People do not deserve recognition, but deeds do
Do you all know Phil Ochs’ song There but for Fortune? It might have inspired social justice philosopher John Rawls who said, 'No one deserves his greater natural capacity nor merits a more favourable starting place in society'. And as economist Robert Frankshows, luck plays a huge role in life generally.
No one deserves bad luck, nor good. I don’t think many have had much more good luck than I—great parents, living healthily in Ngambri-Ngunnawal country and here in the best room—top of Homer wing, lake and Brindabella view—in the best College, at the best university, in the best city, in the best country. And I’m grateful for continuing to be part of the College community for its whole half-century and being able to contribute a little to it. And for the many lifelong Burgmann friends, especially, of course, my very best, Jill [McSpedden (1972–1974)]. And for the many other friends on whom I know I can rely, and my sister and my two sons.
I’m not sure of which I’m more envious—the top-level ski instructor or the OECD consumer policy expert.
Baden Powell said we should do our best to make the world a bit better than it might have been without us. Falling well short of my best if I’ve made any contribution, it’s down to luck, especially being in the right place at the right time and being supported by Jill. It’s literally true that many weekends and times away internationally, I left her holding the baby or babies and earning the money that voluntary work doesn’t!
I’m really not sure there are worthy and unworthy people, just people who happen to do worthy and unworthy deeds. There but for fortune may go you or I, and fortune has meant I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some perhaps worthy deeds. So if this honour is warranted, it’s because it might give others ideas about choices they might make.
There are worthy deeds that get known, but how many go unrecognised? Some of mine have actually been recognised by some as quite unworthy mischief. I’d better explain.
Robin Hood was my childhood hero. Surely true for every Robin. But it was here that my understanding of the haves/have nots imbalance really developed and where I learnt that there were tools better than the long bow. Later, I got interested in why, all too often, markets fail and tend to make rich people richer. In Adam Smith’s words they wind up being a conspiracy against the public. Today, he’d add the environment. He said the consumer’s interest 'is the sole end and purpose of all production' and that the government should only aid producers if that benefits consumers. So, I got involved in the consumer movement because I thought the government wasn’t paying proper attention to Adam Smith.
Changing things nearly always means mischief by a bunch of people, and gauging impact is tricky. Well, this book, The Network – A guide to anti-business pressure groups, describes my bunch as a threat to Western democracy. According to it, we were guilty of unworthy deeds. The tobacco and junk food industries paid for it. It actually describes quite accurately an international network of consumer, environment and social justice groups.
Besides the consumer movement, I’ve made mischief in the others, inter alia, as president of ACTCOSS and way back in the `70s as an executive committee member of the ACT Conservation Council. And then I was elected to the council of the Australian Conservation Foundation, long before Peter [Garrett] took it to new heights as its President.
The book's author would be rolling in his grave at how many of us have even infiltrated government in various ministerial appointments, especially as environment leader Peter [Garrett] became a minister.
The consumer movement has had some successes but needs more, like effective regulation of banking, insurance, transnational corporations, tobacco and junk food. Apparently, sugar’s now more lethal than gunpowder ever was, but not as lethal as tobacco.
For the tobacco industry, my most unworthy deed was initiating litigation against it for passive smoking. Our win is the luckiest thing I’ve been involved in and perhaps the most significant use of consumer law, particularly in terms of lives saved. I’m now again helping with some anti-tobacco work. It’s appalling and ridiculous that this industry still kills each year 24,000 in Australia and 8 million globally. COVID has been as deadly, but the tobacco pandemic has been going for years. We need to kill COVID, but the cost-benefit of killing tobacco would be hugely greater. The WHO tobacco convention needs pushing.
Also, for this and other problems our work in developing countries and on the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection needs advancing. Great for me has been making mischief with my friend and colleague Allan Asher, who’s travelled from Wyong for this event.
I said I don’t think anyone in the world is luckier than I and much of that flows from being part of the Burgmann community. An Aladdin’s lamp genie wouldn’t have much work to do for me. But I’d get it working pretty hard for people who haven’t had my luck
I admit I’m obsessed with the tobacco and sugar pandemics, but more so with their underlying causes—inequality in education and inequality in general. So, I thought I’d mention that our Equality Prize panel had a tough task again this year, selecting the two winners from a number of great candidates. Making sure that task stays tough with lots of candidates is a good reason for all of us to help ensure this College’s continuing success.
Thank you.
Alumnus Robin Brown (1971–1974)
