• families (the foundation of society but unrepresented in public life)

• consumers (our two political parties represent employers and employees, but not consumers)

• people with disabilities, chronic and mental illnesses and their families/carers (the most invisible and vulnerable Australians)

• the aged (regarded as not important or productive in our culture)

• volunteers in communities (the glue in society but unrepresented in our halls of power)

• small businesses and independent owners (the backbone of our economy and employment but overlooked by governments)

• individuals and communities who practice self-help (whose voices are rarely heard )

These people are the forgotten people in Australian decision-making, ignored by the Two Establishments in our country - the Establishment of the Right (the big end of town, corporate power) and the Establishment of the Left (public sector managers, bureaucrats, and union officials).

Our Respect. Empower. Include. campaign will gather Australians from diverse social and political backgrounds on a federal electorate basis to develop a public leadership that can influence governments and public policy. It's agenda is based on a simple five point platform for empowerment:

• We can help ourselves - self-help and mutual aid are important in recovery from addictions, mental illness, indigenous dysfunction, natural disasters, social isolation, and rural decline;
   

• We can make decisions - self-directed services and personal budgets are the next step in empowering people in social support, health and education;
   

• We can share in ownership - a capitalisation of ordinary Australians - enabling all of us to be owners not wage or pension serfs - is the key to equity and prosperity;
   

• We can shape our economy - we need a re-localisation of economics, a break-up of corporate cartels, an end to corporate welfare, and a re-moralisation of markets; 
   

• We can change our politics - the introduction of a living allowance instead of a salary for politicians will clean out our parliaments and attract a new breed of representative motivated by service to community rather than career.

Australians have disengaged from public decision-making on a massive scale. Our politicians are drawn almost entirely from the ranks of lawyers, trade union officials, and staffers for other politicians. Public policy is decided by vested interest pressure groups, provider and business interests, and career politicians. These groups have filled the vacuum in public citizenship.       
                                     
Where are the mechanics, the nurses, the home makers, the social entrepreneurs, the families, the seniors, and the  consumers in these processes?

The term 'civil society' refers to the relationships and associations that make up our life at grass-roots levels of society, independent of government (in families, neighbourhoods and voluntary associations). Our aim is to strengthen civil society and empower people within it.

The Centre for Civil Society is a social innovation and public policy think tank. The powerful have their think tanks to help them - we need our think tank to help us. The Centre is dedicated to empowering ordinary Australians in our roles as citizens, consumers, parents and carers, modest owners of assets, small business proprietors, and members of communities.

We welcome people from all political parties, and people who are members of none.

We want to strengthen civil society and curtail the power of elites, media moguls, bureaucrats, the big end of town, service providers and vested interest lobby groups.

Our core values are: