Who Are Australia’s Top Thinkers?
I’m working on an idea and I need your help. I want to put together a list of the top thinkers in Australia. I mean the really amazing people, the ones with a huge vision for the country or the world or even their industry. The people who are leading from the front, dreaming big dreams and doing their best to realize them. I’m looking for inspirational, amazing Australians.
I’m nominating Peter Ellyard but I’m struggling to come up with the rest. I’m sure they are out there but who are they? Who is on your list?
June 12th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Tim Longhurst — http://www.timlonghurst.com
June 12th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
In their own rights, I think David Gulpilil, Andrew Denton and Dr Karl. But especially David Gulpilil.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Fiz, why those?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I guess it depends on which field you are talking about: academic, political, artistic, diplomatic, scientific, business, media. So much scope there really.
For science, Gustav Nossal would have to be up there, but that’s no secret…
June 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Actually, it’s probably a lot easier to choose those who are visible in the media. I’m sure many of the best thinkers aren’t so well known to most.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Not sure if he’s still working away, but a 8 years back I heard Ian Lin talk and he gave a manifesto for Australia in 2010. It made some people laugh, but it was wonderfully ambitious and real for me. He called it Quo Vadis.
Here is the manifesto;
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3320958/Quo-Vadis-Australia
One thing I remember was that he said the Australian dollar could be $1.40 to the US dollar. We were at about $0.60 at that point, and many mocked him. (”Tis folly”)
Links:
http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/brspeaker_bio.asp?Speaker_Index_Text=153
http://www.quovadis.com.au/
June 12th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I hate to say it, but … Rupert Murdoch has to be up there with anyone. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but he meets all your criteria.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Apologies for the rude comment about Cate Blanchette earlier today. To extend jjprojects 2nd point, the people you want won’t necessarily be a) be visible (too busy doing stuff to talk about themselves) or b) seen as Australian (because they’re not living / working here).
My selection criteria for three would have to include Scope and breadth of subject matter (so no Tim Flannery, sorry).
To ensure I look outside the usual ‘talking heads’ we see, I’d also ‘eliminate’ the usual suspects from the Arts, literature, politics from my list.
so my three:
Peter Singer
Richard Hames
and either Ross Gittins or John Quiggin
Quiggin is probably held in higher esteem by his peers, but Gittins is definitely more accessible.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Paul Little, CEO of Toll. Specifically for his support of the Second Step program. A program where Toll hire recovering drug addicts and former criminals.
Check http://www.servingtime.org/ and http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2197475.htm
-sean
June 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Sean, that’s a great story, and I think STEREO 974 general manager Rod Boyd the founder of Serving Time should be on the list also. Thanks for the links.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
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