May 2023 Newsletter

Get involved in National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week is just around the corner (27 May – 3 June) and as part of the commitments under our (Reflect) Reconciliation Action Plan, the Committee for Brisbane is encouraging members and others to participate in this year’s events.

CFB has undertaken to communicate our commitment to reconciliation to all staff and members, via this newsletter and other direct communications; and to circulate Reconciliation Australia’s NRW resources and reconciliation materials to our staff and members.

You can access a broad suite of NRW resources here (please ensure you follow the brand guidelines): Posters and Resources – National Reconciliation Week 2023

The National Reconciliation Week 2023 theme, “Be a voice for generations”, calls on all Australians to act today to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation.

Reconciliation Australia says reconciliation is all about building a better nation:

A more united Australia that respects and takes pride in 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, stories and achievements.
An Australia that believes in the right of First Nations peoples to make decisions about their lives and their communities.
An Australia that stands opposed to racism, inequity and injustice.
To be a voice for reconciliation today means the start of real change tomorrow.
It means amplifying the calls of past generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that have fought hard and paved the way.
And it means using your power, your words and your vote to create a better, more just Australia for all of us.

Here are some NRW events and activities:

Events in Brisbane

25 May – National Reconciliation Week Launch 2023 dinner National Reconciliation Week Launch 2023 Tickets, Thu 25/05/2023 at 6:30 pm | Eventbrite

31 May – Brisbane Youth Service welcomes young people, staff, and community to an interactive event celebrating reconciliation at the New Farm Park Rotunda. Patron Steve Renouf will also host the launch of the BYS 2023-24 Innovate RAP at the event: Brisbane Youth Service RAW Celebration – National Reconciliation Week 2023

Virtual Events

26 May – Leading into National Reconciliation Week, join the Australian Institute of Company Directors for a virtual event with leading experts/directors discussing how organisations can drive change and create lasting social impacts: National Reconciliation Week: How organisations can create lasting social impacts – National Reconciliation Week 2023

30 May – the Australian Copyright Council presenting a webinar on all things Copyright & First Nations Art: Copyright and First Nations Art Webinar – National Reconciliation Week 2023

31 May – Come Yarn with Red Dust as we celebrate Reconciliation Week 2023: Reconciliation Week 2023 Yarn with Red Dust – National Reconciliation Week 2023

9 August – Voice to Parliament 2023 Yarn with Red Dust, 60-minute discussion on the Voice to Parliament: Voice to Parliament Yarn 2023 – National Reconciliation Week 2023

Gallery events

20 May to 21 January 2024 ‘Gone Fishing’ at the Gallery of Modern Art presents works from the Gallery’s Indigenous Australian art collection that affirm this cultural, social and recreational activity: Gone Fishing – National Reconciliation Week 2023

28 May to 3 June – Art and this place tour at Queensland Art Gallery, highlighting artworks from QAGOMA’s Indigenous Australian Art Collection and explore the complex stories of history, culture and place that they tell: ‘Art & This Place Tour’ at Queensland Gallery – National Reconciliation Week 2023

30 May to 2 June – National Reconciliation Week UQ invites UQ staff, students and members of the public to the Alumni Friends of UQ Collection Study Room to see important artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, including Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri AO, Tracey Moffatt AO, Gordon Hookey and Judy Watson: National Reconciliation Week: First Nations artists in the UQ Art Museum – National Reconciliation Week 2023

New Sub-committees

The Committee for Brisbane was overwhelmed with nominations for its four new sub-committees with 85 individual nominations received for 40 positions across the Connectivity, Creativity, Equity and Enterprise Sub-committees.

The number of members putting themselves forward is a strong show of interest and support in the Committee’s activities.

Because of the large number of nominees, the CFB Executive agreed to increase the size of each sub-committee from 10 to 12 – however there are many nominees who obviously could not be accommodated. The Committee extends its thanks to all who nominated.

The final selections were made with an eye on gender equity (we have selected 24 women and 24 men); a good cross-section of members and member categories, as well as skills.

Induction meetings for all sub-committees will be scheduled over the next couple of weeks, after which an invitation will be extended to every nominee (whether successful or not) to take part in establishment workshops to kick off planning for each sub-committee.

The new sub-committees are:

Connectivity

Chair

Dr Alan Patching, Director of Industry Engagement, Bond University

Members

Adam Beck, Head of Digital Urbanism, ENE-HUB
Chris Brown, Cross River Rail Precincts Director, QIC
Coral Gillet, Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University
Dr Dia Adhikari Smith, Research Fellow & Tritium Fellow in E-Mobility, UQ Dow Centre (School of Chemical Engineering) and Transport Research Group (School of Civil Engineering), The University of Queensland
Geoff Hill, Regional General Manager – Queensland, The APP Group
Liza Valks, Regional Director Queensland, Ethos Urban
Mia Barnard, South Queensland Market Leader, Transport, GHD
Michael Jarvis, Head of Airport Planning, BAC
Michael Zaicek, Commercial Manager, Aria Property Group
Susan Mercer, Business Development Manager, ADCO Construction
Thomas Raymond, Senior Manager, Government and Health, Accenture
Tim Mitchell, Transport Planning and Infrastructure Advisor, RACQ

Creativity

Chair

Peter Edwards, Founding Director, Archipelago

Members

Alex Komarowski, Lawyer, McCullough Robertson
Audrey Penney, QLD ESD Team Lead, Strategy and Sustainability Innovation, ADP Consulting
Bec Mac, Creative Director, Chrysalis Projects
Brent O’Neill, Director of Urban Design, Wolter Consulting Group
Christopher Watson, Partner – Cyber and Technology Risk, Grant Thornton
Gavan Ranger, Managing Director, Ranger Design
Professor Heather Zwicker, Executive Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Services, The University of Queensland
John Kotzas AM, Chief Executive, QPAC
Julie McLellan, Chief Executive Officer, Healthy Land and Water
Leanne Collingburn, Partner and Head of Pro Bono, Hopgood Ganim Lawyers
Michael Stott, Head of Cities and Places, DBI
Prue McComish, Precinct Coordinator, Aria Property Group

Enterprise

Chair

Meredith Hartigan, Senior Principal Town Planner, Tract

Members

Anne Kovachevich, Sustainable Buildings and Precincts Leader, Mott MacDonald
Brent Lillywhite, Partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Gavin Moore, Director, McGees Property
Kerryn Newton, Chief Executive Officer, Directors Australia
Naomi Omundson, Special Counsel, Corporate Advisory Group, McCullough Robertson
Paul Coory, Managing Director, COHA Group
Rachel Smith, Director, Business Services, BDO
Selina Gerner, Partner, McGrath Nicol
Simon Forsyth, State Director, Mecone
Susan McGinley, Director of Advancement, The Women’s College
Professor Tim Kastelle, Director of the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, The University of Queensland
William Hannemann, Asset Management and Performance, AURECON

Equity

Chair: Dr Caroline Riot, Director, Games Engagement and Partnerships, Griffith University

Members

Andrew Masters, Managing Director, Bickerton Masters
Briana Shea, Economist, WSP
Clare Huxley, Director, GovPartners
Dai Gwynne-Jones, Director, Portfolio
Jeremy Sue, Associate, Brisbane Leader, and Structural Engineering Manager, Northrop Consulting Engineers
Kate Taylor, Director (Industry Engagement), Queensland University of Technology
Katrina Gillies, Special Counsel, Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers
Dr Kelly Clanchy, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University
Mark Oliver, Director, Risk Advisory Services, BDO
Melissa Ross, Global Program Lead, Future Communities, GHD
Therese Dogra, National Project Manager, Solve
Assoc Prof Wojtek Tomaszewski, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland

Global Megatrends: the view from Brisbane

“Global Megatrends: the view from Brisbane” will be the Committee’s final public event for the financial year with a keynote address from Dr Stefan Hajkowicz, Senior Principal Scientist – Strategy and Foresight at CSIRO.

Dr Hajkowicz will present his latest Global Megatrends:

Adapting to a changing climate
Leaner, cleaner and greener
The escalating health imperative
Geopolitical shifts
Diving into digital
Increasingly autonomous
Unlocking the human dimension

Following the keynote, Dr Hajkowicz will join a panel of experts to unpick the Megatrends from different economic and sectoral viewpoints, including:

Peter Varghese AO, Chancellor of The University of Queensland
Deb Smith, National Mining Leader, PwC
Kathy Benson, Chief Client Officer, Ipsos

Moderated by Belinda Wade, Principal, Climate Transition, Aurecon

Tickets are available here: Globa l Megatrends: The view from Brisbane

Dream Boldly – new CFB podcast launched

The Committee’s new Dream Boldly podcast went live in late April with the first two of eight episodes. The next episode will be released on Thursday 11 May, and fortnightly thereafter.

Please listen to the episodes here: Dream Boldly Podcast | The Committee for Brisbane

The series is an initiative of the Committee for Brisbane and Aruga to introduce the best and brightest minds driving greater Brisbane forward – showcasing thought-provoking conversations, unpacking big ideas and sharing aspirations for the future.

In each episode, host Adam Brunes (from CFB Member Aruga) will interview Brisbane leaders:

Steve Wilson AM, prominent Brisbane businessman and a built heritage patron
Kate Gould, CEO and Artistic Director, Brisbane Powerhouse
The Creative Brisbane Collab. – a chat with some of the founders
Kylie Blucher, CFB President and Managing Director, Nine Qld and Nine Northern NSW
Simon Hewitt, Director of Music, Queensland Youth Orchestras
Courtney Stewart, Artistic Director, La Boite
Liam Proberts, Managing and Creative Director, Bureau Proberts
Luke Fraser, CEO, Howard Smith Wharves

Business of the Games #6: The Global Business of Sport

Deloitte’s Global and US Sports Practice Leader, Pete Giorgio, was the keynote at the Committee’s most recent Business of the Games briefing: The Global Business of Sport – Lessons for 2032.

Pete was in Australia for a few days, working with the Deloitte Asia Pacific team on preparations for 2032. He has enormous experience around major sporting events, including the Games, and shared a few insights with almost 80 Committee for Brisbane Members and Affiliates, including:

Business participation in the Games is one of the most important aspects of the events, but be patient (he was well aware of business and industry eagerness to participate now) – and be ready.
Businesses should use the 2032 Games to plan their own arc of activity, ie strategically plan to position your business for opportunities associated with the Games (if that’s what you choose to do).
Use the other big global events that are coming over the next few years to Brisbane, SEQ, Queensland and Australia to practice – ie to test and determine “how can my business best participate?”.
Learn from others about what the Games is – seek out and tap into the experiences of other businesses about their participation in previous Games.
Don’t let Brisbane fall into imposter syndrome and try to follow in the footsteps of Paris and LA – do our own thing.

In response to a question about the opportunities to grow a new sports economy in SEQ, Pete advised that the eyes of the sporting community will be on Brisbane for the next nine years and asked: how could we use that attention, and the fact of the Games, to push a new sports economy agenda?

Can you help?

Committee for Brisbane Member, Craig O’Kane MBE, has asked Committee members if they can help out a good cause – the Brisbane Tool Library needs a home.

The Brisbane Tool Library is a not for profit organisation that has been up and running successfully since 2017, but was derailed (inundated, actually) by the 2022 floods.

Since, then, the Library has been in a temporary location in Norman Park but now has to move by June. They are open to being based in any suburban area – the Library serves users from 45 different postcodes (about 63 suburbs).

Run by volunteers, the Brisbane Tool Library rescues stuff from people, has tools donated, or acquires tools from Brisbane City Council recovery centres.

They have power tools, garden equipment, camping gear, and kitchen appliances, as well as a pizza oven for parties, a popcorn maker, Christmas decorations and a tree.

The Library has asked for any help with permanent or temporary accommodation. If you can help or would like to know more, please contact Library Founder Dr Sabrina Chakori: sabrina.chakori@brisbanetoollibrary.org

Welcome Olivia!

The Committee for Brisbane is delighted to welcome its newest staff member, Projects Manager Olivia Spadina.

Olivia will be primarily responsible for planning and overseeing projects (people, policy and research), from the initial ideation through to completion.

The role will coordinate Committee members, stakeholders, partners and processes to deliver CFB projects and will work closely with members and stakeholders to actively engage them in the Committee for Brisbane’s numerous activities.

Critically, Olivia will be responsible for the organisation and management of the four new sub-committees.

Olivia’s previous roles have included Engagement Manager at Ipswich City Council, Engagement Manager at Queenslanders with Disability Network, and Senior Engagement Officer at West Moreton Health. Olivia has a Bachelor of Business from Australian Catholic University and an IAP2 Certificate in Engagement.

Please join us in welcoming Olivia to the CFB team.

Welcome New Members

The Committee for Brisbane recently welcomed three new Members and two Affiliates.

Corporate Member

Hames Sharley

Associate

Melissa Crossman
Loretta Lynch

Affiliate

La Boite Theatre
Manufacturing Skills Queensland

Download PDF

Newsletter Archive