TitledOur Future World,the report is a timely document that highlights issues that have a “trajectory of change likely to have a substantial and transformative impact on individual,organisations and societies”.
It describes seven mega trends – climate change,autonomy,health imperatives,geopolitics,the digital economy,the global push to net zero,and unlocking human potential in decision-making.
These individual challenges,whether they are foreign coercion and aggression,economic downturns,natural disasters and pandemics,or internal strife,are normally difficult to address at the national or state levels. But they can,and have,been dealt with since Federation. However,it is the interaction of these developments,and their impact on Australian prosperity,resilience and sovereignty,where the real interest lies for the national security community.
The CSIRO report makes clear that our nation is increasingly likely to have to address many (or all) of these challenges concurrently. This places extreme stress on the community. It is also likely to stretch existing state and federal institutions and the associated coordinating mechanisms well beyond current capacity. There are several implications.
First,Australia needs to invest in a greater level of national resilience in the face of these challenges. Resilience takes many forms – robust communications networks;assured access to energy,transport,medicines and food;trusted government institutions;effective educational structures;community organisations;and proven co-ordination mechanisms between state and federal institutions,and between governments and other elements of national power including the business and academic communities.
The COVID pandemic has shown that the vast majority of Australians possess a pragmatic understanding of the balance between individual and collective rights and responsibilities. We should take heart from this;it is a quality that says much about our country. It is also a foundation upon which initiatives to make our nation more resilient might be constructed.