Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Wakefield Futures Group

In 1992, COAG adopted the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development. This was the culmination of a process begun by The Hon Robert J L Hawke, AC, GCL, while he serving as Prime Minister of Australia.

In principle, the Commonwealth and all State and Territory governments are committed by this strategy to pursue a pattern of development that recognises the needs of future generations, that pursues equity within and between generations, that protects our biodiversity and maintains the integrity of natural systems. There are very few signs that recent governments at either level are even aware of the National Strategy.

In practice, we are not meeting any of the important criteria for sustainability. We are using natural resources in ways that will severely impact future generations, our society is becoming less equitable and we face serious environmental problems, as spelled out by successive reports on the state of the environment for over twenty years.

While the accelerating loss of biodiversity has not become a political issue, climate change has. A comprehensive response to that problem could be a major step toward a sustainable future. Even if such an approach garners political support, however, there will remain a fundamental obstacle to sustainability: the widespread delusion that unlimited growth is possible in a finite world.

This event, presented by Professor Ian Lowe, is the first in a series exploring sustainable futures.

PROFESSOR IAN LOWE