{"id":1429,"date":"2025-12-21T15:33:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T05:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/?p=1429"},"modified":"2025-12-21T16:09:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T06:09:04","slug":"first-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/first-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"First Principles for a People\u2011Centred System of Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why our Assemblies are being built from the ground up<\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong> Starting With First Principles<\/h2>\n

Across history, many systems of government have been created, but all can be classed under one of two primary divisions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First, government by election and representation,<\/li>\n
  2. Secondly, government by hereditary succession.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most nations inherit their form from the past, adapt existing institutions, or layer new rules onto old structures.<\/p>\n

    Few pause to ask a more fundamental question:\u00a0<\/strong>By what principles should people govern themselves at all?<\/p>\n

    As the people of Terra Australis assemble to shape a new form of self\u2011governance, we are deliberately asking, \"what are our first principles?\" <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Rather than copying existing political models, or returning to an old failed system, we are asking \"what makes governance legitimate, stable, and worthy of trust?\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

    These principles are not new. They have been articulated before by thoughtful observers of society, including Thomas Paine<\/strong>, who wrote not about how to rule, but about how authority arises and how it must be constrained if it is to remain beneficial to the people.<\/p>\n

    You do not need to agree with every idea here, or understand every detail, to be welcome. Curiosity and good faith are enough.<\/p>\n

    What follows is a plain\u2011English outline of principles being considered for guiding the Assemblies now forming across Terra Australis.<\/p>\n

    1. The People Are the Source of All Authority<\/h2>\n

    Institutions and offices do not hold authority on their own \u2014 authority begins with living people.<\/p>\n

    Authority begins with living people \u2014 men and women who choose to come together, speak, listen, and act in common. When people assemble, they create the only legitimate<\/strong> foundation<\/strong> for governance.<\/p>\n

    Assemblies do not grant authority. They receive and express it.<\/p>\n

    This is why our structure begins at the local level, where people know one another, understand local conditions, and can see the effects of decisions directly. Everything that follows flows upward from this point.<\/p>\n

    You cannot delegate a power you do not posses yourself: If you do not have the legitimate power to:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • tell your neighbour he must have a licence to do something,<\/li>\n
    • declare war or invade another nation,<\/li>\n
    • levy taxes on your neighbour,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      you cannot<\/strong> delegate that power to Government (or your Assemblies).<\/p>\n

      2. Government Exists to Serve, Not to Rule<\/h2>\n

      Many of us have experienced governance as something done to us, rather than with us.
      \nIn practice, legitimate governance has a far narrower purpose.<\/p>\n

      Its role is to:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • protect people and their property<\/li>\n
      • help people live together peacefully<\/li>\n
      • resolve disputes fairly<\/li>\n
      • coordinate shared efforts and implement the people's will<\/li>\n
      • do no harm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        It is not to direct people's lives, enforce ideology, or substitute itself for individual responsibility.<\/p>\n

        In our Assembly model, governing bodies \u2014 including the existing service\u2011provider corporations (governments) \u2014 are comprehended as servants of the people, tasked with delivering specific, agreed services. They are not masters, parents, or moral authorities.<\/p>\n

        3. Representation Must Be Equal<\/h2>\n

        If people are affected by decisions, they must be represented equally.<\/p>\n

        There can be no legitimate hierarchy of voices, no privileged class, and no permanent ruling group. Any structure that elevates one group above another ceases to reflect the will of the people and begins to serve itself.<\/p>\n

        For this reason:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Assemblies are representative, not aristocratic<\/li>\n
        • Fiduciaries are chosen by election, not inherited<\/li>\n
        • Offices are temporary and recallable<\/li>\n
        • there can be no party politics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Representation exists to carry the expressed collective will of the people, not to replace or act without it.<\/p>\n

          4. Assemblies Are Forums, Not Thrones<\/h2>\n

          An Assembly is not a seat of power. It is a place of deliberation and service.<\/p>\n

          In practice, this often looks like people sitting in a room, listening carefully, disagreeing respectfully, and finding common ground.<\/p>\n

          Those elected or delegated to act do so as fiduciaries \u2014 people trusted to carry out specific tasks in behalf of others, within clearly defined limits.<\/p>\n

          Most people have experienced decisions being made far away, by people they never met, with little chance to be heard. Assemblies exist to reverse that experience.<\/p>\n

          No Assembly exists above the people. Every Assembly remains answerable and accountable to those it serves.<\/p>\n

          5. Authority Must Be Temporary and Reviewable<\/h2>\n

          Living people cannot be bound indefinitely by past decisions, past officials, or past arrangements.<\/p>\n

          For governance to remain legitimate:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • offices must have limits<\/li>\n
          • authority must be reviewable<\/li>\n
          • mistakes must be correctable<\/li>\n
          • people must retain the ability to withdraw consent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Continuity is maintained through transparent records and shared knowledge, not through permanent positions or entrenched influence.<\/p>\n

            6. Simplicity Protects Freedom<\/h2>\n

            Complexity is often mistaken for sophistication. In governance, complexity is a warning sign.<\/p>\n

            When systems become too complex to understand:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • accountability fades<\/li>\n
            • responsibility blurs<\/li>\n
            • power concentrates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Our Assemblies are committed to:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • plain English communication<\/li>\n
              • simple structures<\/li>\n
              • transparent processes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                If people cannot comprehend how decisions are made, they are not truly self\u2011governing.<\/p>\n

                7. Structure Follows Will \u2014 Not the Other Way Around<\/h2>\n

                Our governance structure is intentionally layered, not hierarchical:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • People assemble locally<\/li>\n
                • Local Assemblies elect fiduciaries<\/li>\n
                • Fiduciaries form the National Assembly<\/li>\n
                • The National Assembly elects and directs the State Assembly<\/li>\n
                • The State Assembly is the bridge between the Soil and the Sea\/See, enacting the people's will with the service provider corporations in commerce<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Each level exists to serve the level below it. Authority flows upward. Responsibility flows downward.<\/p>\n

                  This structure ensures that international and national engagement remains firmly grounded in the expressed will of the people.<\/p>\n

                  8. A Living System for a Living People<\/h2>\n

                  No generation can legitimately govern the next from the grave.<\/p>\n

                  The Assemblies forming today do not claim finality or perfection. They are living structures, intended to evolve as understanding deepens and experience grows.<\/p>\n

                  We do, however, have a responsibility to future generations. We must steward our assets, resources and infrastructure - and the Earth herself - for enjoyment now and for those to come after us.<\/p>\n

                  Participation is not only welcomed \u2014 it is essential.<\/p>\n

                  A Call to Action<\/h2>\n

                  Self\u2011governance is not something to be believed in. It is something to be practised.<\/p>\n

                  If you value:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • calm, constructive dialogue<\/li>\n
                  • shared responsibility<\/li>\n
                  • fair representation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    and governance that serves people rather than controls them,\u00a0then we invite you to take part.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                    Attend a local Assembly. Listen. Ask questions. Offer your skills. Observe how decisions are made. There is no expectation to commit, agree, or take on responsibility \u2014 participation begins with observation.\u00a0You don\u2019t need to have answers. You don\u2019t need to take a position. Simply showing up, listening, and asking honest questions is enough.<\/p>\n

                    Legitimacy does not arise from declarations or symbols. It grows naturally when people assemble, participate, and act in good faith \u2014 together.<\/p>\n

                    Takeaways from 'Dissertation on First Principles of Government' by Thomas Paine (1795)<\/p>\n

                    \"structureflow\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Why our Assemblies are being built from the ground up Introduction: Starting With First Principles Across history, many systems of government have been created, but all can be classed under one of two primary divisions: First, government by election and representation, Secondly, government by hereditary succession. Most nations inherit their form from the past, adapt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-governance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terraaustralisstatesassembly.net\/national\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}