WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.040 It's great to have this opportunity to share with friends and colleagues and most importantly 2 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:11.120 an Adelaide Festival of Ideas audience a few things that have been on my mind. I'd like of 3 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:18.300 course to observe an important cultural protocol as did Doreen and acknowledge the Kaurna people 4 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:23.120 as the traditional owners of the country. I'd also, I'm very proud to acknowledge the late 5 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:28.340 Jim Bedison and Helen James for always backing the Adelaide Festival of Ideas from its inception. 6 00:00:28.340 --> 00:00:34.480 Thanks to Simone Vinal, Simone's fellow foundation trustees Doreen Mellor and Geoff Purdy 7 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:40.320 and of course Amanda Duffy from Adelaide Film Festival and perpetual trustees who administer 8 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:46.400 the Jim Bedison and Helen James Foundation Award. I knew Jim and Helen and valued their support 9 00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:52.800 for some of the causes about which we shared a passion, in essence the arts and ideas, 10 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:58.160 the value of learning and the power of human potential to both imagine 11 00:00:58.160 --> 00:00:58.320 and to create. 12 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:04.200 And then to realise change in our lives. And so it was especially humbling for me when I was 13 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:09.560 invited to be the inaugural recipient of the award established by the foundation in their name. 14 00:01:10.020 --> 00:01:15.940 It's also a particular thrill to know that I now find myself in the company of two incredible 15 00:01:15.940 --> 00:01:22.400 fellow recipients of this award, Meryl Tankard, hi Meryl, love your work, and Tim Jarvis. Each of 16 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:28.220 us are incredibly different, incredibly different in terms of our chosen paths, 17 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:36.140 but I think this speaks so positively of the ambit of the Jim Bedison and Helen James Foundation. 18 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:41.660 Now I've only around 20 minutes in which to share with you a few of the things percolating at 19 00:01:41.660 --> 00:01:47.380 present so indulge me the pace and the brevity of detail. This is after all a festival of ideas and 20 00:01:47.380 --> 00:01:54.820 not of blueprints. So to maximise the gift of this opportunity I'll speak really fast. Joke, joke. 21 00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:58.320 I've headlined this address thinking Adelaide. I've been a member of the Adelaide Film Festival for 22 00:01:58.340 --> 00:01:59.100 over a decade and I've been a member of the Adelaide Film Festival for over a decade and I 23 00:01:59.100 --> 00:02:06.220 did so for a deliberate reason. On Friday evening my esteemed amigo Philip Adams and I delivered 24 00:02:06.220 --> 00:02:14.000 the 2016 AFOI oration about magicians, politics and various forms of huff and puffery. Yesterday 25 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:21.760 our other AFOI national living treasure, the other truly great elder of ideas in this 2016 festival, 26 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:28.000 Barry Owen Jones, talked about the need for a new political force in Australia. Both of their chosen 27 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:28.320 things were about the need for a new political force in Australia. I think it's a great thing to 28 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:38.620 hear. Pero風. Pero風. 29 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.960 Pero風. Pero風. 30 00:02:42.440 --> 00:02:44.080 Pero風. Pero 31 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:46.120 Pero風. Pero 32 00:02:58.480 --> 00:03:01.240 that valued and invested in the arts and culture 33 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.640 and that believed in the 19th century founding principles 34 00:03:04.640 --> 00:03:08.060 of the province of South Australia, the paradise of dissent, 35 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:09.960 where diversity was a strength 36 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.000 and where, to be truly frank, 37 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.420 as a young man coming to terms with my own sexuality, 38 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:17.680 where I wouldn't be thrown into jail for being gay. 39 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.360 So you might well be wondering, 40 00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:21.100 what does this have to do with anything? 41 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:23.500 Well, back in 2010-11, 42 00:03:23.720 --> 00:03:26.700 while I was Deputy Chief Executive in the Premier's Department, 43 00:03:26.700 --> 00:03:29.180 I'd convinced then-Premier Mike Rann, 44 00:03:29.320 --> 00:03:31.160 who was also Minister for the Arts, 45 00:03:31.260 --> 00:03:33.060 to let me set up for South Australia 46 00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:36.040 a digital portal under the name Thinking Adelaide. 47 00:03:36.480 --> 00:03:38.460 On behalf of the South Australian Government, 48 00:03:38.740 --> 00:03:40.300 we trademarked the name, 49 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:43.480 secured the web domains of all variants of the name, 50 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:49.320 www.thinkingadelaide.com.au, .net, .org, .everythingpossible. 51 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.420 And to promote the intellectual property of the concept, 52 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:54.760 we registered similar domains 53 00:03:54.760 --> 00:03:56.580 for every other Australian capital, 54 00:03:56.700 --> 00:04:00.040 city, and for all the major cities of the English-speaking world. 55 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:02.920 We were not going to let someone get to it first. 56 00:04:03.600 --> 00:04:06.020 My concept at the time was simple, 57 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:08.440 a single web-based point of entry 58 00:04:08.440 --> 00:04:11.120 for any citizen or potential visitor to Adelaide 59 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:13.760 with an interest in the life of the mind, 60 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:17.780 to provide easy link-through and access to events and organisations 61 00:04:17.780 --> 00:04:21.140 that were about promoting ideas and thinking. 62 00:04:21.580 --> 00:04:22.660 At the time, 63 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:25.760 and we were in what I still regard as something of a golden age, 64 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:26.680 we had... 65 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:28.020 the Adelaide Festival of Ideas, 66 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:29.600 Adelaide Thinkers in Residence, 67 00:04:29.900 --> 00:04:31.620 the Australian Centre for Social Innovation, 68 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:33.460 the Don Dunstan Foundation, 69 00:04:33.900 --> 00:04:34.500 the Hawke Centre, 70 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:36.540 the Centre for Muslim and Non-Muslim Understanding, 71 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:38.380 Royal Institution Australia, 72 00:04:38.860 --> 00:04:40.420 the Australian Science Media Centre, 73 00:04:40.940 --> 00:04:42.280 the Integrated Design Commission, 74 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:44.540 Adelaide Writers Week, 75 00:04:44.540 --> 00:04:46.760 and a burgeoning number of think tanks 76 00:04:46.760 --> 00:04:48.380 attached to our three universities. 77 00:04:48.940 --> 00:04:50.700 And I want to, at this stage, acknowledge 78 00:04:50.700 --> 00:04:52.820 that the Adelaide Festival of Ideas had its origin 79 00:04:52.820 --> 00:04:55.040 under the last Liberal government in South Australia. 80 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:56.660 It was the then-Festival of Ideas, 81 00:04:56.660 --> 00:04:58.800 and I was the then-Minister for the Arts, Diana Laidlaw, 82 00:04:58.940 --> 00:05:00.980 with whom I had my first conversation 83 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.320 about resourcing a Festival of Ideas. 84 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:04.000 But I digress. 85 00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:05.920 Back to 2010-11, 86 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:09.580 it felt that we were approaching a new renaissance. 87 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:12.420 Little was I to know at the time 88 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.260 that Mike Rann's days were numbered. 89 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:17.060 You see, back in 2011-12, 90 00:05:17.380 --> 00:05:19.080 the Department of Premier and Cabinet 91 00:05:19.080 --> 00:05:21.400 was an ideas crucible 92 00:05:21.400 --> 00:05:23.340 for climate change, renewable energy, 93 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:24.240 for thought leadership. 94 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:26.540 It was actually being dismantled. 95 00:05:26.660 --> 00:05:28.600 And it was being reinvented by its new 96 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:29.660 Chief Executive Officer 97 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:32.500 as a service centre for the South Australian 98 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:33.220 public sector. 99 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:36.400 Mike Rann was moved on, and within six months 100 00:05:36.400 --> 00:05:38.400 so did I, off to head up Ageing 101 00:05:38.400 --> 00:05:39.040 with John Hill. 102 00:05:39.880 --> 00:05:42.120 Rightly or wrongly, it felt to me 103 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.140 as though thinking and ideas 104 00:05:44.140 --> 00:05:46.740 were no longer valued, and that the past 105 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:48.400 was no longer something upon which 106 00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:49.480 to build new legacies. 107 00:05:49.760 --> 00:05:51.640 Instead, things were to be abandoned. 108 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:53.900 So here I am, five years later, 109 00:05:53.900 --> 00:05:56.240 having left the SA public sector in 2013, 110 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:58.060 and thanks to the inaugural 111 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:00.360 Better St James Award in 2015, 112 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:01.780 I was afforded some grace 113 00:06:01.780 --> 00:06:04.480 and doing time in which to focus 114 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:06.200 on rescuing the Adelaide Festival 115 00:06:06.200 --> 00:06:07.420 of Ideas from oblivion. 116 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.980 And so, along with a great bunch 117 00:06:09.980 --> 00:06:11.640 of AFOI true believers 118 00:06:11.640 --> 00:06:13.100 who now comprise our board, 119 00:06:13.260 --> 00:06:15.640 I had the chance to pull this festival, 120 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:16.900 as I said, from oblivion, 121 00:06:16.900 --> 00:06:19.660 to reclaim the brand and 122 00:06:19.660 --> 00:06:22.080 intellectual property from government neglect, 123 00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:23.520 to establish an independent, 124 00:06:23.900 --> 00:06:25.380 not-for-profit, incorporated association, 125 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:27.820 and to do some of the legwork to reactivate 126 00:06:27.820 --> 00:06:29.880 old partnerships and to forge 127 00:06:29.880 --> 00:06:31.900 some new ones. I want to talk briefly 128 00:06:31.900 --> 00:06:34.240 about my idea to develop Thinking Adelaide 129 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:36.100 as an Adelaide Festival of Ideas 130 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:37.760 global alumni, to connect 131 00:06:37.760 --> 00:06:39.780 past, present, and future guests 132 00:06:39.780 --> 00:06:41.840 of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas and others 133 00:06:41.840 --> 00:06:43.860 in a loose network of advocates 134 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:44.840 and honorary ambassadors 135 00:06:44.840 --> 00:06:47.640 for both the Adelaide Festival of Ideas 136 00:06:47.640 --> 00:06:50.080 and also for the idea of Adelaide 137 00:06:50.080 --> 00:06:51.220 as a place where ideas 138 00:06:51.900 --> 00:06:53.400 and ideals were thinking 139 00:06:53.900 --> 00:06:55.720 and highly valued in a civil society. 140 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:57.940 You see, at that time, none of our 141 00:06:57.940 --> 00:06:59.740 three public universities had 142 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:01.700 invested terribly seriously in their alumni 143 00:07:01.700 --> 00:07:03.800 associations. The value of these 144 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:05.780 diaspora relationships of knowledge and 145 00:07:05.780 --> 00:07:07.940 know-how had been left largely 146 00:07:07.940 --> 00:07:09.820 untended. Thinking 147 00:07:09.820 --> 00:07:11.820 Adelaide has withered, and with 148 00:07:11.820 --> 00:07:13.840 that, I believe, an incredible, powerful set 149 00:07:13.840 --> 00:07:15.880 of connections and opportunities that has 150 00:07:15.880 --> 00:07:17.440 not been able to make its contribution 151 00:07:17.440 --> 00:07:19.560 to our greater good. And so, 152 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:21.360 by way of set up for this idea, 153 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:23.800 a couple of observations about 154 00:07:23.900 --> 00:07:25.880 mythology, about space, time, 155 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:27.900 and relativity, and by this I don't mean 156 00:07:27.900 --> 00:07:29.860 physics. In every society, 157 00:07:30.080 --> 00:07:31.840 in every community, and in every 158 00:07:31.840 --> 00:07:34.000 village around the world, there are stories 159 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:35.900 that people tell themselves, that 160 00:07:35.900 --> 00:07:37.880 are told about us by others. 161 00:07:37.960 --> 00:07:39.440 Stories about identity, 162 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:41.600 and what it is that makes us distinctive, 163 00:07:41.820 --> 00:07:43.240 or maybe even special. 164 00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:45.980 I preface my next comment by reaffirming 165 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:47.900 my deep passion for Adelaide and for 166 00:07:47.900 --> 00:07:49.840 South Australia. One of the 167 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:51.900 things that we tell ourselves here is 168 00:07:51.900 --> 00:07:53.660 that Adelaide and South Australia 169 00:07:53.900 --> 00:07:55.500 is a great place to collaborate. 170 00:07:55.740 --> 00:07:57.960 After all, it's seemingly easy 171 00:07:57.960 --> 00:07:59.880 to get, quote, the right people, 172 00:08:00.020 --> 00:08:01.920 unquote, around a table at 173 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:03.080 reasonably short notice. 174 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.660 And we tell ourselves that this means we do 175 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:07.780 collaboration better. Well, wrong. 176 00:08:07.960 --> 00:08:08.820 Totally wrong. 177 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:11.800 The urbanist and former Adelaide thinker 178 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:13.840 and resident, uh, residents, creative 179 00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:15.920 industries expert, Charles Landry, 180 00:08:16.020 --> 00:08:17.880 concluded of Adelaide that 181 00:08:17.880 --> 00:08:19.840 we fall victim to confusing conversation 182 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:21.320 with collaboration. 183 00:08:22.460 --> 00:08:23.820 Adelaide's very much a public 184 00:08:23.900 --> 00:08:25.500 sector town, and as such, 185 00:08:25.520 --> 00:08:27.720 we've turned meetings into a pathology. 186 00:08:27.960 --> 00:08:29.960 And I posit that the reason 187 00:08:29.960 --> 00:08:31.780 for this is that 188 00:08:31.780 --> 00:08:33.720 we place too little value on that most 189 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:35.400 precious and scarce of resources, 190 00:08:35.760 --> 00:08:36.380 time. 191 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:39.500 Like frogs in a pot of water warming slowly 192 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:41.960 on the bench top, we squander 193 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:43.560 time as though it has 194 00:08:43.560 --> 00:08:45.780 no value. We make meetings with no 195 00:08:45.780 --> 00:08:47.860 clear sense of purpose. We invite more people 196 00:08:47.860 --> 00:08:49.240 than we need to those meetings, 197 00:08:49.380 --> 00:08:51.540 with no regard to the authorising environment 198 00:08:51.540 --> 00:08:53.720 and hierarchies needed to make 199 00:08:53.900 --> 00:08:55.760 collaboration happen. And we squander 200 00:08:55.760 --> 00:08:57.340 valuable time that might otherwise 201 00:08:57.900 --> 00:08:59.400 be put to more productive use, 202 00:09:00.040 --> 00:09:02.240 or that might, dare I say it, 203 00:09:02.280 --> 00:09:03.640 otherwise save the taxpayer 204 00:09:03.640 --> 00:09:05.240 hard-earned money. 205 00:09:06.060 --> 00:09:07.740 So there, having said that, I 206 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:09.800 contend that we need to move some of that productive 207 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:11.420 investment of time 208 00:09:11.420 --> 00:09:13.680 into cultivating and renewing relationships 209 00:09:13.680 --> 00:09:15.800 with the people who come to our place 210 00:09:15.800 --> 00:09:17.760 and who share with us 211 00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:18.920 their intellectual property. 212 00:09:19.520 --> 00:09:21.280 My thinking is twofold. First, 213 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:23.600 we should better leverage these past 214 00:09:23.900 --> 00:09:25.720 and present relationships for the future benefit 215 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.700 by connecting and 216 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:29.800 collecting people. For 16 217 00:09:29.800 --> 00:09:31.640 years, government half-funded 218 00:09:31.640 --> 00:09:33.860 the Adelaide Festival of Ideas as a 219 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:35.520 biennial event. That is, 220 00:09:35.560 --> 00:09:37.760 half of a half equals a 221 00:09:37.760 --> 00:09:39.780 quarter. Only one quarter of the 222 00:09:39.780 --> 00:09:41.780 opportunity realised. As 223 00:09:41.780 --> 00:09:43.720 was the case for decades with our 224 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:45.860 Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Fringe 225 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:47.660 and WOM Adelaide, once every 226 00:09:47.660 --> 00:09:49.940 two years we cranked up the engine and put on 227 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:51.200 a Festival of Ideas. 228 00:09:51.560 --> 00:09:53.820 That's no way to cultivate 229 00:09:53.900 --> 00:09:54.940 meaningful change. 230 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:57.380 And it's no way to build a brand 231 00:09:57.900 --> 00:09:59.900 or an audience or a sponsorship 232 00:09:59.900 --> 00:10:00.800 business case. 233 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:03.840 That's no way to do anything 234 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:05.800 other than to be entertained. 235 00:10:06.300 --> 00:10:07.820 When Mike Rand hired me 236 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:09.880 to run the arts portfolio, he gave me a very 237 00:10:09.880 --> 00:10:11.820 simple KPI. Make the 238 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:14.020 arts more relevant to more people 239 00:10:14.020 --> 00:10:15.080 more of the time. 240 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.880 I recommended that we create a new 241 00:10:17.880 --> 00:10:19.780 season of events and activities in spring. 242 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:21.940 And so in 2011 I moved 243 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:23.720 the Adelaide Festival of Ideas 244 00:10:23.900 --> 00:10:25.440 from wintery July to October. 245 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:27.440 And I'm sure some of you here remember 246 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.760 those cold afternoons with 247 00:10:29.760 --> 00:10:31.680 lap rugs and shawls. 248 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:33.860 But again, I purposefully digress. 249 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:35.640 If we're serious about winning 250 00:10:35.640 --> 00:10:37.700 friends and converting them into 251 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:39.340 enthusiastic and influential 252 00:10:39.900 --> 00:10:41.680 champions for Adelaide and South Australia, 253 00:10:41.880 --> 00:10:43.860 we need to invest in that most human 254 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:45.920 of transactions, a two-way 255 00:10:45.920 --> 00:10:47.580 relationship of longevity. 256 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:49.800 We need to value people and we need 257 00:10:49.800 --> 00:10:51.800 to nurture friendships. This is made 258 00:10:51.800 --> 00:10:52.840 hard by that phenomenon 259 00:10:53.900 --> 00:10:55.740 called by some people public sector 260 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:57.720 mobility and by 261 00:10:57.720 --> 00:10:59.580 others the politicisation of the 262 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:01.740 senior public sector. It's hard to hold 263 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:03.560 course a journey when programs 264 00:11:03.560 --> 00:11:05.660 are at the mercy of political pleasure 265 00:11:05.660 --> 00:11:07.560 and not subjected to the kind of rigour 266 00:11:07.560 --> 00:11:08.980 of evidence-based evaluation. 267 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:11.760 And so in 16 years there have been 268 00:11:11.760 --> 00:11:13.660 around 160 guests of the Adelaide 269 00:11:13.660 --> 00:11:15.440 Festival of Ideas and of these 270 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:17.560 90% have been people who live elsewhere 271 00:11:17.560 --> 00:11:19.760 or certainly who now live elsewhere. 272 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:21.800 We should be cultivating those 273 00:11:21.800 --> 00:11:23.280 relationships and 274 00:11:23.900 --> 00:11:25.540 with more purpose than a photo 275 00:11:25.540 --> 00:11:27.720 opportunity for a scrapbook. There's an 276 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:29.740 amazing organisation out there 277 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:31.740 called Advance Australians 278 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:33.720 Abroad. It was established by the 279 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.120 Howard Government and it activates expatriate 280 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:37.760 Australian networks around the world. 281 00:11:37.920 --> 00:11:39.980 It's run from New York City 282 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:41.420 by a great woman, Serafina 283 00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:44.020 Maurano, actually a former Adelaide 284 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:45.500 based arts worker and administrator. 285 00:11:46.520 --> 00:11:47.720 Other state governments 286 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:49.900 invest in a relationship with this incredible 287 00:11:49.900 --> 00:11:51.860 network but not South Australia. 288 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:52.860 Why? 289 00:11:53.900 --> 00:11:55.760 I think because it falls in the cracks 290 00:11:55.760 --> 00:11:57.800 between fiefdoms. We simply do 291 00:11:57.800 --> 00:11:59.740 not have a strategic focus 292 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:02.020 on the value of external relationships. 293 00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:03.980 What I'm proposing 294 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:05.980 is to adopt a mantra in South Australia 295 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:07.760 of better cultivating and 296 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:09.840 sustaining the relationships with 297 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:11.780 thought leaders that we bring into our local 298 00:12:11.780 --> 00:12:13.860 communion and of course I mean that in 299 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:15.880 a non-religious sense and that we 300 00:12:15.880 --> 00:12:17.960 convert, again in a non-religious 301 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:19.860 sense, these people into champions 302 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:21.840 and advocates for our shared mission 303 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:23.880 and that is to position Adelaide 304 00:12:23.900 --> 00:12:25.860 and South Australia as a place 305 00:12:25.860 --> 00:12:27.460 that is progressive, smart 306 00:12:27.460 --> 00:12:29.940 and prosperous. We mustn't be 307 00:12:29.940 --> 00:12:31.740 fooled by spin and the falsehood that 308 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:34.060 connectivity equals connectedness 309 00:12:34.060 --> 00:12:35.660 or that conversation 310 00:12:35.660 --> 00:12:37.140 equals collaboration. 311 00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:39.960 The second of my ideas this morning 312 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:41.560 is informed by the opportunity that my 313 00:12:41.560 --> 00:12:43.300 new day job affords a 314 00:12:43.300 --> 00:12:45.260 sharper focus and that is a notion 315 00:12:45.260 --> 00:12:47.160 that by better connecting people 316 00:12:47.900 --> 00:12:49.780 with collections that we develop 317 00:12:49.780 --> 00:12:51.540 for Adelaide, a special identity 318 00:12:51.540 --> 00:12:53.260 place for the promotion 319 00:12:53.900 --> 00:12:55.840 of a culture of and for collecting. 320 00:12:56.420 --> 00:12:57.720 As a culture broker 321 00:12:57.720 --> 00:12:59.640 I know 322 00:12:59.640 --> 00:13:01.800 what I am not. I'm not an historian 323 00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:03.260 but I have an opportunity 324 00:13:03.900 --> 00:13:06.000 to bring new energy and focus 325 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.880 to the mission and value of 326 00:13:07.880 --> 00:13:09.820 history. I want to speak 327 00:13:09.820 --> 00:13:11.660 to the idea of developing a strategy for 328 00:13:11.660 --> 00:13:13.680 Adelaide as a city of collections. 329 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:15.620 After an extended 330 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:17.860 period out in the cold but doing 331 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:19.680 consultancy work, employment 332 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:21.920 struck again for me in January 333 00:13:21.920 --> 00:13:23.580 2016 when I commenced 334 00:13:23.900 --> 00:13:25.760 a short stint as interim director 335 00:13:25.760 --> 00:13:27.520 of the Botanic Gardens of South Australia 336 00:13:27.520 --> 00:13:29.620 a brilliant collecting institution 337 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:31.840 that, not unlike the 338 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:33.840 South Australian Museum, is also a 339 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.380 place of science and research. 340 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:37.720 And in late April I commenced as 341 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:39.560 Chief Executive Officer of the History Trust 342 00:13:39.560 --> 00:13:41.860 of South Australia. Our organisation 343 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:43.900 is the keeper, on behalf 344 00:13:43.900 --> 00:13:45.340 of the people of South Australia, 345 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:47.000 of the State History Collection. 346 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:49.460 We present an annual history festival 347 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:51.200 and we operate three museums 348 00:13:51.900 --> 00:13:53.500 Migration, Motor and Maritime 349 00:13:53.900 --> 00:13:55.100 Museums. There goes the plug. 350 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:57.480 While there will always 351 00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:59.220 be larger museums 352 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:01.560 and bigger collections elsewhere 353 00:14:01.560 --> 00:14:03.480 in Australia and in the world 354 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:05.720 I want to propose the development of a 20 year 355 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:07.780 strategy to expand our collections footprint 356 00:14:07.780 --> 00:14:09.640 both public and 357 00:14:09.640 --> 00:14:11.800 private. We should look at ways to 358 00:14:11.800 --> 00:14:13.300 achieve better exposure 359 00:14:13.300 --> 00:14:15.800 to our state collections, a city of 360 00:14:15.800 --> 00:14:17.060 collections and collecting. 361 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:19.780 And this is not just a play for more taxpayer 362 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:21.460 dollars to be invested in museums 363 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:23.880 although, having said that, Adelaide 364 00:14:23.900 --> 00:14:25.720 is the only state capital city without 365 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.560 a museum that tells its state story. 366 00:14:28.420 --> 00:14:29.500 More than migration, 367 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:31.240 motor vehicles and maritime, 368 00:14:31.520 --> 00:14:33.700 which are the three public museums that 369 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:35.560 comprise the Ballywick that I just 370 00:14:35.560 --> 00:14:37.680 described, more than a history festival 371 00:14:37.680 --> 00:14:39.880 it is to the human predilection 372 00:14:39.880 --> 00:14:41.320 for, predilection, 373 00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:44.000 for collecting that I believe 374 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:45.680 we must turn our focus. 375 00:14:46.020 --> 00:14:47.980 The collecting impulse is as deeply 376 00:14:47.980 --> 00:14:49.360 ingrained in our cultural DNA 377 00:14:49.900 --> 00:14:51.740 as our food, shopping and 378 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:53.340 forgive the French, fucking. 379 00:14:53.900 --> 00:14:55.240 The impulse to acquisition 380 00:14:55.900 --> 00:14:57.740 is deeply embedded and it is 381 00:14:57.740 --> 00:14:59.940 the estate upon which cultural inheritance 382 00:14:59.940 --> 00:15:00.760 is built. 383 00:15:01.460 --> 00:15:03.740 To be the, be it the impulse to 384 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:05.060 now collect digital collections 385 00:15:05.060 --> 00:15:07.720 or the habits of my youth from stamps 386 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:09.840 to coins to records to compact discs 387 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:11.700 to books and these days to 388 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:13.340 art, collecting is something 389 00:15:13.900 --> 00:15:15.200 that most people understand. 390 00:15:15.420 --> 00:15:17.420 It is something that connects people. 391 00:15:17.780 --> 00:15:20.020 The passions that become obsessions 392 00:15:20.020 --> 00:15:21.860 that add meaning and purpose 393 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:22.720 to our loves. 394 00:15:23.900 --> 00:15:24.740 And our lives. 395 00:15:25.060 --> 00:15:27.540 To the impulse deserves to be both 396 00:15:27.540 --> 00:15:29.440 better studied and better understood. 397 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:31.460 If Adelaide were to put its collective 398 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:33.660 minds to the task, a city of 399 00:15:33.660 --> 00:15:35.480 collections could eventually become 400 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:37.560 as significant a signifier 401 00:15:37.560 --> 00:15:39.800 for Adelaide as does the festival 402 00:15:39.800 --> 00:15:41.500 city tag that took 403 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:42.700 decades to earn. 404 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:45.380 Philanthropy and gifting has built the state 405 00:15:45.380 --> 00:15:47.600 history collection and it has built the art gallery 406 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:48.840 of South Australia's collection. 407 00:15:49.160 --> 00:15:51.500 We have the world's best and largest collection of 408 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:53.880 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts at the South Australia. 409 00:15:53.900 --> 00:15:54.320 Museum. 410 00:15:55.900 --> 00:15:57.740 We established the world's first museum 411 00:15:57.740 --> 00:15:59.720 of migration and our boutique 412 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.660 size and temperament lends itself to 413 00:16:01.660 --> 00:16:03.680 such a mantle. Even if it's not 414 00:16:03.680 --> 00:16:05.800 true now, the ambit is plausible. 415 00:16:06.140 --> 00:16:07.660 It's for this reason that I 416 00:16:07.660 --> 00:16:09.640 enthusiastically embrace and 417 00:16:09.640 --> 00:16:11.300 support the vision 418 00:16:11.900 --> 00:16:13.240 of the art gallery of South Australia 419 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:16.020 Nick Mitzavich to establish Adelaide Contemporary. 420 00:16:16.020 --> 00:16:17.620 A major contemporary art 421 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:19.920 gallery that is also home 422 00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:21.340 to their entire 423 00:16:21.900 --> 00:16:23.240 art collection storage. 424 00:16:23.900 --> 00:16:26.080 But wait, there's more. By fostering 425 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:27.800 and promoting the practice of 426 00:16:27.800 --> 00:16:29.700 private collecting, we ultimately 427 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:31.860 create the pipeline for 428 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:33.540 building the state's collections, 429 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.060 our common wealth. 430 00:16:35.420 --> 00:16:37.920 Who knows what riches reside in the homes 431 00:16:37.920 --> 00:16:39.740 of private citizens. From 432 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:41.680 first edition books to the visual 433 00:16:41.680 --> 00:16:43.440 arts and all manner of material 434 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:45.600 culture, we collect ourselves into 435 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.840 immortality. Of course 436 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:49.920 for many people, collecting is a personal 437 00:16:49.920 --> 00:16:51.340 and deeply private thing 438 00:16:51.900 --> 00:16:53.780 and that must always be respected. 439 00:16:53.900 --> 00:16:55.020 But surely, 440 00:16:55.900 --> 00:16:57.080 with the right enablement, 441 00:16:57.900 --> 00:16:59.480 our many privately held collections 442 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:01.240 might be temporarily 443 00:17:01.900 --> 00:17:03.820 revealed. The Roche 444 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:05.720 House Gallery in North Adelaide is reputed 445 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:07.780 to be the biggest house collection in the 446 00:17:07.780 --> 00:17:09.740 southern hemisphere. And then there are 447 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:11.580 existing state collections that are incredible 448 00:17:11.580 --> 00:17:13.600 but that remain in storage 449 00:17:13.600 --> 00:17:15.720 because of a lack of opportunity and 450 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:17.780 appropriate places in which to display them. 451 00:17:18.120 --> 00:17:19.720 Between our four state collecting 452 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:21.900 institutions, we hold vast treasures 453 00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:23.780 on behalf of the public, 454 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:25.740 that await public sharing. 455 00:17:26.080 --> 00:17:27.800 And there are all manner of possible 456 00:17:27.800 --> 00:17:29.560 ways to display them, if only 457 00:17:29.560 --> 00:17:31.440 we had a place with sufficient 458 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.200 temporary exhibition spaces 459 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:35.000 in which to reveal them. 460 00:17:36.100 --> 00:17:37.580 Perhaps the old Royal Adelaide 461 00:17:37.580 --> 00:17:39.020 Hospital site will present 462 00:17:39.020 --> 00:17:41.640 opportunity. Perhaps there are plans 463 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:43.520 and concepts that are already at concept 464 00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:45.540 stage. Perhaps we need 465 00:17:45.540 --> 00:17:47.980 a 20 year plan to get our collections 466 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:49.340 act together. 467 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:51.180 Build it and they will come. 468 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:53.280 Perhaps the kind of investment 469 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.300 is a more sustainable, 470 00:17:57.700 --> 00:17:59.420 less environmentally risky 471 00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:01.560 and far less costly way to forge 472 00:18:01.560 --> 00:18:03.420 a future for our state than a large 473 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:05.440 cement bunker full of plutonium. 474 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:08.700 Whatever the future holds, 475 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.840 we already hold our future. 476 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:12.320 It is called our past 477 00:18:12.320 --> 00:18:14.180 and it deserves to be shared. 478 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:15.860 And by way of conclusion, 479 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:17.460 it's through better connecting 480 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:18.660 and through better understanding 481 00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:19.840 the impulse for collecting 482 00:18:19.840 --> 00:18:21.920 that Adelaide and South Australia 483 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:23.840 has an opportunity to again 484 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:25.100 pitch above its weight. 485 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:25.820 Thank you. 486 00:18:38.320 --> 00:18:39.600 Looking around 487 00:18:39.600 --> 00:18:41.100 at the faces here today, 488 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:43.160 I realise that many of us 489 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:45.000 are of a vintage 490 00:18:46.300 --> 00:18:47.500 to recognise 491 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:49.320 or to remember a time 492 00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:51.460 when the prefix public 493 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:53.680 was something to be very proud of. 494 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:56.480 We had public education, 495 00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:57.740 public transport, 496 00:18:57.900 --> 00:18:58.760 public hospitals, 497 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:00.920 public broadcasting. 498 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:03.240 Again and again and again, 499 00:19:03.320 --> 00:19:04.180 if it was public, 500 00:19:04.320 --> 00:19:05.600 we were proud of it. 501 00:19:06.020 --> 00:19:08.240 And then this long process 502 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:09.880 of privatisation occurred. 503 00:19:10.520 --> 00:19:13.180 So extreme that there was even 504 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:14.780 a moment in New South Wales 505 00:19:14.780 --> 00:19:16.280 when public toilets 506 00:19:16.280 --> 00:19:18.420 were to be privatised. 507 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:20.520 And those of us wishing 508 00:19:20.520 --> 00:19:21.620 to spend a penny 509 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:23.780 were threatened with the prospect 510 00:19:23.780 --> 00:19:24.940 of spending a dollar 511 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:26.740 with an entrepreneur 512 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:28.460 by the name of John Singleton. 513 00:19:30.840 --> 00:19:33.520 I have the greatest respect 514 00:19:34.260 --> 00:19:36.520 for public as a prefix, 515 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.720 for public as an adjective. 516 00:19:40.340 --> 00:19:42.800 And you, young man, 517 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:44.000 to me, 518 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.060 are the quintessential 519 00:19:46.060 --> 00:19:47.160 public servant. 520 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:48.600 And you've done 521 00:19:48.600 --> 00:19:50.500 an extraordinary job. 522 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:52.060 An extraordinary job. 523 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:02.860 I got your ASIO file 524 00:20:02.860 --> 00:20:03.960 overnight and 525 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.700 it contains 526 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:09.260 a to whom it may concern 527 00:20:09.260 --> 00:20:10.820 from the High Commissioner 528 00:20:10.820 --> 00:20:12.880 Australia House London 529 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:15.060 some lefty called 530 00:20:15.060 --> 00:20:15.360 a 531 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:17.620 Mike Rand. 532 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:20.080 Let me just, 533 00:20:20.120 --> 00:20:21.600 you'll get the feeling for it, 534 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:22.960 I'll just read a couple of paragraphs, 535 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:25.620 which I understand he wrote on his iPhone 536 00:20:26.320 --> 00:20:27.800 in an airport lounge. 537 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.680 I have known Greg Mackie 538 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.460 for 20 years and worked with him 539 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:34.040 closely for almost a decade 540 00:20:34.040 --> 00:20:34.900 when I was Premier, 541 00:20:35.620 --> 00:20:37.780 Minister of the Arts, Economic Development, 542 00:20:38.120 --> 00:20:40.140 Social Inclusion, Sustainability 543 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:41.940 and Climate Change. 544 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:43.680 Mr Mackey in so many ways 545 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:45.340 had a profound impact 546 00:20:48.100 --> 00:20:48.880 on the government. 547 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:50.600 He was often referred to as 548 00:20:50.600 --> 00:20:52.280 our best ideas man. 549 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.280 But in a rare combination 550 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:57.160 he was also an excellent administrator 551 00:20:57.160 --> 00:20:59.180 who inspired extraordinary 552 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:00.820 loyalty as a team member. 553 00:21:01.220 --> 00:21:02.980 He also enjoyed bipartisan 554 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:05.160 support respected by 555 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:07.100 the Liberal opposition in South Australia 556 00:21:07.100 --> 00:21:09.040 and by senior ministers 557 00:21:09.040 --> 00:21:11.260 in the Howard Government. 558 00:21:11.540 --> 00:21:13.160 And his excellent relations with the 559 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:14.180 Commonwealth Public Service 560 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:17.140 also proved invaluable to South Australia 561 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:18.060 and the Commonwealth. 562 00:21:19.540 --> 00:21:23.740 I think it's important to note 563 00:21:30.040 --> 00:21:31.360 ! 564 00:21:31.360 --> 00:21:45.160 I think it's important to note 565 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:48.260 that I have a secret 566 00:21:48.260 --> 00:21:50.760 fantasy of growing vegetables 567 00:21:50.760 --> 00:21:52.160 down on the Fleurieu Peninsula. 568 00:21:53.560 --> 00:21:55.700 You are brushing off a serious question. 569 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:56.940 Do you still have? 570 00:21:57.220 --> 00:21:58.960 I mean you have done so much Greg. 571 00:21:59.120 --> 00:22:00.640 I have sat back and watched you 572 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.660 with fascinated horror 573 00:22:01.660 --> 00:22:02.940 over the last years. 574 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:05.580 Is there anything you haven't done? 575 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.980 Well, that's a difficult question Philip. 576 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:14.080 One of, in the public sector 577 00:22:14.080 --> 00:22:15.140 and for many of us 578 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:17.040 better or worse I seem to have found myself 579 00:22:17.040 --> 00:22:19.240 largely drawn toward 580 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:21.540 the public sector as an avenue 581 00:22:21.540 --> 00:22:22.440 for public service 582 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:24.420 in the last 15 years. 583 00:22:24.560 --> 00:22:28.440 I always hankered for 584 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:30.560 the reorganisation 585 00:22:30.560 --> 00:22:31.940 of the administrative 586 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:34.160 functions of the public sector 587 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:35.580 to create a department 588 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:36.960 for cultural development. 589 00:22:37.280 --> 00:22:39.520 When I was promoted to 590 00:22:39.520 --> 00:22:40.700 Deputy Chief Executive in 591 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:41.400 Premier and Cabinet 592 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.820 I was appointed 593 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:46.520 the Deputy Chief Executive 594 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:49.280 for, what was the damn name? 595 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:51.120 It was 596 00:22:53.620 --> 00:22:54.800 something completely 597 00:22:54.800 --> 00:22:55.500 forgettable. 598 00:22:55.580 --> 00:22:58.880 I convinced Mike to let me 599 00:22:59.620 --> 00:23:01.080 rebrand the role 600 00:23:01.080 --> 00:23:02.320 as Deputy Chief Executive 601 00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:03.220 Cultural Development 602 00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.620 because that's sort of what I feel I do. 603 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:07.860 He agreed 604 00:23:07.860 --> 00:23:11.040 and it brought together 605 00:23:11.040 --> 00:23:12.460 a whole stack of things. 606 00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:13.960 The Adelaide Thinkers in Residence Program, 607 00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:15.740 the Abbotts of course, 608 00:23:15.820 --> 00:23:18.600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. 609 00:23:19.040 --> 00:23:20.740 It was an incredibly 610 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:22.480 exciting portfolio 611 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:24.440 of poor 612 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:25.700 struggling 613 00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:28.320 but noble ambits 614 00:23:28.320 --> 00:23:30.620 and I think that we could 615 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:32.520 take a leaf out of the European 616 00:23:33.160 --> 00:23:34.420 government model 617 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:37.040 and establish a department 618 00:23:37.040 --> 00:23:38.900 for culture that brings together 619 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:39.800 various parts. 620 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:42.520 Culture doesn't exist in a vacuum. 621 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:44.260 I'm sure you all appreciate that. 622 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:47.080 I think that 623 00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:48.600 it's an important set of connections. 624 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:49.780 It's everything we do. 625 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:51.240 It's everything we do that's important. 626 00:23:51.580 --> 00:23:53.600 It's everything we do that I think 627 00:23:55.100 --> 00:23:56.840 makes our story 628 00:23:56.840 --> 00:23:57.580 worth telling. 629 00:23:58.500 --> 00:24:00.920 Mike mentions in passing that you were 630 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:02.220 able to communicate 631 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.920 across party lines. 632 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:06.960 I remember, and it wasn't 633 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:08.840 so long ago, when there 634 00:24:08.840 --> 00:24:10.860 were great friendships, even love 635 00:24:10.860 --> 00:24:11.700 affairs across 636 00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:14.860 party lines, the number 637 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:16.140 of people that had affairs 638 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:18.860 in Canberra during the 639 00:24:18.860 --> 00:24:20.980 Whitlam years would astonish you 640 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:22.820 and I'm willing to give secret 641 00:24:22.820 --> 00:24:23.800 information later. 642 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:27.180 But that withered and died 643 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:29.040 particularly after the dismissal 644 00:24:29.040 --> 00:24:30.220 in Canberra which seemed to be 645 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:33.040 the end of it. But across 646 00:24:33.040 --> 00:24:34.840 the board there were so many areas 647 00:24:34.840 --> 00:24:37.040 including the arts where 648 00:24:37.040 --> 00:24:38.720 there was passionate 649 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:40.240 bipartisan enthusiasm. 650 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:42.820 Where premiers and not just labour premiers 651 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:44.780 wanted to be the Minister 652 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:45.700 for the Arts. 653 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:48.620 Absolutely and in part 654 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:51.200 for a politician 655 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:52.620 with a 656 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:54.420 heavy set of obligations 657 00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:56.880 and probably you wouldn't want to be 658 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:59.020 the Minister for Health, just the Minister for Health 659 00:24:59.020 --> 00:25:01.020 after all people die on your watch. 660 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:02.280 Being 661 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:04.660 Minister for the Arts is something good. 662 00:25:05.060 --> 00:25:06.980 The Arts was seen as 663 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:08.160 something fun 664 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:10.500 at a political level and therefore 665 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:12.260 something nice to have 666 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:15.140 and of course there are members of parliament 667 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:16.840 who are themselves deeply 668 00:25:16.840 --> 00:25:19.120 committed arts citizens and occasionally 669 00:25:19.120 --> 00:25:20.880 they find their way into cabinet 670 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:22.860 and occasionally they actually get offered 671 00:25:22.860 --> 00:25:23.420 the portfolio. 672 00:25:24.300 --> 00:25:26.980 The arts has been a bipartisan space 673 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:28.780 largely in Australia 674 00:25:28.780 --> 00:25:31.060 but it's less of an active 675 00:25:31.060 --> 00:25:32.980 bipartisanship and more of a 676 00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:34.960 this is not something that matters 677 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:36.780 to the people whose votes matter 678 00:25:36.780 --> 00:25:38.460 and therefore we can 679 00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:41.020 ignore it or we can agree 680 00:25:41.020 --> 00:25:42.880 to not politicise it. 681 00:25:43.100 --> 00:25:45.140 The great Andre Malraux 682 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:47.060 was an advisor on 683 00:25:47.060 --> 00:25:48.340 artistic matters to 684 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.200 the President of 685 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:52.780 France and 686 00:25:52.780 --> 00:25:55.200 Nugget Coombs and I visited him 687 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:57.140 in the process of 688 00:25:57.140 --> 00:25:58.520 setting up the Australia Council 689 00:25:59.160 --> 00:26:01.180 and Malraux gave us this advice 690 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:02.880 he said you must 691 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:04.700 make the President the Minister 692 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:05.640 for the Arts. 693 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:08.780 He was talking about 694 00:26:08.780 --> 00:26:10.940 De Gaulle in his case. He said 695 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:12.940 if you get the President he will 696 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:14.860 get the money and he will be 697 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:16.240 too busy to interfere. 698 00:26:17.860 --> 00:26:19.260 And I always found 699 00:26:19.260 --> 00:26:20.920 that the wisest of counsel 700 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:22.980 and so the first thing was to make 701 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.480 sure that the incumbent Premier 702 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:26.720 certainly in any Labour state but sometimes 703 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.940 in Liberal states took the 704 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:30.760 took the chore and 705 00:26:30.760 --> 00:26:32.780 ditto for Prime Ministers. 706 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:34.560 Whitlam of course loved the job 707 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:35.780 but 708 00:26:35.780 --> 00:26:39.180 as soon as it was downgraded 709 00:26:40.040 --> 00:26:41.120 the Malraux 710 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:42.880 warning came true. I remember 711 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.240 we were suddenly stuck 712 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:46.280 with a Junior Minister 713 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:49.160 when Bill McMahon was briefly 714 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:51.160 and forgettably Prime Minister 715 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:52.840 and his name was 716 00:26:52.840 --> 00:26:54.380 Peter Howson 717 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:56.880 who I immediately dubbed a pain 718 00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:57.580 in the arts. 719 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:01.040 And it is terribly important 720 00:27:01.040 --> 00:27:02.720 also for symbolism not 721 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:04.140 merely for access to money 722 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:06.800 but to have the arts taken that 723 00:27:06.800 --> 00:27:07.380 seriously. 724 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:10.440 Yes it is 725 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:13.100 and speaking for myself 726 00:27:13.100 --> 00:27:15.080 in the years that I headed up the arts 727 00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:15.980 portfolio here 728 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:18.720 it was true that the Premier 729 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.620 as Minister for the Arts was an incredibly 730 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:22.820 busy guy but 731 00:27:23.600 --> 00:27:25.180 he extended to me 732 00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:27.020 just the most incredible 733 00:27:27.020 --> 00:27:28.340 amount of trust 734 00:27:28.340 --> 00:27:31.040 and respect and that was mutual 735 00:27:31.040 --> 00:27:32.600 and it meant that 736 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:35.240 I could get on with doing the job 737 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:37.100 and know 738 00:27:37.100 --> 00:27:38.940 that in Cabinet at 739 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:41.120 Budget time he was in our corner 740 00:27:41.120 --> 00:27:43.000 and it didn't mean that Mike 741 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.820 neglected the portfolio. He 742 00:27:45.160 --> 00:27:46.420 shared the portfolio with another 743 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:48.360 Senior Government Minister and that 744 00:27:48.360 --> 00:27:50.800 meant we had two guaranteed votes 745 00:27:50.800 --> 00:27:53.300 in Cabinet. Then we had the Minister 746 00:27:53.300 --> 00:27:55.400 for Adelaide and Minister for Education 747 00:27:55.400 --> 00:27:56.660 Jane Lymax-Smith 748 00:27:56.660 --> 00:27:58.840 who was after dilate law 749 00:27:58.840 --> 00:28:01.080 the second person to commit to 750 00:28:01.080 --> 00:28:02.820 supporting the Adelaide Festival of Ideas 751 00:28:02.820 --> 00:28:04.860 so we had three guaranteed 752 00:28:04.860 --> 00:28:06.100 votes in Cabinet. 753 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:08.560 It's an exercise in numbers 754 00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:10.980 really an exercise in numbers and we were 755 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:13.080 just incredibly fortunate that even though 756 00:28:13.080 --> 00:28:15.140 many people probably regard Kevin Fyfe 757 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:17.360 and Boley as probably the antithesis 758 00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:18.800 of an arts citizen 759 00:28:18.800 --> 00:28:20.920 by the end of those years Kevin 760 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:23.220 and I had this sort of punch and 761 00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:24.980 duty act that at 762 00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:26.700 estimates time and at 763 00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:28.620 Budget bilaterals 764 00:28:28.620 --> 00:28:31.040 he would have a swipe at me and I would 765 00:28:31.040 --> 00:28:32.620 you know cop it and 766 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:34.920 then keep smiling and by the end of it 767 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:37.040 we always got where we needed to get. 768 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:39.040 I mentioned the 769 00:28:39.040 --> 00:28:41.200 endless process, the ongoing 770 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:42.800 process of privatisations 771 00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:44.760 of anything deemed 772 00:28:45.160 --> 00:28:46.880 public and all the threats 773 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:48.700 that that introduces. 774 00:28:49.520 --> 00:28:50.760 We were always 775 00:28:50.760 --> 00:28:52.980 told from day one that 776 00:28:52.980 --> 00:28:55.420 the money that was evaporating 777 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:57.020 from government would be 778 00:28:57.020 --> 00:28:59.000 more than made up for by 779 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:00.680 the generosity of corporations. 780 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.820 Didn't quite 781 00:29:02.820 --> 00:29:03.620 happen did it? 782 00:29:04.040 --> 00:29:06.840 I can't speak for other jurisdictions but 783 00:29:06.840 --> 00:29:08.740 certainly in South Australia 784 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:10.800 it never happened. 785 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:12.940 We have a very small 786 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:14.200 corporate base here. 787 00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:17.120 We have a larger philanthropic base 788 00:29:17.120 --> 00:29:19.180 but even still relative to 789 00:29:19.180 --> 00:29:21.160 the more populous states 790 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:22.280 we are 791 00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:24.360 we're well back in the pack. 792 00:29:24.860 --> 00:29:27.060 The opportunity 793 00:29:27.060 --> 00:29:29.120 for corporates 794 00:29:29.120 --> 00:29:31.240 to partner with the arts 795 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.720 is less 796 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:35.080 about the return on investment 797 00:29:35.080 --> 00:29:37.020 to the business and more 798 00:29:37.020 --> 00:29:38.560 about the individual passion 799 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:40.940 of a chief executive or a 800 00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:42.740 board chairman. And a corporation 801 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:45.080 would also be very concerned about the 802 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:47.260 dangers of funding 803 00:29:47.260 --> 00:29:49.280 any body 804 00:29:49.280 --> 00:29:50.800 or any individual 805 00:29:50.800 --> 00:29:52.960 who might get overly provocative. 806 00:29:53.660 --> 00:29:55.460 That is a reality. 807 00:29:55.820 --> 00:29:57.500 I certainly know at the time 808 00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:58.460 that the Olympic Dam 809 00:29:58.460 --> 00:30:01.140 expansion was on the books 810 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:02.960 before the collapse of the price 811 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.740 of uranium that 812 00:30:05.620 --> 00:30:06.760 BHP Billiton 813 00:30:06.760 --> 00:30:08.440 who had a five year partnership 814 00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:11.240 with South Australian Youth Arts Board 815 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:12.360 and the Come Out Festival 816 00:30:12.360 --> 00:30:15.140 they got particular 817 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:17.040 particularly sensitive at a time 818 00:30:17.040 --> 00:30:18.240 when in a parade 819 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:20.880 there was a display about 820 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:21.600 anti-nuclear. 821 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:25.060 That was the choice of school children 822 00:30:25.060 --> 00:30:25.800 and 823 00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:29.100 we were not the arbiter or the censor 824 00:30:29.100 --> 00:30:30.080 of their enthusiasm. 825 00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:32.360 Greg 826 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:34.840 I'm going to open this to 827 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:36.400 questions from the audience shortly 828 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:38.560 because it's a good chance to 829 00:30:38.560 --> 00:30:40.580 talk to this extraordinary fellow. 830 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:42.420 You mentioned in passing 831 00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:44.980 the issue of your own sexuality 832 00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:47.320 was that ever a problem 833 00:30:47.320 --> 00:30:48.580 for you in government? 834 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:50.740 No, I can honestly say 835 00:30:50.740 --> 00:30:53.000 to my face it was never 836 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:54.380 a problem in government 837 00:30:54.380 --> 00:30:56.040 and quite frankly 838 00:30:56.040 --> 00:30:58.700 what is said in the locker room 839 00:30:58.700 --> 00:30:59.500 to 840 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:02.080 Donald Trump 841 00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:04.160 is 842 00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:06.900 as long as it stayed in the locker room 843 00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:08.380 and wasn't made public 844 00:31:08.380 --> 00:31:09.940 I actually really didn't care 845 00:31:09.940 --> 00:31:12.900 and still don't care what people think. 846 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:14.980 So it was a sort of don't ask 847 00:31:15.160 --> 00:31:16.200 don't tell approach. 848 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:18.120 I was always pretty out. 849 00:31:18.420 --> 00:31:20.660 Believe me I was always pretty out. 850 00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:22.020 And 851 00:31:22.020 --> 00:31:24.860 I feel I was always treated 852 00:31:24.860 --> 00:31:26.620 with respect and I am 853 00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:28.700 still treated with respect. 854 00:31:29.600 --> 00:31:30.560 Ladies and gentlemen 855 00:31:30.560 --> 00:31:33.000 are there any members of the audience 856 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:35.080 that would like to engage in this? 857 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:36.520 I would love you to do so. 858 00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:39.140 There's a microphone in the middle 859 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:39.840 of the hall 860 00:31:41.300 --> 00:31:43.060 and yes someone has 861 00:31:43.060 --> 00:31:45.100 already... Actually while this gentleman 862 00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:45.960 who I know 863 00:31:46.860 --> 00:31:48.220 gets to the microphone 864 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:50.340 there was only one incidence in my 865 00:31:51.780 --> 00:31:53.080 bureaucratic or public 866 00:31:53.080 --> 00:31:54.860 small p political life 867 00:31:54.860 --> 00:31:57.300 where sexuality came into it. 868 00:31:57.360 --> 00:31:59.040 When I was a candidate for Lord Mayor 869 00:31:59.040 --> 00:31:59.960 in 2003 870 00:32:01.060 --> 00:32:02.920 my fellow councillor 871 00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:04.980 Anne Moran in a big 872 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:06.760 article in the Sunday Mail 873 00:32:06.760 --> 00:32:09.140 declared that she didn't think Adelaide 874 00:32:09.140 --> 00:32:10.700 was ready for a gay Lord Mayor. 875 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:13.060 Of course this was 876 00:32:13.060 --> 00:32:15.040 the same councillor and I say this 877 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:17.360 with affection 878 00:32:18.060 --> 00:32:18.660 somehow 879 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:20.160 somewhat to Anne. 880 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:23.180 She's also the person who presided 881 00:32:23.180 --> 00:32:25.120 over the demolition of most 882 00:32:25.120 --> 00:32:26.880 of the public toilets in Adelaide. 883 00:32:27.940 --> 00:32:28.880 For reasons 884 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:31.500 that I best leave to people's speculation. 885 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:33.600 I remember 886 00:32:33.600 --> 00:32:35.060 And then she wondered why 887 00:32:35.060 --> 00:32:36.960 she was not a gay icon like 888 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:37.760 Jane Lomax Smith. 889 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:41.100 I suddenly remember an early 890 00:32:41.100 --> 00:32:42.580 column I wrote for The Age. 891 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:45.060 My very closest friend was gay and he 892 00:32:45.160 --> 00:32:46.860 introduced me to 893 00:32:46.860 --> 00:32:48.880 that side of reality 894 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:50.660 when I was in my late teens. 895 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:52.140 Not as a practitioner. 896 00:32:52.280 --> 00:32:54.160 I was just going to say, was this in a Biblical sense? 897 00:32:54.580 --> 00:32:56.400 But as someone of great 898 00:32:57.400 --> 00:32:58.440 anthropological curiosity 899 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:00.180 and I remember discovering 900 00:33:00.180 --> 00:33:02.280 that the various gay 901 00:33:02.280 --> 00:33:04.860 the various famous loos around 902 00:33:04.860 --> 00:33:06.380 Melbourne all had pet names. 903 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:08.780 There was one next to the library 904 00:33:08.780 --> 00:33:10.960 in Swanston Street which was known as 905 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:11.900 the reading room 906 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.500 and there was one with a 907 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:16.180 made up of those strange 908 00:33:16.180 --> 00:33:18.320 translucent glass tiles 909 00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:21.040 and I think that was called 910 00:33:21.040 --> 00:33:23.500 the, oh I've forgotten now 911 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:24.820 early onset 912 00:33:24.820 --> 00:33:26.360 dementia. Sir? 913 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:29.120 Philip, I almost feel reluctant 914 00:33:29.120 --> 00:33:31.320 to disrupt the flow of your conversation. 915 00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:33.220 It's getting particularly interesting. 916 00:33:33.600 --> 00:33:34.280 However, 917 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:37.120 just two thoughts in regard 918 00:33:37.120 --> 00:33:38.980 to the two ideas that Greg 919 00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:41.120 mentioned in terms of the 920 00:33:41.980 --> 00:33:42.660 network 921 00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:45.040 of people who had previously 922 00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:46.880 spoke at the 923 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:49.120 festival ideas and also 924 00:33:49.120 --> 00:33:50.280 the collections idea. 925 00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:53.160 First in regard to that network 926 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:55.100 there might be a case for 927 00:33:55.100 --> 00:33:56.340 thinking also about the 928 00:33:56.340 --> 00:33:58.740 would it be 500 or the thousand 929 00:33:58.740 --> 00:34:00.900 people who've come along over the years 930 00:34:00.900 --> 00:34:02.220 to the writers festival 931 00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:04.280 as in fact 932 00:34:04.280 --> 00:34:06.380 a potentially bigger 933 00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.040 network of people 934 00:34:09.040 --> 00:34:10.760 at least some of whom 935 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:12.880 could potentially be linked into 936 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:15.120 the 160 or so 937 00:34:15.160 --> 00:34:17.000 I think you mentioned from the 938 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:17.940 festival ideas. 939 00:34:19.160 --> 00:34:21.060 Before you respond to that I should point out 940 00:34:21.060 --> 00:34:22.320 that there is a subtle difference 941 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:25.080 in emphasis. The writers weeks 942 00:34:25.080 --> 00:34:26.760 tend to in fact favour 943 00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:28.980 fiction. The festivals 944 00:34:28.980 --> 00:34:30.680 of ideas, non-fiction 945 00:34:30.680 --> 00:34:32.920 I think they're a good contrast. 946 00:34:33.400 --> 00:34:34.820 They are a good contrast but Stuart 947 00:34:34.820 --> 00:34:36.960 the point that you're making is 948 00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:38.620 that people who know people 949 00:34:39.160 --> 00:34:40.100 and who talk to people 950 00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:42.880 can be really 951 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:44.700 powerful ambassadors and so I 952 00:34:45.160 --> 00:34:47.040 accept that as a 953 00:34:47.040 --> 00:34:47.780 really good suggestion. 954 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:50.640 In regard to the collections idea perhaps 955 00:34:51.160 --> 00:34:52.400 slightly more critically 956 00:34:53.160 --> 00:34:55.040 in terms 957 00:34:55.040 --> 00:34:56.820 of the sort of 958 00:34:56.820 --> 00:34:59.040 leverage and benefits that could flow 959 00:34:59.040 --> 00:35:00.680 from that and I'm sure there are many 960 00:35:00.680 --> 00:35:02.960 I assume 961 00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:05.100 it would be partly connected to the idea of 962 00:35:05.100 --> 00:35:07.280 visitors to South Australia 963 00:35:07.280 --> 00:35:08.620 to tourism 964 00:35:08.620 --> 00:35:10.980 if you like and given 965 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:13.060 that the current projections really put 966 00:35:13.060 --> 00:35:14.120 an emphasis upon 967 00:35:15.160 --> 00:35:16.360 Chinese tourists 968 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:18.920 for the next 10, 20 years 969 00:35:18.920 --> 00:35:21.120 as being the major growth 970 00:35:21.120 --> 00:35:22.960 area I think you would perhaps 971 00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:24.240 need to try and connect 972 00:35:25.160 --> 00:35:26.220 your collections idea 973 00:35:27.380 --> 00:35:28.700 among other things 974 00:35:28.700 --> 00:35:30.180 specifically to that 975 00:35:31.160 --> 00:35:33.040 20 years worth of Chinese visitors. 976 00:35:33.600 --> 00:35:35.100 Absolutely and indeed 977 00:35:35.100 --> 00:35:36.880 we are utterly crap 978 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:38.680 at providing multilingual 979 00:35:38.680 --> 00:35:39.560 interpretation 980 00:35:39.560 --> 00:35:42.960 for visitors who don't have 981 00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:44.100 English as a first language. 982 00:35:46.160 --> 00:35:46.740 I 983 00:35:46.740 --> 00:35:47.340 when I was 984 00:35:47.340 --> 00:35:50.120 in fact it was the only time I've ever been 985 00:35:50.120 --> 00:35:51.100 president of anything 986 00:35:51.100 --> 00:35:54.220 when I was president of the Victorian Council for the Arts 987 00:35:54.220 --> 00:35:55.320 we did a survey 988 00:35:55.320 --> 00:35:58.140 of the number of significant collections 989 00:35:58.140 --> 00:35:59.520 in Victoria 990 00:36:00.580 --> 00:36:02.320 and to our astonishment 991 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:04.620 there were over 500 places 992 00:36:04.620 --> 00:36:06.280 that could be called museums. 993 00:36:07.020 --> 00:36:08.940 Now some of them were absolutely 994 00:36:08.940 --> 00:36:10.660 rat baggy 995 00:36:10.660 --> 00:36:11.620 but fun 996 00:36:11.620 --> 00:36:14.380 and they were just everywhere and we had 997 00:36:15.160 --> 00:36:17.280 developed it but the idea in effect 998 00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:19.240 of a passport that people 999 00:36:19.240 --> 00:36:20.900 could go along and get a stamp 1000 00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:22.900 as they meandered around the country 1001 00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:24.740 because for every object 1002 00:36:24.740 --> 00:36:26.920 that's on display in a major 1003 00:36:26.920 --> 00:36:28.800 institution there are dozens and dozens 1004 00:36:28.800 --> 00:36:29.740 perhaps hundreds 1005 00:36:29.740 --> 00:36:32.500 in eclectic little collections. 1006 00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:34.440 That's absolutely correct and 1007 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:36.820 in South Australia there's a vast 1008 00:36:36.820 --> 00:36:39.040 network of largely community owned 1009 00:36:39.040 --> 00:36:40.160 and operated 1010 00:36:41.160 --> 00:36:42.920 community museums in regional South 1011 00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:44.700 Australia and metropolitan Adelaide 1012 00:36:45.160 --> 00:36:46.440 and the History Trust 1013 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:49.100 has administered for more than 1014 00:36:49.100 --> 00:36:50.660 20 years a fund 1015 00:36:50.660 --> 00:36:52.820 a special fund that government has provided 1016 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:54.800 it's $150,000 1017 00:36:54.800 --> 00:36:56.200 a year it's only 1018 00:36:56.200 --> 00:36:58.740 $150,000 a year and that 1019 00:36:58.740 --> 00:37:00.960 number has not changed in over 20 1020 00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:02.700 years. We 1021 00:37:02.700 --> 00:37:04.920 have an incredible opportunity 1022 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:06.740 to and 1023 00:37:06.740 --> 00:37:08.420 I'm very interested in my 1024 00:37:09.160 --> 00:37:10.760 role with the History Trust in 1025 00:37:10.760 --> 00:37:13.340 identifying corporate and philanthropic 1026 00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:14.700 partnerships to help grow 1027 00:37:15.160 --> 00:37:16.840 that fund to enable 1028 00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:18.920 more support and more 1029 00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:21.080 facilitation for those community museums. 1030 00:37:21.540 --> 00:37:22.360 As one of your 1031 00:37:23.160 --> 00:37:25.060 more elderly guests and I know I speak 1032 00:37:25.060 --> 00:37:26.700 for Barry Jones as well we'd be 1033 00:37:26.700 --> 00:37:29.440 willing to offer ourselves for taxidermal 1034 00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:29.880 purposes. 1035 00:37:31.160 --> 00:37:32.860 And you could set up a new 1036 00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:35.340 form of national portrait gallery couldn't you? 1037 00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:36.900 A cross between 1038 00:37:36.900 --> 00:37:38.680 that and Madame Tussauds. 1039 00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:40.660 Move over the house of wax exactly. 1040 00:37:41.940 --> 00:37:42.500 Madame. 1041 00:37:44.380 --> 00:37:45.140 I'd like 1042 00:37:45.160 --> 00:37:47.020 to ask a slightly provocative question 1043 00:37:47.020 --> 00:37:49.100 as this is the Festival of Ideas. 1044 00:37:49.180 --> 00:37:51.040 I wonder if the two of you could 1045 00:37:51.040 --> 00:37:52.240 nominate your 1046 00:37:53.100 --> 00:37:54.780 personal, your favourite 1047 00:37:54.780 --> 00:37:56.020 personal abomination 1048 00:37:56.020 --> 00:37:58.880 in Sydney for you Phillip 1049 00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:00.640 and Adelaide for you Greg 1050 00:38:01.160 --> 00:38:02.960 and what 1051 00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:04.940 might be a brilliant 1052 00:38:04.940 --> 00:38:06.480 way to overcome it. 1053 00:38:06.780 --> 00:38:09.020 It could be anything, it could be a building or 1054 00:38:09.020 --> 00:38:10.820 you know a situation 1055 00:38:10.820 --> 00:38:12.760 but something that really 1056 00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:15.140 annoys you. Could it be a person? 1057 00:38:15.160 --> 00:38:16.460 In my case it's Gerard Henderson. 1058 00:38:18.940 --> 00:38:20.940 Something that's non-liberalist 1059 00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:23.180 would be a good start. Something non-liberalist 1060 00:38:23.180 --> 00:38:25.000 okay. I trust 1061 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:26.780 that your question was abomination? 1062 00:38:27.220 --> 00:38:28.840 Abomination sorry, abomination 1063 00:38:28.840 --> 00:38:30.440 yeah. Well 1064 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:31.140 well 1065 00:38:32.420 --> 00:38:35.100 I will, whilst I will reserve final 1066 00:38:35.100 --> 00:38:36.640 judgement for the 1067 00:38:37.160 --> 00:38:38.500 completion of the project I'm 1068 00:38:38.500 --> 00:38:40.800 really pretty cranky about the tunnel 1069 00:38:40.800 --> 00:38:43.260 through Rymel Park at the moment. 1070 00:38:46.040 --> 00:38:47.060 Of course 1071 00:38:47.060 --> 00:38:49.060 as a public sector executive I'm actually 1072 00:38:49.060 --> 00:38:50.340 not allowed to say that so 1073 00:38:50.340 --> 00:38:52.860 just erase that little component. 1074 00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:55.040 You are going to have a world 1075 00:38:55.040 --> 00:38:56.220 class collection of 1076 00:38:57.780 --> 00:38:58.460 radioactive 1077 00:38:59.160 --> 00:39:00.640 material I understand 1078 00:39:00.640 --> 00:39:02.960 so that'll pull a big 1079 00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:04.960 crowd. Well perhaps uranium glass 1080 00:39:04.960 --> 00:39:06.980 was very very popular a century ago 1081 00:39:06.980 --> 00:39:08.940 perhaps that's our future. 1082 00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:10.960 I would like to 1083 00:39:10.960 --> 00:39:13.160 apologise for what I said about Gerard Henderson 1084 00:39:13.160 --> 00:39:14.500 but 1085 00:39:15.160 --> 00:39:17.220 before I arrived you sent me 1086 00:39:17.220 --> 00:39:18.720 over a little thing which a 1087 00:39:18.720 --> 00:39:20.940 local member of the commentariat was 1088 00:39:20.940 --> 00:39:23.160 complaining bitterly about what 1089 00:39:23.160 --> 00:39:24.980 he saw as the progressive political 1090 00:39:24.980 --> 00:39:26.400 bias of 1091 00:39:27.020 --> 00:39:28.800 those attending and those 1092 00:39:28.800 --> 00:39:30.240 sitting on stage 1093 00:39:31.160 --> 00:39:32.360 and he said where 1094 00:39:33.160 --> 00:39:35.080 where is Andrew Bolt and I'd 1095 00:39:35.080 --> 00:39:36.960 like to ask you that question. Where is 1096 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:38.980 Andrew Bolt? Does anybody 1097 00:39:38.980 --> 00:39:39.620 really care? 1098 00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:42.340 Well he certainly did. 1099 00:39:45.160 --> 00:39:47.200 Greg you're preaching to the 1100 00:39:47.200 --> 00:39:48.420 converted here 1101 00:39:49.160 --> 00:39:51.120 but as a fellow public servant how do 1102 00:39:51.120 --> 00:39:52.780 you get your message 1103 00:39:53.820 --> 00:39:54.980 to the public 1104 00:39:54.980 --> 00:39:55.280 service? 1105 00:39:58.660 --> 00:39:59.360 That's 1106 00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:00.700 a very interesting question. 1107 00:40:02.840 --> 00:40:05.040 Thanks to the 1108 00:40:06.120 --> 00:40:07.120 Commissioner for 1109 00:40:07.120 --> 00:40:08.700 Public Employment, Emma Ranieri 1110 00:40:08.700 --> 00:40:10.580 we managed to get a SAGE-M 1111 00:40:10.580 --> 00:40:12.920 South Australian Government Electronic Messaging Service 1112 00:40:12.920 --> 00:40:14.880 message out to promote 1113 00:40:15.160 --> 00:40:16.920 the Adelaide Festival of Ideas. 1114 00:40:17.060 --> 00:40:18.920 That was something that we 1115 00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:20.080 are allowed to do within 1116 00:40:20.080 --> 00:40:22.060 the rules and 1117 00:40:23.520 --> 00:40:24.880 Emma obliged 1118 00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:26.980 and 80,000 public servants 1119 00:40:26.980 --> 00:40:29.160 got a message and perhaps some of you 1120 00:40:29.160 --> 00:40:30.020 are here today. 1121 00:40:32.940 --> 00:40:35.060 It's about an exercise of 1122 00:40:35.820 --> 00:40:36.500 discretion, 1123 00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:38.640 language, 1124 00:40:38.960 --> 00:40:39.960 nuance, 1125 00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:42.780 timing and 1126 00:40:42.780 --> 00:40:44.880 platform I guess and that's 1127 00:40:45.160 --> 00:40:46.980 an interesting wobble board of 1128 00:40:46.980 --> 00:40:48.200 considerations. 1129 00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:51.180 I don't feel 1130 00:40:51.180 --> 00:40:52.460 censored, indeed 1131 00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:54.900 if I were I perhaps wouldn't have 1132 00:40:54.900 --> 00:40:57.100 said some of what I put in my 1133 00:40:57.100 --> 00:40:58.260 talk this morning 1134 00:40:59.160 --> 00:40:59.540 and 1135 00:40:59.540 --> 00:41:03.000 I shared those thoughts as personal 1136 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:04.760 thoughts not on behalf of 1137 00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:06.820 the organisation that I lead. 1138 00:41:08.200 --> 00:41:09.160 But it does 1139 00:41:09.160 --> 00:41:11.060 behove us as public 1140 00:41:11.060 --> 00:41:12.480 servants to 1141 00:41:13.160 --> 00:41:14.240 exercise judgement. 1142 00:41:16.060 --> 00:41:16.860 Hi Greg, 1143 00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:18.720 I was just wondering if you had any 1144 00:41:18.720 --> 00:41:20.760 have been thinking about ideas for 1145 00:41:20.760 --> 00:41:23.040 future festival 1146 00:41:23.040 --> 00:41:25.260 ideas to encourage more young people 1147 00:41:25.260 --> 00:41:27.140 to come along because one of the 1148 00:41:27.140 --> 00:41:29.060 themes that I've noticed over the weekend is 1149 00:41:29.060 --> 00:41:30.880 the importance of growing 1150 00:41:30.880 --> 00:41:33.120 community where older people and younger people 1151 00:41:33.120 --> 00:41:35.060 are more together and I'm just 1152 00:41:35.060 --> 00:41:36.740 wondering if you'd thought about connecting with schools 1153 00:41:36.740 --> 00:41:38.800 and maybe broadening 1154 00:41:38.800 --> 00:41:39.560 the audience? 1155 00:41:40.880 --> 00:41:41.680 We think 1156 00:41:43.160 --> 00:41:44.700 a lot about that. 1157 00:41:45.160 --> 00:41:46.260 One of the things that we 1158 00:41:47.020 --> 00:41:49.160 should have done in planning 1159 00:41:49.160 --> 00:41:51.180 this year but we actually didn't have any 1160 00:41:51.180 --> 00:41:53.040 control over it was the timing of the 1161 00:41:53.040 --> 00:41:55.080 festival and the timing of the university exam 1162 00:41:55.080 --> 00:41:56.700 period so unfortunately 1163 00:41:56.700 --> 00:41:59.040 a lot of university students aren't here. 1164 00:41:59.520 --> 00:42:00.820 But I also, I 1165 00:42:00.820 --> 00:42:02.460 would add whilst 1166 00:42:03.320 --> 00:42:05.040 conceding the importance of 1167 00:42:05.040 --> 00:42:07.120 and accepting and embracing the importance 1168 00:42:07.120 --> 00:42:09.020 of a festival of ideas 1169 00:42:09.020 --> 00:42:11.020 being a platform for people of 1170 00:42:11.020 --> 00:42:12.600 all ages is that 1171 00:42:13.460 --> 00:42:15.040 I do get 1172 00:42:15.160 --> 00:42:16.960 cranky and I know this is not where your question 1173 00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:18.860 was coming from but I get cranky about 1174 00:42:18.860 --> 00:42:20.340 people who belittle 1175 00:42:20.340 --> 00:42:22.200 an older audience. 1176 00:42:22.980 --> 00:42:24.920 We are the majority 1177 00:42:24.920 --> 00:42:26.360 in the state. 1178 00:42:26.860 --> 00:42:29.000 We are at a 1179 00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:31.120 point in life where reflection 1180 00:42:31.120 --> 00:42:33.040 and repose is 1181 00:42:33.040 --> 00:42:34.180 more appealing 1182 00:42:35.160 --> 00:42:36.900 and certainly for myself in my 1183 00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:38.940 twenties I wouldn't have been the least bit interested 1184 00:42:38.940 --> 00:42:40.960 in coming along to a festival of 1185 00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:42.900 ideas. A lot of boring 1186 00:42:42.900 --> 00:42:45.100 people talking about boring 1187 00:42:45.160 --> 00:42:47.240 subjects. I was more 1188 00:42:47.240 --> 00:42:48.580 interested in you know 1189 00:42:49.160 --> 00:42:51.000 some of those things that I referred 1190 00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:51.560 to earlier. 1191 00:42:53.340 --> 00:42:55.060 As you know South Australia 1192 00:42:55.060 --> 00:42:56.940 produced this country's 1193 00:42:56.940 --> 00:42:59.000 first saint. Had 1194 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:00.300 Greg stayed on in the 1195 00:43:01.160 --> 00:43:02.400 in the 1196 00:43:02.400 --> 00:43:04.460 body involved in 1197 00:43:05.160 --> 00:43:07.020 handing out orders of Australia I was going 1198 00:43:07.020 --> 00:43:08.960 to suggest that we add 1199 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:10.880 to it the role of secular 1200 00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:12.880 saint. Greg 1201 00:43:12.880 --> 00:43:14.640 I think qualifies. He's already 1202 00:43:15.160 --> 00:43:17.180 produced a couple of clear miracles 1203 00:43:17.180 --> 00:43:18.460 getting the festival of 1204 00:43:19.160 --> 00:43:21.000 ideas going in the first place and 1205 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:22.840 keeping it going in the 1206 00:43:22.840 --> 00:43:25.000 second. And so I would like 1207 00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:27.020 to propose you now as 1208 00:43:27.020 --> 00:43:28.940 a South Australia's first secular saint 1209 00:43:28.940 --> 00:43:30.960 and I hope it will be carried on 1210 00:43:30.960 --> 00:43:31.620 the voices. 1211 00:43:39.240 --> 00:43:40.440 Thank you. 1212 00:43:45.160 --> 00:43:45.240 Thank you.