of National IP&R.
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For the period 2022 to 2025 a second cycle of National Integrated Planning & Reporting will be undertaken and research will continue to ensure Australians have the tools they need to be able to contribute to the plan and monitor the nation's progress towards its Vision. As in the first cycle, Australians can comment on and make suggestions about Australia Together at any time:
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Surveys about the Vision and Directions for Australia Together are always open.
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Suggestions about Targets and Strategies that may be included in Australia Together can also be made at any time by email to info@austcfp.com.au
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Find information and forms for suggesting Targets and Strategies for inclusion in Australia Together here.
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What happened in the first cycle of National IP&R?
Between 2020 and 2022 ACFP completed the first cycle of National Integrated Planning & Reporting for Australia. The cycle was completed just before the 2022 federal election and involved a 3-stage program of:
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development of a structure for the plan itself - Australia Together - so that it functions well to help Australians efficiently select and integrate Targets and Strategies to make their Vision a reality;
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conducting research on the expressed values and aspirations of Australians to assemble a draft Vision for Australia Together;
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conducting research to identify the top areas of weakness in national performance and priority areas for improvement if we are to make the Vision a reality - The State of Australia 2020.
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beginning to populate a starting draft of the plan with some Targets and Strategies, all of which were selected because they would:
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enhance the chances of making the Vision for Australia Together a reality, and
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ensure we travel towards the Vision via safe Directions;
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building the database to set the factual starting points for the plan and the Targets - this is the Australia Together National Wellbeing Index;
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beginning to release issues of the starting draft for comment and suggestions:
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Issue No. 1 - released May 2021 - contained 180 Targets and Strategies for Australians' wellbeing and security,
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Issue No. 6 - released July 2022 - contained 275 Targets and Strategies; and finally
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producing an End of Term Report on progress towards (or away from) the Vision for Australia Together during the term of office of the 46th federal parliament - The State of Australia 2022.
Prior to the federal election in May 2022, ACFP completed a full cycle of National IP&R for the 46th parliament.
A new cycle has commenced for the 47th parliament.
The next cycle of National IP&R - 2022 to 2025
Between 2022 and 2025 ACFP will undertake a second cycle of National IP&R and will continue to test whether the process is working to help Australians become involved efficiently in the planning process if they wish.
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We will continue to keep comment channels open and develop more feedback forms to assist people to make comments and suggestions about Strategies and Targets as well as the Vision and Directions of Australia Together.
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We will also continue to test whether the structure of the integrated plan is functioning well to help isolate the best combination of Strategies likely to help us make the Vision for Australia Together a reality by 2050 or sooner. And we will continue to release issues of the starting draft of Australia Together.
Our aim in testing National IP&R is to ensure we have a process which makes it easy for Australians to become involved if they wish and easy to see that progress is being made toward our preferred future, and what we can do about it if it is not. For this purpose ACFP will continue with its multi-pronged research program, the results of which are always open to the public.
The aim of ACFP's research program has been to ensure Australians have all the tools and information they need to participate in planning a better future. The program has included research to:
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develop the National IP&R process - to ensure it is efficient, accessible and usable by anyone over the age of 14;
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establish a structure for the long term national integrated plan itself - to ensure it results in efficient selection of the best combination of integrated Targets and Strategies;
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assemble a draft Vision and Directions based on the stated values of Australians and their preferences for a better future - this research will be ongoing; and
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develop a comprehensive national wellbeing index - this too will be ongoing.
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In 2022 a fifth strand of research was added on necessary reforms of the Australian Constitution. This research is to ensure that a place can be made for the voices of Australians in matters that affect them. For more information read The People's Constitution here.
Suggestions for Australia Together
Would you like to comment on or add ideas to Australia Together?
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ACFP is helping Australians to incorporate changes to Australia Together and to continuously build a stronger plan that will gather widespread support over time. Suggestions are always welcome, especially about:
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ideals not covered in the Vision and Directions for Australia Together;
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Targets and Strategies needed to make the Vision a reality; and
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sources of data for inclusion in the Australia Together National Wellbeing Index established for the plan.
The Australia Together National Wellbeing Index is the nation's first consolidated set of measures for the health of our society, environment, economy and democracy relevant to the plan for Australia Together. It is the first consolidated index capable of measuring the nation's progress towards or away from the Vision of this particular plan.
Read more about the Australia Together National Wellbeing Index here.
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If you are interested in suggesting a new Target or Strategy for Australia Together, all you need to do is follow the signposts showing the 57 safe Directions that Australians can take towards the Vision for Australia Together. Sound Strategies and Targets tend to arise naturally from the signpost system. When making a suggestion, please tell us how it follows the signposts and therefore fits with the safe Directions of travel to the future. Find the form for suggestions.
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Click here for full information on how to suggest a Target or Strategy for Australia Together.
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Find out more about the Australia Together signpost system and discover how easy it is to use when developing strategies for a better future. Watch Episode 2 Part 1 of ACFP's video series on What is Integrated Planning & Reporting? here.
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Want to make suggestions on Australia Together?
Complete our online
suggestion forms.
We have it in our power to create the world anew