What kind of leadership does Australia need?
Description
What kind of leadership does Australia need?
This is the question we are asking in our spring series of 'Conversations that matter' in the lead up to the Victorian State election. Join us for three evenings as we explore wealth inequality and economic leadership, political and ethical leadership and the values that undergird them all.
4th August - What is the economic leadership Australia needs? Talking about wealth inequality with Jonathan Cornford (Mannagum) and Catherine de Fortenay (Commissioner, Productivity Commission).
15th September - What kind of moral leadership does Australia need? with Tim Costello and Jessica Hateley-Browne (Executive Director Mission & Equity at Uniting VicTas)
20th October - What kind of political leadership does Australia need? with Bronwyn Pike and Paul Strangio.
TIME: 6pm - 7.30pm Panel discussion
Doors open at 5.30pm with light refreshments served.
VENUE: 'The School house' at Wesley Place (next door to Caretakers Cottage bar), 130 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
COST: $25 (full) or $12.50 for students *Your ticket price includes light refreshments.
Lineup
Assoc. Prof. Catherine de Fontenay
Catherine de Fontenay is a Commissioner of the Productivity Commission since 2019. Prior to that she was an Associate Professor of Economics at Melbourne Business School. She led the PC’s work on income inequality, wealth inequality and intergenerational mobility. She has a doctorate in economics and attends St Jude’s Carlton, where she is involved with their ministry on the Carlton Housing Estates.
Dr Jonathan Cornford
Jonathan Cornford is the co-founder of Manna Gum, a small not-for-profit seeking to bring Christian perspectives to issues of economy and ecology. He has a background in international development, and for the last twenty-five years has lived in intentional communities located in low-income areas. Jonathan has doctorates in political economy and theology, and lives in Bendigo with his wife and two daughters.
Rev. Tim Costello AO
Rev. Tim Costello is one of Australia’s most respected community leaders and a sought after voice on social justice issues, leadership and ethics. Tim is currently the Executive Director of Micah Australia and is also Director of Ethical Voice through which he speaks in many contexts, both Christian and secular. For 13 years until October 2016, Tim was Chief Executive of World Vision Australia (WVA). Tim is a spokesperson for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, which campaigns for law reform to prevent harm from poker machine gambling.
Dr Jessica Hateley-Browne
Jessica is Executive Director Mission and Equity at Uniting Vic.Tas, a community services organisation of the Uniting Church. Jessica leads the organisation's pursuit to give contemporary expression to the Church's ethos, ethics and values in service to the most vulnerable in our community. Jessica has two decades of experience across the health, social policy and service delivery sectors. She has held leadership roles across academia, government, social policy consulting and philanthropy and has been published widely in fields including public health, health services and social work. Jessica is a member of the Wesley Centre Board, and an active member of the Uniting Church.
Hon. Browyn PIke AM
A highly experienced executive, parliamentarian, and community leader with a career spanning more than four decades across health, social services, government, aged care and education. Former State Member of Parliament with ministerial portfolios across Health, Education, Community Services, and Housing & Aged Care. Bronwyn has served on numerous boards as both chair and director and has considerable governance expertise.
Prof. Paul Strangio
Paul Strangio is an emeritus professor of politics at Monash University. A political historian and biographer, he is the author and editor of more than a dozen books on Australian politics with a specialisation in the field of political leadership. Paul is a dual winner of the annual Henry Mayer Prize for the best book on Australian politics, as awarded by the Australian Political Studies Association. His most recent book is The Alchemy of Leadership: Seven Australian Prime Ministers in a Turbulent Twenty-first Century (Melbourne University Press, 2026). For many years, Paul has also been one of the country's leading scholarly commentators on politics.
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