2009 Annual Hawke Lecture:
Climate Change: The Public Interest and Private Interests in Australian Policy
Delivered by Distinguished Professor Ross Garnaut AO
Wednesday 4 November 2009, Adelaide Town Hall
Full paper / Audio recording (mp3 format - 22MB)
The Garnaut Climate Change Review advised that it was in Australia's national interest to seek an ambitious international agreement on climate change mitigation, with Australia playing its full proportionate part. The 2009 Hawke Lecture discusses the elements of an international agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009 that would meet Australia's national interest. It addresses the difficulties of governments pursuing policies in the national interest when these are in conflict with powerful private interests. Comparisons are made between the history of Australian trade policy in the twentieth century and climate change policy now.
Biography
Professor Ross Garnaut (AO) is a Vice Chancellor's Fellow and a Professorial
Fellow in Economics at the University of Melbourne as well as a
Distinguished Professor of the Australian National University.
He is currently Chairman of a number of international companies and research organisations, including the International Food Policy Research Institute (Washington DC) and the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program Limited (Singapore). In addition, he is a director of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (Papua New Guinea) and a member of the board of several several international research institutions, including the Lowy Institute for International Policy (Sydney), AsiaLink (Melbourne), the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta) and the China Centre for Economic Research at Peking University (Beijing).
Professor Garnaut is the author of numerous books, monographs and articles in scholarly journals on international economics, public finance and economic development, particularly in relation to East Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
In addition to his distinguished academic career, Professor Garnaut has also had longstanding and successful roles as policy advisor, diplomat and businessman. He was the Senior Economic Adviser to Australian Prime Minister RJL. Hawke from 1983 to 1985 and subsequently served as the Australian Ambassador to China (1985 to 1988).
In September 2008, Professor Garnaut presented the Garnaut Climate Change Review to the Australian Prime Minister. This review, commissioned by the Australian government, examines the impact of climate change on the Australian economy and provides potential medium to long-term policies to ameliorate these.
About the Hawke Centre
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre is a dynamic University of South Australia initiative to establish an internationally recognised public learning/visitor and research facility serving young people, national and international scholars and local and global audiences.
Named after Bob Hawke, a third generation South Australian, one of the 20th century's most notable Prime Ministers (1983-1991) and a great conciliator nationally and abroad, the Hawke Centre was established by Memorandum of Understanding in 1997. UniSA has developed the Centre believing that that Bob Hawke's contribution should be properly recognised through a national facility, not as a memorial, but in a way that helps young Australians and furthers his legacy of valuing a cohesive and fair Australia.
A new building designed by architect John Wardle to house the Centre's forum space, Civic Gallery, auditorium and Hawke Library will open in July 2007.
Broadly, the Hawke Centre aims to challenge Australians to consider ideas and develop solutions for Australia and the world, leading towards more sustainable societies, within a democratic framework. It is supported by a fine group of national patrons, and especially, international patron Nelson Mandela.
The Annual Hawke Lecture is the premier national event on the public calendar of the University of South Australia, delivered under the auspices of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre. There are relatively few moments when we have the time to consider the larger issues of life, including the future of our nation and our world and how we can shape it. The University of South Australia offers the Annual Hawke Lecture in this spirit, as an opportunity to listen to the views of someone whose experience of human affairs is notable, and whose concerns about our world are truly worthy of consideration.
Past lecturers
1998 The Hon Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia
1999 Sir Zelman Cowen, former Governor General of Australia
2000 Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Managing Director, World Bank
2001 Sir Gustav Nossal, distinguished Australian scientist
2002 Mr Noel Pearson, Aboriginal activist
2003 The Hon Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis Group
2004 Ms Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
2005 Mr Greg Bourne, CEO, WWF-Australia
2006 Mr Greg Combet, Secretary, ACTU
2007 The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG
2008 Professor Fiona Stanley AC
Contact
Ms Elizabeth Ho
Director
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, University of South Australia
Ph: 08 8302 0651 Mobile: 0417 085 585 Email:
Elizabeth.ho@unisa.edu.au
While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: strengthening our democracy – valuing our cultural diversity – and building our future.