Australia Unlimited 2008

ABOUT US

The Global Foundation is a citizens’ organization with extensive private sector membership, based in Australia. Fully independent of government and funded by its members, The Global Foundation promotes high-level thinking within Australia and cooperation between Australia and the world. It works with government and institutions, the private sector, academia and the community, to help shape longer term solutions to great challenges.

Alongside its broad and diverse membership base, the Foundation’s work is supported at the highest levels of society. The current Governor-General of Australia is Patron in Chief, with successive Prime Ministers of Australia and Leaders of the Opposition lending their bipartisan support, since the Foundation’s inception in 1998. The Foundation is also pleased to enjoy the active support of an increasing number of national and global eminent persons.

The Global Foundation fulfils a unique function as a custodian of Australia’s longer term national interest and has an unusual ability to combine global and local perspectives - to seek common ground among otherwise disparate interests, while remaining independent. In periods of uncertainty like the one we are now facing, this capacity to unify and coordinate non-partisan action is widely recognised.

Australia Unlimited 2008

The Global Foundation’s Australia Unlimited 2008 Roundtable concluded on 29 October 2008, endorsing the twin principles of building Australia’s global preparedness and global connectedness. View the report of the Roundtable which includes the Roundtable program and list of partcipants.

An outstanding array of national figures and political leaders participated in and contributed to the Roundtable including:

The Governor-General of Australia, HE Ms Quentin Bryce

The Prime Minister The Hon Julia Gillard MP

Former Prime Minister, The Hon Kevin Rudd MP

The Leader of the Opposition, The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP

The Victorian Premier, The Hon John Brumby MP

Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, The Hon Marilyn Warren AC

Eminent individuals, corporate leaders, national and international figures generously gave of their time to contribute to discussions on a wide range of issues confronting Australia in the immediate and mid to longer term future. From the current global economic crisis to the challenges of climate change, from the imperative of social inclusion to the need to boost Australia’s performance in education, competitiveness and innovation, from sustainable regional development to developing a new accord between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, citizens demonstrated their commitment to pursuing Australia’s common good while recognising that Australia’s future is indisputably interconnected with the future of other nations and the world.