Australia's brightest brain-storm for progress

By Rob Taylor and James Grubel

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Inscribing Aboriginal rights into Australia's constitution, abolishing states and a fresh push for a republic led ideas at a summit of the nation's top minds on Saturday, bringing Hollywood together with corporate chiefs.

"Today we are throwing open the windows of our democracy to let a little bit of fresh air in," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told the gathering of 1,000 scientists, unionists and central bankers, as well as actors Cate Blanchett and Hugh Jackman.

Aborigines with didgeridoos and wearing loin cloths opened the two-day brainstorming session, which Rudd has asked to throw up at least 10 big ideas to improve Australia's future by 2020.

Critics have panned the meeting as a unwieldy talk-fest.

At the end of the first day, ideas raised included abolishing the country's six states to streamline government, having a treaty between Aborigines and other Australians, a fairer tax system and corporate-sponsored schools.

Delegates also reignited Australia's push to become a republic and sever historic ties to Britain's monarchy, after voters rejected the idea in 1999.

Power participants included the chief executive of mining giant BHP Billiton, Marius Kloppers, and Australia's richest man and Fortescue Metals mining head Andrew Forrest.

Other issues included combating drought, how to spend billions of dollars from the country's China-driven resource export boom and keep economic growth at near 3.9 percent a year.