The speaker list is being constantly developed and the following speakers have been confirmed. (Updated 14 September 2003)
26 February 2003
Mr
John McFarlane, CEO of ANZ Banking Group Limited, addressed the Club and began
by informing us that overseas they marvel at the Australian economic
miracle. Our country provides a
wonderful environment for business, and Australian business is highly regarded
worldwide. As an example, major ANZ
shareholders would only invest in six other banks worldwide. The outside perception is that growth in
this country is sustainable and set to continue with no upward pressure on
interest rates. Prediction of future
currency movements is more difficult but it is likely that the $A will rise
gradually against the $US, a prediction which assumes no protracted war with
Iraq.
Australia
needs to see the current Iraq problems settled once and for all and to be a
good global citizen with its future tied to the US. Consequently, we must pursue a sensible course with the
Government pursuing two objectives.
International terrorism exists because of fundamentally poor people
looking at wealthy countries like the US.
We must balance the underlying forces, emphasised McFarlane.
The
same applies to business. It is no
longer acceptable for CEOs just to maximise shareholders’ profits. We must be citizens both of our own country
and of the World and put customers first and not shareholders. Many corporations are currently not
trusted. However, many shareholders are
focused just on the short-term. We need
to look at the future in the longer term otherwise that future will be
jeopardised.
12 March 2003
Michael
Delaney, Counsellor of Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Canberra spoke to
the Club on the 12 February 2003 on the USA / Australia Free Trade Agreement,
proposed by Robert Zelleck, US Trade Secretary, last November and considered to
be potentially the most important agreement since the ANZUS treaty. The idea of eliminating trade barriers
between the two countries goes back to the 1930’s as an Australian initiative
but was declined then by the USA.
Michael
is a firm believer in free trade, quoting the prosperity of South Korea. Open borders foster enterprise and benefits
not only the two countries involved but also third parties, particularly small
nations.
In
discussion, he stated that the USA already has agreements with Canada, Mexico,
Israel and Jordan and is currently negotiating with Morocco and Singapore. He is confident the Australia / USA
agreement should develop quickly since both economies are fairly open but there
are still a number of hurdles to overcome.
5 March
2003
On
5 March Jim Webber from the Docklands Authority gave the Club members an
illustrated insight into how a tired old waterfront on Melbourne’s doorstep is
being recycled into a new playground, residence and workplace for the people of
Victoria. The Old Melbourne Docks area,
with its colourful history of rail, shipping and wharf disputes, is going
upmarket to the “the place” to live, work and visit.
The
200 hectares, which includes 40 hectares of water space, will have seven
kilometres of 30 metre wide waterfront promenades, and 23% of land area as
parks and open space. By 2015, this
“Waterfront City” will be home to 20,000 people, a workplace for 25,000 and
have 55,000 visitors per day.
Key
attractions of the area are the great body of water, proximity to the CBD, easy
access by all forms of transport and state of the art technology.
21 May 2003
On
21 May 2003 Lynn Arnold, CEO of World Vision Australia, in filling in for Dr
Dean Hirsch of the World Vision International body, delivered an excellent but
chilling expose of the plight of children in several parts of the world. The often used phrase ‘children are our
greatest resource’ took on a new and sinister meaning. It was explained that those words could also
be used by those that traffic children.
Lynn Arnold said, “It is estimated that worldwide 250 million children
are involved in child labour, 120 million of which are exploited, with some 60
million of those in hazardous situations.”
He
told us that children are used as cheap labour, in the sex trade, and as
soldiers in rogue states. In Africa,
exploitation is rife in the cocoa and diamond industries. Also, across that continent it is estimated
that 120,000 children between the ages of 11 and 15 are soldiers for
governments and rebel forces. A further
tragedy is that children can be regarded disposable and of no value. In Brazil, in an attempt to curb a rising
crime rate, 500 street children were murdered in two months by cleansing
squads, he claimed.
Another
unfolding disaster for children is the HIV Aids epidemic. Projections indicate that 40 million
children will be left without parents or with one parent. In their search for work for food and
shelter they are ripe for exploitation.
The
paradigm change that World Vision seeks to bring about is a concept whereby the
value of a child is inherent and unrelated to utility. Lynn Arnold says that the World Vision
campaign requires: the right of every child to have a name and a birth
certificate; the right to be cared for by parents; and the right to acquire a
nationality. Lynn Arnold insists that
this represents a powerful symbol indicative of how we value children, in
contrast to the circumstance of today where worldwide, one third of newborns “do
not exist”.
14 May 2003
Did
you see Professor Wayne Morrison demonstrating for the television cameras how
it is now possible to grow breast tissue outside the body for
transplanting? Professor Morrison told
us on 14 May that microsurgery has not been long with us – only really since
1972 in fact, and being able to transfer skin from one place to another was the
big breakthrough that has occurred since that.
Over
250 overseas surgeons have trained in Melbourne funded by the National Health
and Medical Research Council. Trauma
patients, deformed children, arthritis sufferers and those with chronic disease
have benefited.
The
future of tissue engineering evidently lies in using single cells programmed to
reconstruct needed tissues. Professor
Morrison is currently seeking a laboratory dedicated to matrix biology to link
the cell and vascular biology research teams of the Bernard O’Brien Institute
to form a tissue engineering centre of excellence.
9 July 2003
Professor
Neil Boyce addressed the role of organ transplants in Australia today pointing
out that Australians have a low level of organ donation. Most of the large number of questions
addressed the various reasons why people are hesitant to support organ donation
and hopefully resolved many of the myths on this subject.
16 July 2003
Dr
Helen Drennen, the first woman principal of Wesley College, was interviewed by
Club Member Michael Henry who asked a number of pertinent questions. Helen had just returned from Singapore,
where she headed the International Baccalaureate Organisation. She is in favour of co-education, and
despite being at Wesley for only four weeks, is already organising a new
strategy for the College.
23 July, 2003
Penny Hutchinson’s
address to the Club was entirely topical, preceding a State Government
initiative to open its premium arts venues for weekend viewing, seeking new and
renewed public participation in the arts.
As Director of Arts Victoria, she oversees State owned institutions such
as the National Gallery Victoria, State Library and Museum Victoria. Her cryptic version of her own job
description, “Art for arts sake, money for God’s sake” was the title of her
speech. She indicated that over the
last eight years $800 million had been spent on arts related venues on both new
and improved campuses, the most recent to come on stream being the Australian
Centre for the Moving Image. Upon
completion this year, the NGV across its two locations will have doubled area,
the new museum is six times its previous size and the State Library capacity
has been trebled. Many of these
institutions are now situated in iconic buildings and contribute to our civic
pride, while the collections within represent our history and social values.
The
Arts Industry in Victoria employs 112,000 people and contributes $7.8 billion to
the Victorian economy. Massive
investment and expansion has allowed forward and lateral thinking in delivery
of the arts to the Victorian population.
The
public benefit is seen among other things as increased access and
participation, with over eight million visits last year, and branding for
Victoria, stemming from the premium arts venues and attractions being tourism
drawcards. Similarly, our great art
institutions and collections on tour build our profile overseas. Penny Hutchinson cited the recent highly
successful Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Tour of China and St. Petersburg as an
exemplary example.
Arts
Victoria is responsible for monitoring progress and measuring achievements of
the institutions with regard to public policy, and ensuring the community
receives value for money. However, ‘God
help the Minister who interferes with Arts’ retorted Penny Hutchinson.
13 August 2003
Bernard
Salt, Partner Property at KPMG, with a best-selling book on the subject of
property, spoke of the value shift of Australians from a bush culture to a
suburban culture to a provincial coastal culture in the twenty-first
century. The Gold Coast and the City of
Casey in Melbourne’s south-east are the fastest growing places in
Australia. He amused Club members with stereotypes
of ageing Aussie brides, the baby-boomers who are changing ‘the rules” for
their own benefit, and the attitudes of the Y-generation, who in Melbourne,
seem to be living in Southbank and Princes Hill.
20 August 2003
Our
speaker today, Geoff Polites, President of Ford Australia, ironically opened
with an update on the progressive removal of tariff boundaries in our
country. From 57% in the 1980’s to the
current environment of 15% and toward 5% in 2010, he claimed that Australia was
a good destination for part of the worldwide excess capacity in the industry,
believed to be 20 million units. We can
choose between 55 brands of cars and 325 models, with many sold at prices lower
that the country of origin. Polites
said ‘politeness prevents me from using the dumping word’.
In
a hyper-competitive environment, the Ford Motor Company has had to streamline
its operations. Waste reduction is
critical; ‘find it and eliminate it’, he said.
The company has no inventories, no stock, and relies on the in-line
sequence deliveries by others. Parts
arrive in the order that Ford use them to a rotating 20 minute schedule. As product rolls off the line, computers
communicate with suppliers for replenishment.
For efficiency, major product suppliers enjoy common site boundaries
with Ford and shared supply route roadways.
Ford
Australia is pioneering a new product ahead of the USA. The vehicle founded on extensive market
research is envisaged to be a hybrid of the family sedan, an off-road 4-wheel
drive, and mini-van people mover.
Polites explained, ‘it aims to feel like a car, have off-road capability
and offer flexibility in luggage and passenger capacity’. Ford claims it to be a most significant work
of vehicle design placing Australia at the leading edge of vehicle innovation.
Polites
concluded by indicating that Ford seek to have an open transparent relationship
with their staff and honest ethical practices in dealing with their
customers. “We are the custodians of a
great brand,” he said.
27 August 2003
Marc
Finaud, Consul General of France spoke about the common history of Australia
and France, which began in the 16th and 17th centuries
with the search for Terra Australis.
Some of the French and English navigators / explorers did meet, which is
reflected in the placenames around the Australian coast. The first French Consulate in Australia was
established in 1839, and later in the century, wool become the main connection
between the two nations. Marc
highlighted the strong relationship, which has developed over the years,
particularly in trade, investment and scientific, cultural and political
relations. The French community in
Australia is about 50,000.
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