Member Login
Remember Me?
Forgotten your password?

Speakers Program


460 Speakers Program Items found:      Showing Speakers Program Items 1 - 25

Elaine Kelly, Pastoral Care, St Vincents Hospital

Peter Behrendorff

Carlton Junior Football Club

Mike Salvaris

Social Justice and Wellbeing

• ANDI index measuring well-being
• Measuring Australia 's progress and well-being
• GDP is not a good measure of a society 's progress
• measuring well-being has to encompass assets and environment for future generations and human/social capital
• in summary: does life = shopping?
• the issue: mismeasuring human progress by economic growth alone
• progress is an increase in equitable and sustainable well-being
• measuring progress and well-being in a society is a democratic issue: WHO measures it and WHAT is being measured?
• ANDI is modelled off the Canadian index of Well-being
• the point of this is not to build a good index, the idea is to integrate it with government and community - so it can be used in budgeting and policy making

Noor Shah Kamawal

Update on first 2 years in Australia

DG Ron Payne

Haruka Tanaka

Global Grants Scholar from Nigata, Japan

Prof. Philip Doolan

Creative Problem Solving

Jeffrey Pang

Hearing and Brain Health

Fr Michael Elligate

Insights from Carlton Community Leaders

Peter Boudville

Prof. David Forrest - Paul Carlin Award Recipient

Fellowship Meeting - Naughton's hotel

Klea Atallah

RYLA Participant

Medical Student - Royal Melbourne Hospital

Mile Terziovski

Club Vision/Planning for 2023- 24 

Fellowship Meeting - Naughton's hotel

Darren Park

Internet and Banking Frauds & Scams

Members who are unable to attend at Graduate House may attend via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84147735941?pwd=YmY5S2RZdENYUkJlWFdhZXdkVnJtUT09

Meeting ID: 841 4773 5941

Passcode: 119289

Alan Thompson - Former Secretary, Department of Parliamentary Services

Parliament House Canberra, history, and some recent events


Alan, a trained engineer and the former secretary of the  Federal Department of Parliamentary Services spoke about his experiences working in the Parliament House in Canberra. He gave a brief history behind the current building.

The first federal Australian Parliament originally sat in what is now the Victorian Parliament building in Melbourne. A temporary Parliament House was later built on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin., and that building is still there today.
The final Parliament House, was designed and built by the Fraser Government on the top of Capitol Hill above. and overlooking. Lake Burley Griffin.
Alan said that the project brief was adamant that it was not be anything like the Opera House!
  1. Requirements  of accommodation for the new  Parliament House differs from other parliament houses in that, apart from having  a lower chamber and an upper chamber, like many other  houses of parliament , it houses all the functions of the Federal parliamentary process in the one building, including all ministerial offices, and their associated functions. Also included are the library, the press gallery, and a variety of public areas : restaurants, meeting areas,  parking, etc.
  2. The finished Parliament House was opened in 1988  by the Queen,
  3. Siting of the building: the comment is that , being on the top of a hill, and surrounded by wide roads, it feels a bit isolated.
  4. Operation of the Parliament: It has sittings over 22 weeks of the year, and 6 weeks for committee hearings. Ministers and their staff are mostly there all year; and  the building is open all day, for 24 hours, for all 365 days of the year. The press gallery is open 24/7.
  5. People on site:  76 Senators, 151  House of Reps,  400 to 500 advisors, chamber staff approx. 400 to help speakers run their houses, 1000 Department of Parliamentary services: Hansard staff, Library, events staff, project managers, IT and Security staff inc. 150 armed guards, 300 press gallery, Lobbyists- many around Budget Time. and Tourists - around 2500/ day.
  6. Significant Events while Alan was working in Canberra:                                                                                                                                                                Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation                                                                                                                                                                          Lehman Bros Collapse and Turnbull's excellent explanation of what happened                                                                                                                      The great joy of Julia Gillard becoming PM                                                                                                                                                                      Obama's visit to Canberra                                                                                                                                                                                                              The need to update and upgrade security eliminating the parking of buses under the building
  7. Problems of working on site in Parliament House: There are a lot of people working under pressure over long hours. So problems do arise and these have to be managed carefully and sensitively. One of the problems is that there is a lot of alcohol around.  There is the thought that alcohol should be banned from the parliamentary workplace.    

Tony Broughton 29/03/2023

Planning Meeting

Arjun Argarwal - Impact Investing

Topic: Finance and Investment - transitioning global flow of capital into investment; ‘investment is about making choices on sound advice’

  • Arjun was invited by Danielle Schutte through their involvement in the NDIA where Arjun is employed.
  • Arjun gave a comprehensive presentation on his personal and professional background. He is from an Indian background who was raised in Africa
    • He discussed the various ventures that he has been involved in India, South Africa and in Australia. He acknowledged that Australia’s entrepreneurship culture is much more conservative than the USA when it comes to start-up failure.
    • Arjun has given a TED Talk on Finance and Investment.
  • He is the Founder of Inaam 
  • In his current role his focus is on Young people and how to start investing initially in the listed market, followed by asking three key questions:
    • What do you want to change?
    • What do you love?
    • Where would you like to invest?
  • Key value adds:
    • Track your investment
    • Building investment literacy
    • Help small business to raise capital

Dr Aron Perenyi

Rotary Rings Fellowship

Hannah Rundell

Hannah Rundell will tell us more about her Music Scholarship to the USA and also a performance.


460 Speakers Program Items found:      Showing Speakers Program Items 1 - 25