Larissa Berendt

Inclusion has never weakened a society, it has always made it stronger.

While permission for racial discrimination still sits within our constitution, it is even more important that we ensure our civil society is strong, just and inclusive.

In a time of increasing geopolitical divisions, we need to value, nurture and fiercely protect inclusivity and social cohesion.

As the divide between rich and poor, especially in relation to intergenerational wealth, continues to feel more pronounced, we need to strongly embrace the values of equality and fairness.

We need to celebrate the strengths of our democratic institutions, including our legal system, but we need to continue to increase both its inclusivity and its resilience.

The future of Australian democracy lies not just in its courts, but in its classrooms, its cultural institutions, its stories, its creative practices, and its courage to imagine.

If we invest in justice and imagination, we invest in a democracy that will outlast us all.