David Gonski AC is one of Australia’s best-connected businessmen. He has sat on some 40 boards ranging from banks and investment houses to newspapers and airlines. He is currently the Chancellor of the University of New South Wales.

In 2010 David was asked to chair the expert advisory panel of the Commonwealth Government's Review of the Funding of Schools in Australia. This was in response to the falling trend in educational outcomes in Australia at the time. The Gonski Review, presented in 2012, found an unacceptable link between low levels of achievement and educational disadvantage, particularly among students from low socioeconomic and Indigenous backgrounds. The report maintained that differences in educational outcomes must not be the result of differences in wealth, income, power or possessions.

It has been 10 years since the Gonski Review and educational outcomes across Australia have gotten worse, not better. What went wrong? Join us as David explains what happened to the ambitious recommendations of the Gonski Review.

Supporting education is one of Rotary’s key areas of focus; it is essential for any well-functioning society. What can be done to get education back on track and give every child the opportunity they deserve?