This open document records indicators of the community's challenges as they accumulate. It complements a February 2001 document, Queensland's Challenge, which dealt with Queensland’s overall position at the start of the 21st century.

Subjects are in date order with the latest first. ARCHIVE contains older material on each subject.

Abreviations

A = The Australian
CM = Courier Mail
FR = Australian Financial Review

Prediction and Alternative

The most likely current response to the above problems can be expected to involve further political tinkering with policies, and with the staffing and structures of particular agencies.

Thus for the next 2-3 years problems like those listed above are likely to escalate for reasons outlined in Towards Good Government in Queensland (ie because of a lack of real-world competence in the support available to government in developing and implementing policy).

A preliminary suggestion about Renewal of Queensland's Public Service on a professional basis is available as one alternative. However far broader changes are required, eg probably including

• getting serious about developing the economy - which means (a) structural change - and also changes in the tactics used for economic management (b) recognition that economic capabilities must be market relevant (rather than designed to be 'for political show') and (c) starting such development with people (eg with the community and business leaders whose inability to cope with massively changed requirements for economic success has resulted in social stresses);
• attacking the very difficult public financial predicament which is emerging - and the presumably financially unsustainable institutional arrangements which exist for government 'business' undertakings;
• creating institutional capability to provide relevant policy 'raw material' to the political system - so that the state would no longer be left stranded between those with virtually nothing to say, and populists whose trendy programs have negligible chances of working;
• purging the constipated machinery of state administration - by building on capable people rather than on cronies, yes-men and paper-shuffling processes;
• development of models for enterprise bargaining which allow both equitable sharing of business income and the marketplace flexibility required to increase productivity (and value added);
• regulatory simplification -following a close look at the reason that past attempts to cut red tape have failed.

A framework within which current challenges might be managed has been speculated (see Direct Action to Make a Difference).

Cautions regarding information presented:

The reader is cautioned that:

• the evidence cited will be a matter of opinion to some degree. Claims that are 'grayed' seem most likely on the evidence quoted to remain controversial - though this is not to say that those claims may not be justified.

• other new challenges are continually emerging that potentially require competent attention (see Strategic Issues);

• the intention here is to introduce issues, rather than deal with them comprehensively;

• the major source of easily available information is the media - which: often has to rely on press releases that may present a particular slant on a situation; may not report many very significant developments and issues; may fabricate of sensationalize stories to boost sales; and can introduce errors or biases in others. There are likely to be many other, and often better, public sources - which are not systematically tapped due to a lack of resources;

• some issues are included that arise from causes that are clearly beyond local control;

• some foul-ups are to be expected in even the best run administrative system. Furthermore a symptom of administrative failure can be that there is a complete lack of any relevant initiatives. Thus the difference between the rate at which foul-ups and constructive initiatives occur (rather than whether there are any foul-ups) is the key indicator of whether or not administrative machinery is failing.

• the picture is not entirely bleak. Good news also emerges from time to time. Also ...

• some indicators may just reveal growing awareness of pre-existing difficulties, rather than those newly emerging. Reports of difficulties are not included here, if it is clear that they merely reflect efforts to solve pre-existing problems.

• reports are also omitted if they appear to reflect partisan claims for political or commercial gains.