Negotiation depends on something more basic than compromise. It requires each side to accept that the other still has a legitimate place in the process. When that recognition disappears, conflict changes, and peacebuilding must begin before anyone reaches the negotiating table.
Peace is often mistaken for agreement or calm. In reality, democracy depends on something deeper: a shared enough sense of reality and the ability to recognise each other as legitimate participants in public life. This article explores how misinformation, fractured trust, and declining empathy are weakening those foundations, and why that matters for peace.
What if peace was something we built at home, not just in Parliament? This bold proposal from Ministry for Peace Australia reframes unpaid parenting, community work, and elder care as national priorities—and outlines exactly how we can fund them.