It’s been a big year already for us and for all Australians. We are very proud of how we have been able to take a moment of great upheaval and use it as an organising force to shape our work for the coming years.
There was a time in the early days of COVID-19 that saw political leaders, and indeed Australians more broadly, work together in ways that were simply unheard of. Many have suggested that the pandemic’s silver lining could deliver the burning platform needed to rally forces across entrenched divides and collectively solve some of our greatest challenges as a nation – even while acknowledging that democracy necessarily comes with a battle of ideas. Now, six months on, we seem to be losing steam when it comes to working together. In COVID-19 media items from March to August, use of the word ‘blame’ doubled, while use of the phrase ‘work together’ more than halved.
This left us wondering what we can do to channel the positive, collaborative response we saw in the early days of the pandemic towards a constructive approach to understanding and improving how Australia makes its future. This is a big task. It requires courage, resolve and humility. Courage to enable difficult conversations, resolve to persist, and humility to embrace the reality that the best thinking can come from anywhere. We want to paint a clear picture of the future Australians want and track Australia’s progress. This cannot be done by one organisation alone, or through any single lens.
It is with these foundational principles in mind that we refreshed our governance structures by establishing a new Research Committee and transitioning our informal Advisory Board to a formal Board of Directors.
For me personally, convening our Research Committee has been a highlight of 2020. We have brought together a group of extraordinary and diverse minds who are not only willing to work collaboratively, but believe, like us, that the challenges facing Australia require nothing less than collaborating and engaging widely across the system.
Meet our Research Committee members. You can learn more about each member here.
David Clark, Former Head of Asia Pacific Equity Research, Deutsche Bank
Kelly Fawcett, Research and Policy Manager, The Foundation for Young Australians
Kate Griffiths, Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Fellow, Grattan Institute
Erik R Peterson, Partner and Managing Director, Global Business Policy Council, Kearney
Sean Slater, Director, Allier Capital
Emily Smith, Director, Credit Suisse
Steve Spurr Executive Director, Spurcoe (Chair of Research Committee)
Tanya Vaughan, Associate Director, Social Ventures Australia
Danielle Wood, CEO, Grattan Institute
Together, the committee members are reviewing, refining, and ratifying the methodologies of our research-heavy programs including Recoding the Future and making sure our research is rigorous, ethical and fit-for-purpose. They are acting as a sounding board, challenging us, expanding the diversity of our thinking, and pressure-testing our assumptions.
I convened the first committee meeting in July, and the member’s insights, challenges, and probing have already proved invaluable to the direction of our programs.
“Chairing this excellent group of people driving to improve how Australia understands and improves its future through research has been an honour. The collaborative spirit, deep insight and speed with which the research committee has played a critical role advising on the research programmes of AFP is a leading example of the power of collaboration and the impact of being open-minded in how to reach organisational goals”
- Steve Spurr, Executive Director of Spurcoe and Research Committee Chair
We’re a small team with an unapologetically ambitious mission and goals. Since Australian Futures Project’s inception in 2011, achieving these ambitions has always required sincere and meaningful collaboration with people and organisations from across all sectors with a wide range of perspective, expertise, and experience. This includes those who challenge us, those who may disagree with us, and those who from time to time may be in competition with us, be it for time, funding, or audience.
In the words of our Committee members, the work of Australian Futures Project is important because:
It will guide our work to shed new light on the public interest which is fundamental to guiding public policy
“Policy makers need information on what Australians want for their future in order to better assess the public interest in their day-to-day decisions. The research of Australian Futures Project is a really important input to Australian public policy and I’m excited to help guide this work.”
- Kate Griffiths, Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Fellow, Grattan Institute
It makes time and space for genuinely diverse discussion
“I’m really excited to be part of something outside my usual bubble and day-to-day thought process. The level of diversity and unique skillsets that sit across the Research Committee will undoubtedly bring diverse thinking to Australian Futures Project’s research programs and hopefully give us the tools to make some real changes to the way we think and act as Australians.”
- Sean Slater, Director Allier Capital
It will help improve Australia for those most in need
“I was inspired to join Australian Futures Project Research Committee as I believe that the research that is being undertaken has the potential to improve Australia for those most in need. I was attracted to the conceptual approach and academic rigour of their work and through being part of the committee, I feel that I can contribute to an improved future for all Australians.”
- Tanya Vaughan, Associate Director, Social Ventures Australia
To echo the words of our Chair, Steve Spurr, it is truly an honour to have convened, and now to publicly launch Australian Futures Project’s Research Committee. You can read more about all nine founding members here.
Make sure to join us on Wednesday, 25 November for the launch of our webinar series where you will see our Executive Director, Ralph Ashton, in conversation with Research Committee member and CEO of the Grattan Institute, Danielle Wood, on the topic: “What does success look like for Australia and what is needed to achieve it?”
Webinar
When: Wednesday, 25 November 11am
Who: Danielle Wood, CEO of Grattan Institute
What: What does success look like for Australia and what is needed to achieve it?
Where: online (Zoom)