Speaking Truth to Power ...
It's 50 years since Donald Horne dubbed Australia "the lucky country". They were words designed as a searing criticism that have instead been adopted as a nationalistic boast.
It's 50 years since Donald Horne dubbed Australia "the lucky country". They were words designed as a searing criticism that have instead been adopted as a nationalistic boast.
It's not that Australia isn't lucky - we are. While there are persistent pockets of misery, mostly we live in peace and prosperity. The average Australian is the wealthiest person in the world, and amongst the most long-lived.
But as a country our luck is a millstone around our neck. We take it for granted, and we don't ask why. If all that we are and all that we do is just dumb luck then there's no point focusing or reflecting or striving - all we can do is roll the dice again.
Of course, that's only half the story. For while it's true that one is lucky if born in Australia, it's not true that this fortunate position is itself merely a product of luck. Rather, modern Australia has been at its best when shaped by Fools - those courageous, subtle souls who speak truth to power.
Make firms liable for defying their own cultures, says ethicist
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KUALA LUMPUR: An Australian ethicist has called for an amendment to Malaysia’s Companies Act to enable a judge to refer to the cultural norms in a company in deciding whether it is guilty or innocent of a crime.
Simon Longstaff, the executive director of Australia’s Ethics Centre, said he believed investigations into a company must include an examination of whether it has established a culture reinforcing the rightness of certain behaviours.
“That’s the point at which the corporation should be held accountable,” he said. “It’s culture that says you can ignore a policy because other things are counted as more important.”
He said corporations could find loopholes in policies to exploit workers, and gave the anecdotal example of a company withholding bonuses when it fails to meet a profit target.
Dr Simon Longstaff: Arrogant and Controlling: Cultural review. "I am not embarrassed, I am not . ..
Dr Simon Longstaff AO. Website, ethics. org.au. Formerly called. St James Ethics Centre. The Ethics Centre, formerly the St James Ethics Centre, is a fully ...
The latest Tweets from Simon Longstaff (@SimonLongstaff). philosopher - focusing on the ethical dimension of life ...
Dr Simon Longstaff AO. Website, ethics. org.au. Formerly called. St James Ethics Centre. The Ethics Centre, formerly the St James Ethics Centre, is a fully ...
