Talent to trump fame in summit on future of nation
FANCY a look-in at Kevin Rudd’s talkfest on the nation’s future
but fear your public profile may not be high enough to clinch an
invite?
In a bid to reassure inconspicuous intellectual types, the man
in charge of the event has declared he has no intention of putting
together a celebrity rollcall %26#151; as advertisements call for
public nominations today.
Melbourne University vice-chancellor Glyn Davis, who will
co-chair the Australia 2020 Summit with the Prime Minister in
April, has told The Age he will be looking for talent over
fame.
“The best way to do this is to work out the key things you want
to talk about and decide who would be the best people to talk about
them, rather than put together a group of interesting people you
want to spend a weekend with,” he said.
“Part of the task (for the selection committee) is to go out
into each of their fields to ask for different points of view and
it will be driven by the ideas, not by who is famous.”
His comments came as youth groups warned the summit risked being
a “fogeyfest” if it opted for too many established names rather
than emerging talent. Despite the denial of a celebrity invitation
policy, the event is set to get an injection of Hollywood star
power, with actor Cate Blanchett tipped to rub shoulders with the
likes of World Vision chief Tim Costello and climate expert Tim
Flannery.
Seeking a strong cross-section of views, the Prime Minister is
also expected to invite conservative standard bearers in key
fields. Potential contenders for a place include former Victorian
premier Jeff Kennett, think tank boss Peter Saunders and one-time
Nationals leader and rail enthusiast Tim Fischer.
Hundreds of people have written to the Prime Minister, asking to
be considered themselves or nominating someone else in their area
of expertise.
Professor Davis said his aim was to ensure diverse opinions
within each group. “There’d be no point doing it if everyone
agreed,” he said.
“We’ve got to make sure it is genuinely representative; it’s
true there is a real risk you won’t achieve that if you just go for
prominent people.”
The final list of summit participants will be chosen by a
committee of 10 experts. Mr Rudd is expected to announce those
appointments this week.
The experts will also chair each of the 10 sessions on topics
such as the economy, climate change and social inclusion.
