Cheryl Kernot, the director of social business, the Centre for Social Impact University of NSW, and former Maitland Girls’ High School student, has been chosen to deliver the 2013 Harry Boyle Memorial Lecture in Maitland next week.
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Ms Kernot’s topic will be: “Why social is the new green; reshaping capitalism for 21st century values.”
With the federal election campaign in full swing, Ms Kernot’s address will be timely.
“The middle of yet another election campaign where political leaders, devoid of long-term vision, are criss-crossing the country handing out money to an increasingly disenchanted public is a good time to ask about the economic system the West relies on,” Ms Kernot said.
“In the last 25 years the ‘social’ of the triple bottom line has finally gained greater focus alongside the economic and the environmental.
“Companies and some governments are looking at new ways of working with ‘social’ businesses through procuring their products or services.
“NAB procures fair trade labelled tea, coffee and hot chocolate and the money paid in the purchase drives economic self-sufficiency in the growers’ co-operatives in the developing world including our neighbours in PNG and East Timor.
“The NSW Department of Housing works with Fair Repairs which employs social housing tenants to clean and maintain their housing estate.
“Several governments and companies procure their video and tele-conferencing services from Message Stick, an indigenous business, she said.
Ms Kernot was leader of the Australian Democrats from 1993-1997 and the Member for Dickson and a Labor shadow minister from 1998-2001.
Her political portfolios included, among many, indigenous affairs, Treasury, employment, and women’s policy.
She played a major parliamentary role in the introduction of compulsory superannuation and in the introduction of native title.
Her policy interests have been in social justice and social structural reform and in 1994 she introduced legislation to legitimise parental leave; in 1998 she introduced trial social inclusion projects to the Labor Party’s employment platform.
Ms Kernot is one of the National Trust’s 100 National Living Treasures.
She was patron of the Australian Women’s Cricket Team from 1994-2000, successfully working to address the disparities in funding for women’s cricket and she was also one of Australia’s first female qualified cricket umpires.
The Harry Boyle Memorial Lecture is on Friday, August 30 at Brough House, 73 Church Street, Maitland.
Canapes will be served at 6.30pm with the lecture starting at 7pm.
The cost is $25 and $20 for National Trust members.
All proceeds to the upkeep of Grossmann and Brough houses.
Numbers are limited and booking are essential.
Phone Lynn 4932 0518.