A letter from the Directors of the Australian Renaissance Party
We grew up in an Australia with one of the highest standards of living in the world. The air was clean, kids rode bikes in the streets, crime was low. People felt safe and connected. We see that Australia is slipping away, and it is slipping away at the worst possible moment.
The core problem we face is straightforward, and it is already upon us.
Artificial intelligence is good, and it is getting better. It is already substituting for tasks across our entire economy. Soon it will be replacing entire jobs; not just hollowing them out, as is happening now, and as we predicted in our 2018 submission to the Australian Senate.
On one hand, companies see AI as a panacea; a way to minimise the cost of labour, to improve efficiency and quality in accordance with ISO 9000. And they are right. Industry demands sameness. Sameness allows supply chains to function, international capitalism to work, quality and reliability to be guaranteed. But Humans are not built for sameness. We were shaped by an evolutionary model that requires variance to survive change. We work, we tire, we make mistakes, we learn and try again. Some of us are better at different things than others. These are not bugs, they are the features built into us that worked in the way evolution demands, we survived, we adapted across three hundred thousand years. Yet in a system built on sameness, these once strengths have become liabilities.
It is therefore inevitable that a system built on sameness will, slowly but surely, edge people out. The workforce market does not need to intend displacement. The quality framework mandates it.
The Failure of Government
The second problem we face is that government is not up to the changes that are upon us. They are coming too fast, and they will affect different groups within the country differently. This is the crutch on which political factionalism will flourish.
On one side: denialism. "AI will never replace humans, it does not destroy jobs, it only changes them". On another: uncritical embrace. "AI is good for industry, it makes us more competitive, we must have it to stay relevant in the world then it will make us all rich". And then there is a third group that simply worries: "How do I keep my job? Pay my mortgage? Can I afford to marry? Can I afford to have children?".
Politics and politicians try to balance these fears while attracting the donations of corporate interests; interests who give those donations so as to have a louder voice in government than any ordinary citizen can hope to match. The result of all this is paralysis dressed as policy. No party currently in parliament was built to navigate what is coming, because the problem did not exist when they were formed, and the donation model that sustains them depends on the very corporations driving the substitution.
Our Task
The task we have set ourselves is threefold.
Firstly: to get the message across that AI is real, it is here, and it is not stopping. It will have a significant effect on the composition of the workforce and the division of wealth going forward. This is not speculation. It is the observable present.
Secondly: to help people understand the root causes of the factionalism that drives political division — and what we can do to truly maintain the egalitarian, give-everyone-a-fair-go culture that was certainly present in our youth. Division serves those who profit from inaction. Unity is the precondition for a managed transition.
Thirdly: to express hope. Australia is, at its core, a lucky country. We have vast wealth and a small population, a good climate, and a historical legacy — not perfect, but one acclaimed for inclusion and for giving people a fair go. If any country on earth can navigate this transition well, it is this one.
The Urgency
One of the immediate problems is that the tsunami of AI change is on us now and faster than our political process can match. This next Federal Election will set us on the course for what happens next. The existing parties are either too factionally invested - Liberal, Labour - or riding on fear and a valid sense of concern - One Nation. None of them are addressing the core issue: that government by the people is not fast enough, smart enough, or invested enough to steer this ship, or any ship of state. Politicians want to be re-elected above all else.
We have a solution. It is not a radical departure. It does not require referendums or constitutional reform. A simple way forward that uses the strength of AI where it can be best applied: in government itelf.
What We Propose
a. No one left behind.
b. Everyone should have the ability to engage within society — that is, to work — not just sit on couches on a dole or UBI.
c. Families are important, and the maintenance of families — typically domestic labour — should be paid.
d. Universal health insurance. We do not want an industry to become an end-of-life money grab, as it has in some countries.
In this model, a politician's role is to face their electorate, for one term and one term only, and to bring to the attention of the ABS information that may have been missed or lagging in the statistics. Their parliamentary responsibility is fulfilled through a pledge to do what the AI models recommend as best for the maximal growth of the common wealth and the health and happiness of its citizens.
Critics will argue such a sovereign model would cost Billions, that is nonesense. Australia could distill a capable model for millions. We have the expertise, the data. All we need is the political will.
How you can help?
You can help by becoming a member. Membership is free while we get our first 1500. We are also looking for people who would like to represent their electorate and who think they could work within our public facing model. Most of all you can engage, read our site, make comments, suggestions and talk about the issues. Most of all, add your voice; Democracy dies in silence
— The Directors, Australian Renaissance Party