No idea what came from the gabfest, except one medical thing...can't remember what...but it turns out it already exists.

If I can find that I'll post.

But Rudd got some good photos with Cate and Hugh, and one very nice pic of him sitting on the floor???!!!



Edited to add:

Found this Pommy, if interested.



http://www.australia2020.gov.au/final_report/index.cfm

Thanks koko, I haven't had time to read the whole report, but it seems to me that there is nothing there that joe blow in the street couldn't have told them. I 'm surprised that I haven't been chastised for my one eyed anti Rudd views. All I can say is that unfortunately I have both eyes open and I am not impressed. Fuel Watch, 20/20, Grocery Watch, when will it end.

Thanks koko, I haven't had time to read the whole report, but it seems to me that there is nothing there that joe blow in the street couldn't have told them. I 'm surprised that I haven't been chastised for my one eyed anti Rudd views. All I can say is that unfortunately I have both eyes open and I am not impressed. Fuel Watch, 20/20, Grocery Watch, when will it end.



After skimming through some of it, I came to the same conclusion, Pommy.

But you see, at the time, Rudd didn't know about the economic outlook,....even though every economic expert I had heard at the time, and prior, were warning us...including Costello, even before the election...so Rudd had to look as though he was doing [u]something[/u].

Thanks koko, I haven't had time to read the whole report, but it seems to me that there is nothing there that joe blow in the street couldn't have told them. I 'm surprised that I haven't been chastised for my one eyed anti Rudd views. All I can say is that unfortunately I have both eyes open and I am not impressed. Fuel Watch, 20/20, Grocery Watch, when will it end.



After skimming through some of it, I came to the same conclusion, Pommy.

But you see, at the time, Rudd didn't know about the economic outlook,....even though every economic expert I had heard at the time, and prior, were warning us...including Costello, even before the election...so Rudd had to look as though he was doing [u]something[/u].



Add to that at the time Rudd had no experience at governance except Shadow Foreign Affairs and had worked as a minor diplomat and Chief of Staff to Wayne Goss where he was known as Doctor Death for the new a'holes he reamed his staff for any minor misdemeanour's. A practice he continues today as he cant keep staff in the PM's office and has turned over more in 18 months than any other PM in years.



Had to get some ideas going on how to do it - well when one is captivated by 'celebrities' one gets them to tell you their amazing thoughts particularly when we the lay folk with a modicum of intelligence know that any stars are generally a bit dumb except on their own particular talent and general knowledge well - only have to see the dumb questions asked in the Celebrity Game shows which they still cant answer - ROFL



Not being harsh - every person has a talent and some that reach stardom deserve praise but they are not a font of wisdom by any means.

UPDATE:







A YEAR ago tomorrow, more than 1000 of the nation's best and brightest gathered, enthusiastic and idealistic, for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 2020 talkfest.



"We are throwing open the windows of our democracy," the Prime Minister declared, and over two days the ideas flew forth, some sweepingly ambitious, a few a bit crazy, in hope of striking a chord.



The Prime Minister asked the 10 groups for one big idea each, three concrete policy ideas, and three 2020 goals. Participants laboured with butcher's paper. Mr Rudd promised responses by year's end, but these were delayed, first until January, then, as Government attention was focused on the global crisis, put off again. The summit became very "2008" for a Government with the new all-consuming priority of the economy.



Now, finally, the responses are to be released to coincide with Wednesday's community cabinet in Perth.



Action is being announced on nine modest proposals, including a children's TV station, "golden gurus" (retired people who would become workforce mentors), a study for an indigenous national knowledge and cultural centre, and backing for the bionic eye.



But there will also be responses for the hundreds of other ideas. The Government will claim to be doing a lot on them.



Of the 170 ideas put up by the productivity group, 111 are being taken forward, while 43 are being considered further.



The economy group produced 111 ideas: 68 are being taken forward, 39 considered further. Of 82 ideas on sustainability, 57 are going forward, 22 are under consideration.



The figures for the other groups are: rural, 158 ideas, 106 going forward, 22 considered further; health, 171 ideas, 81 taken forward, 55 considered further; community and families, 242 ideas, 86 taken forward, 107 considered further; indigenous, 81 ideas, 38 taken forward, 35 considered further; creative, 160 ideas, 32 taken forward, 82 considered further; governance, 184 ideas, 90 taken forward, 43 considered further; and Australia's future security, 54 ideas, 40 taken forward, nine considered further.



Those in the summit's economics group had early success. Their call for a "comprehensive tax review" was quickly embraced. No wonder — it was something Treasurer Wayne Swan, the group's co-chairman, favoured. The tax proposal showed how the summit was used to reinforce the Government's agenda.



Ted Evans, former Treasury secretary and now chairman of Westpac, who was in the group, says the summit was "a very good idea". "It's important for the Government to be listening to opinions from as wide an audience as possible." But he says it was "managed", including in the group reporting, which was vetted by the Government.



The summit's overwhelming support for a republic — the most popular proposal — has fallen on deaf ears. It is believed to be in the "being considered further" category.



University of NSW law professor George Williams, a member of the governance group, can understand why the republic is not a priority during the global crisis. "I'd simply hope when we emerge from that, there is space to progress a nation-building issue like the republic," he says.



Greg Craven, vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, would like to see "a commitment to the start of a process" but accepts "the process will take time".



Samina Yasmeen, director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at the University of Western Australia, part of the security group, felt like she was in kindergarten, with facilitators saying, "Run here, jump there." But "despite the kindy-style facilitation, people did end up talking about important issues".



Louise Adler, chief executive of Melbourne University Publishing, in the creative group, got from the summit a "sense that ideas mattered again in Australia". Kim Williams, chief executive of Foxtel and chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust, was delighted to be in a forum where the arts were not treated "as some kind of hobby".



The summiteers might have expected responses earlier. But Professor Craven says: "They are a wartime government — the economy is the enemy," which makes it perfectly reasonable.











http://www.theage.com.au/national/lots-of-2020-action-but-no-republic-20090417-aa9r.html?page=-1

Pommy, the bionic eye was the "idea" already invented that I was trying to remember.

The following video shows a demo. There's an ad at the beginning of the video, so don't think I've posted the wrong one.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080422-bionic-video-ap.html