The government's white paper clings to the past as the rest of the world moves on

There are moments in history that come to define the world changing. After years or even decades of doing things a certain way, suddenly, everything changes. We look back, often in bemusement, shame or anger, and wonder how people accepted a certain way of doing things.

Changes once fiercely resisted become archaic: corporal punishment in schools, slavery, women and Aboriginal people denied the right to vote, the death penalty, LGBTIQ people denied the right to marry, the institutionalisation of people with disabilities … the list goes on.

Smart leaders who are at the right place at the right time, sense the zeitgeist, capture a nation’s hopes and dreams and catapult themselves into the history books as the personification of that change. Visionary leaders look to the future, wonder what we’ll reflect back on in 30 to 50 years and take the first steps on an alternative path.

Our world is undergoing a once in a generation period of significant disruption to the status quo.

The “trickle down” neoliberal economy that replaced the welfare-state economy has the stench of decay. Wealth is not trickling down: the rich and powerful have structured our economy so that the fruits of our collective efforts are concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Extreme inequality is a major factor causing people to turn to the old gods of blood (race) and soil (nationalism). But a “wellbeing” state that puts people and planet at its heart could trump the nationalists.

Public concern about the environment and climate damage, combined with technological progress, means the writing is on the wall for coal and big polluters.

The US dominance as a superpower is waning as China is becoming more powerful (economically, diplomatically and militarily). Global tension is rising and economic power is shifting to three of the four most populous countries on earth: China, India and Indonesia as well as Japan.

These are just a few of the major global challenges and opportunities confronting us.

A smart government would grasp the future and get ahead of the curve. Yet on Thursday, the government released a foreign policy white paper that desperately clings to the past while the rest of the world moves on. Its primary focus is terrorism, trade and Trump (even if it doesn’t mention him by name).

Security gets 207 mentions, inequality gets 8.

Trade gets 182 mentions, poverty 29.

Terrorism gets 40 mentions, climate change 29.

It sidelines the almost 9,000 people who wrote individual submissions with consistent messages that climate change, inequality and poverty should be foreign policy priorities, and that Australian aid is a key tool to help deliver a fairer world.

The foreign policy white paper should encapsulate the kind of world we want to live in and the role Australia can play in helping to realise that vision. Instead, it paints a bleak picture for our future world and Australia’s part in it.

The Campaign for Australian Aid has released its own “People’s White Paper” report called One Humanity, which is a starting point for a conversation about our changing world.

A nation blessed with abundant sun, land, waves and wind and with Pacific neighbours facing raising oceans should be leading the world on renewables and action on climate damage.

A nation with the geographical advantage of China, India and Japan on our doorstep should be crafting a more independent foreign policy.

The nation of the “fair go” ought to be championing reducing economic and gender inequality, including domestic policies and global pressure to ensure corporations pay fair taxes and living wages, wherever they operate.

A nation with aspirations to have a meaningful role in shaping the world for the better ought to be significantly increasing aid and ensuring that aid is used to advance the global sustainable development goals and tackle poverty.

Most Australians recognise the need for change and don’t like the way this country is headed. What we need now is a prime minister who’s ready to listen.

• Tony Milne is the director of the Campaign for Australian Aid.