Bunnings CEO Michael Schneider, former Tech Council CEO Kate Pounder and ex-NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet turned BHP advisor are among a new board members of a new political think tank led by Square Peg’s Paul Bassat.
Amplify is a non-partisan organisation, independent of political parties, and says it’s seeking to find the “uncommon ground” on issues Australians care about most.
While the 10-member board is mostly a mix of corporate and political elite, including former AFL boss turned gambling CEO Gill McLachlan, the cofounder of River Capital Suzi Carp and ex-Queensland minister Kate Jones, and the former secretary of the NSW department of education, Georgina Harrisson as Amplify’s CEO.
Amplify chair Paul Bassat said it will give a broad range of people the chance to have their voices heard and their concerns acted upon.
“Our society has become more divided, and we know that things will get worse if we don’t act now. That’s why Amplify was born,” he said.
“We believe Australians agree with each other far more than they disagree. Our goal is to bring people together to find ‘uncommon ground’ on issues that really matter.
While politics in the US and here in Australia has become hyper-partisan amid a drop off in political engagement and greater tribalism, supercharged by social media algorithms, Bassat said Amplify will aim to discover, develop, demonstrate, and promote complementary alternatives which will restore trust in public decision making.
“Amplify isn’t just about giving people a say – it’s about taking the policies adopted by our members and using the power of our community to spark change,” he said.
“Our aspiration is to help Australia become a more prosperous, fairer, better informed and happier country.”
The launch comes as federal treasurer Jim Chalmers fired a broadside at opposition leader Peter Dutton, accusing him of being “the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia’s modern history”, saying Dutton was dividing Australians “deliberately, almost pathologically”.
“At a time when most sane people see political divisiveness around the world and want to reject it, he wants to embrace it. It is the only plank in his political platform,” he said. “This is worse than disappointing, it is dangerous.”
Amplify’s ambitions cover similar ground to New Democracy, the 20-year-old political reform think tank founded by Transfield Holdings MD and arts patron Luca Belgiorno-Nettis. It also aims to restore trust in public decision making.
Amplify’s own research found that 84% of people want to be more involved in policy decisions. The same level believe politicians
prioritise winning votes over developing sound policies.
CEO Georgina Harrisson said it’s a grassroots organisation that will be led by its members.
“Our goal is to build a large and engaged community of Australians of all ages, all parts of the country and all walks of life,” she said.
“We believe our politicians are there to make a difference and Amplify will empower them to drive positive change. For too long our political debate has been driven by short-term factors and our society has become more divided – and we’re hoping to change that.”
Amplify will be hosting a series of in-person and online events in November titled “Better Australia”.
Membership of Amplify is free. See amplifyaus.org.
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