Battle of the big ideas

The contest between Labor and Liberal - indeed all political parties should really be a battle of the *big ideas*.

Each party should have a robust "idea generator culture" where elected members and others can contribute and debate the big ideas and then offer the best of them to the electorate at the next election.

These big ideas should reflect the policy positions of the parties with respect to the major issues that influence our lives - indeed all government touchpoints.

But do they?

The last time the Liberals had a *big idea*, they didn't even bother to mention it prior to imposing it on the electorate after the 2004 election - that was WorkChoices. Not so much a big idea as a big cock up.

In contrast, the *reds* seem to generate a lot of big ideas - the most recent is the work that Frank Brennan and others have done with The National Human Rights Consultation Committee.

This is important work and will add enormously to the debate around human rights and how we as a nation should move forward.

But already the usual suspects have started to criticse the report - without offering any constructive alternatives - except the status quo - which seems also to be the *blues* position.

In particular, the Murdoch press apparently think that any ideas that come from the *red* team are bad - while non-ideas from the *blue* team are good. It's all very tiresome.

I would actually like to see (and hear) the *blues* generate some *big ideas* so that we can get to learn what they stand for and what they intend to offer at the next election.

I know the *reds* will be doing it - and hope we can encourage the other teams to generate and publish their *big ideas* too.

Are the *blues* up to it? Do they actually have any *big ideas*? Can they mention them?