Barry, we do have some very good young players, but the policy of the Australian Cricket Board has been to stick with the tried and tested. The trouble is that some of those tried and tested have been found wanting. If a young player does get a chance, and they fail on their first attempt, they are frequently discarded. Australia lost a lot of good players from our "golden age" through retirements etc, and the young ones have not been brought into the side in such a way that they gain experience, and confidence in their own ability.
Another contributing factor is, I believe, the differing forms of the game that many players are exposed to, such as T20, for example. Sure it's entertaining to watch, and brings a whole new demographic of spectators to the game, but it is not the way to prepare players for the grind and pressure of Test Match cricket. With our system of cricket academies, I believe we have plenty of potential to once again be at the top of the tree, but it is going to take time and, most importantly, clever management from the ACB, something we have not seen much of lately.
Peter.