The Lucky Country Conference

In 1964, Donald Horne wrote "Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck." It was a searing criticism that has now been adopted as a nationalistic boast.

Luck: it's a millstone round our neck. We take it for granted, and we don't ask why. We don't say we work harder than other countries, or that we're stronger or smarter or more creative, or even that we've been blessed by destiny. We're just luckier. And that leads nowhere.

If the world is ruled by luck then we start over every morning. There's no need to think about our history, or our advantages, or our faults; they're not relevant. There's no reason to think we have any responsibility to anyone. Let them win their own lottery. There's no reason to be concerned about the future: we've always been lucky before. We don't have to feel guilty, or grateful, or responsible.

At Communities in Control Conference 2014 we sought to bring values back into the equation - to shine the spotlight on what we've gained and lost as a society, and how we can organise ourselves to get from where we are to where we need to be.