Harnessing The Data Deluge: The Surprising Power Of Big Data And Artificial Intelligence - Speech
SPEECH
HARNESSING THE DATA DELUGE: THE SURPRISING POWER OF BIG DATA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE*
ADDRESS TO THE 10TH ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DATA SUMMIT
HOTEL REALM, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 28 MARCH 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the traditional owners of these lands, and pay respects to all First Nations people present.
I’m pleased to join you today, in the tenth year of the annual Australian Government Data Summit. Robust, rigorous data and statistics are vital for delivering outcomes for all Australians.
Throughout our nation’s history, Australia’s statisticians and statistical agencies have punched above their weight in this – or should I say, found themselves in the right tail of the distribution. The nation’s first statistician, George Knibbs (known to his friends as ‘The Knibb’) published papers on mathematics, geodesy, wealth, and population. He was an acting professor of physics at the University of Sydney. He published a book on the federal capital. He was a member of the British Astronomical Society. He even wrote a book of verse.
Read moreStarting with Statistics to Transform Disadvantage - Speech
SPEECH
STARTING WITH STATISTICS TO TRANSFORM DISADVANTAGE
LAUNCH OF THE 2024 CHILD SOCIAL EXCLUSION REPORT
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
WEDNESDAY, 27 MARCH 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the traditional owners of these lands, and pay respects to all First Nations people present.
Thank you Claerwen for the warm introduction and to Aunty Violet Sheridan for your Welcome to Country. I also acknowledge the many researchers and policy advocates here and the work you all do to create a fairer Australia.
Thank you to UnitingCare for inviting me here today to celebrate the 2024 Child Social Exclusion Index Report. The report is a collaboration between University of Canberra researchers and UnitingCare, which has worked for over 100 years to support vulnerable Australians and advocate for social justice.
Tackling disadvantage is at the heart of our Government’s vision for Australia (Albanese, 2022), and one of the most important challenges of our time.
It is a topic I have been focused on since my university days. The title of my 2004 PhD thesis was ‘Essays in Poverty and Inequality’, a set of issues that I expanded on in my 2013 book: ‘Battlers and Billionaires: The Story of Inequality in Australia’.
Tackling inequality and exclusion must start with robust data and statistics. That is what this report does. It extends the concept of poverty to measure social and material disadvantage, and highlights the geographical areas facing high levels of child social exclusion. I congratulate you on the report, and your contribution to a long and rich tradition in the social sciences.
It is a history which says we must start with robust statistics to transform disadvantage. It shows that data-driven indices and maps can create change significant social change. It is this tradition that I am going to focus on today, and which I hope inspires you, as you consider the findings of the report.
Booth’s Poverty Maps: A Global Influence
In the late 19th century, Charles Booth undertook one of the best-known attempts to systematically measure the number of people in poverty and map their distribution.
His Inquiry [into the Life and Labour of the People in London] saw house-to-house surveys take place across London for over almost 20 years, from 1886 to 1903. Participants were asked diverse questions about their living and working conditions; the impacts of migration; the organisation of trade and industry; religious life; women’s employment; and leisure activities (London School of Economics, 2016).
One of the most highly publicised findings was that over 30 per cent of London’s population was poor (Himmelfarb, 1984). Booth articulated a ‘line of poverty’ and showed the distribution of people living above and below it on a series of maps.
The empirical insights, data-laden tables and social cartography in Booth’s reports changed the game. For the first time, an evidence base was established to translate ‘the ungraspable problem of poverty into a measurable social issue’. This was a starting point for significant social change (Vaughan, 2018).
The impact was profound, changing the public debate on poverty. This new social science evidence challenged the general view that poverty was an individual failing and could only be countered by personal change (Glennerster et al, 2004). Instead, it became clear that individuals and families faced a range of economy-wide risks. Poverty could not simply be insured against through private or collective means (Glennerster et al, 2004).
The social science methods used by Booth reverberated across England and around the world, influencing social mapping projects from York to Chicago and Philadelphia (Vaughn, 2018).
Booth’s work and influence eventually led to government interventions such as national insurance and old age pensions (Vaughan, 2018).
Poverty and Exclusion Data in Australia
Booth’s thinking soon came to Australian shores. In 1891 The Melbourne Leader reported that the figures and classifications from Booth’s study in London could be applied in other major cities, including Melbourne and Sydney. It was indeed picked up in 1902 by Labour Commissioners in New South Wales who used Booth’s classification to sort unemployed people into six classes (Macintyre, 1985).
We should by no means look back at Booth’s categorisations through rose-tinted glasses. They were ‘described and even defined as much in moral as in economic terms’ (Himmelfarb, 1984).
However, it was not until Ronald Henderson’s major 1966 study of poverty in Melbourne that Australia saw ‘the first systematic attempt at measuring poverty’ (Melbourne Institute, 2024). Henderson went on to chair the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty in 1972, which established an Australian poverty line, and investigated its multidimensional nature.
The report being launched today – the 2024 Child Social Exclusion Index – builds on this rich history. It extends the concept of poverty to measure social and material disadvantage and understand the risk of social exclusion, specifically for Australian children. The findings show where child social exclusion is highly prevalent, providing an important contribution and starting point for developing solutions.
Our Government shares the same commitment to quality statistics and analysis to shift the dial on disadvantage. We have invested $16.4 million over 4 years in the Australian Bureau of Statistics to lead the Life Course Data Initiative. This four-year pilot program is part of the Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage package, which was announced in the 2023-24 Budget. The package has a strong focus on intergenerational disadvantage and improving child and family wellbeing.
The Life Course Data Initiative will create an integrated data asset, based on the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) and will create data insights to inform long-term policy responses to address entrenched place-based disadvantage. The Initiative will also enable community access to data. The is expected to help researchers and policymakers understand how communities experience disadvantage. This will help guide local decision making and better direct funding.
Our Government has also established the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Treasury to develop our understanding of what interventions work, and what can work better. It hopes to improve the volume, quality and impact of evaluations across the Australian Public Service.
To drive higher quality evaluations, the Australian Centre for Evaluation is partnering with departments and agencies to conduct flagship evaluations on agreed priorities. The first partnership is with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, using randomised trials to evaluate different features of online employment services. The Centre also supports agencies to build their capabilities and prepare their own evaluations, multiplying the volume and quality of evaluations APS-wide.
Conclusion
Reports like the one being launched this morning are essential. The insights help to provide granularity and an empirical evidence base for change. This will help to develop solutions to tackle child social exclusion.
Lessons from the history of social surveys and cartography show that empirical studies like yours can create the foundations for social change. They can pinpoint need and show where we our efforts should be targeted to make a positive difference.
Tackling child social exclusion and disadvantage is a challenge that we face together. A shared understanding of its nature is a vital foundation for collaboration. Thank you for your contribution.
References
Albanese, as cited in Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2022). ‘Read incoming prime minister Anthony Albanese's full speech after Labor wins federal election’, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 22 May 2022. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-22/anthony-albanese-acceptance-speech-full-transcript/101088736 [Accessed 24 March 2024].
Glennerster, H, Hills, J, Piachaud, D and Webb, J (2004). One hundred years of poverty and policy, p27-28. Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Himmelfarb, G. (1984) The Idea of Poverty: England in the Early Industrial Age, p530. New York: Vintage Books.
London School of Economics (2016). Charles Booth’s London: Poverty Maps and Police Notebooks – What was the Inquiry?. Available at: https://booth.lse.ac.uk/learn-more/what-was-the-inquiry [Accessed 24 March 2024].
Macintyre, S (1985). Winners and losers: the pursuit of social justice in Australian history. Sydney: George Allen & Unwin.
The Melbourne Leader (1891). ‘Review’, Saturday 26 September 1891, page 38. The Melbourne Leader. Melbourne, Victoria. Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197956734 [Accessed 24 March 2024].
Vaughan, L. (2018). ‘Charles Booth and the mapping of poverty’. In Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography (pp. 61–92). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv550dcj.8
Vaughan, L. (2018). ‘Poverty mapping after Charles Booth’. In Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography (pp. 93–128). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv550dcj.9
Fairer, Cleaner: The Transparent Investment Revolution - Speech
SPEECH
FAIRER, CLEANER: THE TRANSPARENT INVESTMENT REVOLUTION
CLIMATE INTEGRITY SUMMIT 2024, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people on whose lands we meet and pay respects to all First Nations people present today.
Thank you to the Australia Institute for hosting this annual summit on climate integrity, and to Richard Dennis for the invitation to deliver this address today. I am delighted to be joining such a distinguished line-up of speakers, including their excellencies Mr Anote Tong, former President of the Republic of Kiribati, and Mr Enele Sopoaga, former Prime Minister of Tuvalu.
My focus this morning is on climate and tax transparency in our financial system so that we can drive down emissions and create a fairer society in the process.
Transparency at work
This time last year, news broke that global biotechnology company Amgen is being sued for hiding its $10.7 billion dollar tax bill from investors. The plaintiffs said that “Amgen’s share price fell 6.5 per cent in August 2021, and a further 4.3 per cent in April 2022, because the company waited until then to disclose its potential liabilities” (Stempel, 2023). The US Inland Revenue Service “accused Amgen of underreporting taxes from 2010-2015, mainly for attributing what should have been US taxable income to a Puerto Rico unit” (Stempel, 2023). It powerfully illustrates how shareholder value is intimately linked to what is known about a company.
Consumers and investors have long understood that what they buy, and the investment decisions they make, have the power to influence ‘grand’ social, economic, and environmental challenges. As far back as the 1700s, John Wesley advised his congregants against “any sinful trade” (Uberti, 2023). When the Methodist Church began investing in the stock market at the turn of the 20th century, they avoided companies involved in alcohol and gambling (Goff, 2006). When investors saw the destruction of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, they created the first ethical fund – the Pax World Fund – so they could avoid investing in weapons and weapons manufacturers (Uberti, 2023).
Meanwhile, debate has raged about what this all means for corporations, and how they balance their responsibilities to shareholders and to the public. We must create a financial system in which Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into shareholder value, as much as acquisitions or sales. Without transparency and robust public reporting, how will we know about the Environmental, Social and Governance factors faced by a company, and make decisions about where to invest our dollars accordingly?
The more that companies make regulatory or reputational risks they face transparent through data and metrics, the more that investors are empowered to vote with their feet on their values and make long-term, values-aligned sustainable investment decisions. With good ESG data, metrics and standards, people can move their capital with precision and thereby shape the world. “This is how values drive value”, as Mark Carney puts it (2020 & 2021).
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2CC Breakfast With Stephen Cenatiempo Tuesday 19 March - Transcript
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO
TUESDAY, 19 MARCH 2024
SUBJECTS: Airline competition, increasing paid parental leave, making sure multinationals pay their fair share, expansion of tax treaty network.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, HOST: All right, let's talk federal politics with the assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Member for Fenner, Andrew Leigh. Andrew, good morning.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR CHARITIES, COMPETITION, TREASURY AND EMPLOYMENT ANDREW LEIGH: Morning, Stephen, great to be with you.
CENATIEMPO: You've talked about competition policy in the airline industry in a recent speech. I don't think anybody would disagree with the principles of what you're saying, but competition in the airline industry in Australia has been difficult because running an airline is not particularly profitable.
LEIGH: That's right, Stephen and as one person put it, we've basically got three big airlines in Australia, the trouble is two of them are owned by the same outlet, Qantas and Jetstar. That's meant that you've had less competition than you would have if you had three independently operated competitive airlines. We do have this evidence from the Competition Task Force that when you've got three airlines flying a route, then the price per kilometre is half what it is when you've got a monopoly carrier. And I think Canberrans have experienced that there's a range of routes where you've really just got one carrier flying. People in Darwin feel it, too. Sometimes it can be cheaper to fly from Darwin to Singapore than Darwin to Sydney, despite the fact that Sydney is closer. So, airline competition is a big issue for the Government and the Aviation White Paper that Catherine King is spearheading is really aimed at making sure that flyers get a better deal.
CENATIEMPO: But how do you do that? Because in the past when we have had three carriers the prices have been down for consumers, but that third carrier invariably ends up going broke.
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Inauguration of the Canberra Baps Shri - Speech
INAUGURATION OF THE CANBERRA BAPS SHRI
Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir
Taylor, ACT
Sunday, 17 March 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we meet today, and all First Nations people present.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Deputy Indian High Commissioner Suneet Mehta, the many visiting dignitaries from Sydney, Perth and New Zealand, ladies and gentlemen.
This is my third visit to this BAPS Hindu Mandir. On my first visit, only the bare bones of the structure had been completed. On my second visit, much of the internal work had been completed. This third visit, the building looks perfect, inside and out. At this rate, I can only imagine how good it will look when I am back here for my fourth visit!
Read moreFresh and Fair Competition - Speech
FRESH AND FAIR COMPETITION
National Farmers’ Federation Horticulture Council Roundtable
Wednesday, 28 February 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we meet today, and pay respects to all First Nations people present.
Australia’s agriculture sector has hung its hat on technology to deliver a strong productivity performance over the past 20 years (Treasury 2023 p84).
As Australia’s third largest agricultural industry, horticulture is a significant part of the innovation story (DAFF n.d).
We are now seeing overhead cameras and artificial intelligence speeding up processing times by detecting and accurately determining the size of up to 5,000 pieces of fruit in the back of an open-top truck (AUSVEG 2023).
Researchers are testing drones – and the turbulent downdraft they create – as a possible way to pollinate glasshouse-grown strawberries and tomatoes (Jadhav 2023).
Growers are maximising their output by taking tonnes of otherwise wasted vegetables and turning them into nutrient-dense powders for supplements and our morning smoothies (AUSVEG 2023).
Governments are joining forces with industry to revamp pest-management datasets to further strengthen our arm at the trade negotiating table (Watt 2023).
Read moreGrocery Prices - Speech
GROCERY PRICES
Matter of Public Importance, House of Representatives
Wednesday, 28 February 2024
,It is a great thing in this House to be discussing the important issue of competition, and for that I thank the member for Kennedy for bringing forward this matter of public importance.
If you're a sports fan in Australia you have plenty of choices. If you're an AFL fan you've got 18 teams to choose from. If you're a fan of the Women's Big Bash League you've got eight teams to choose from. If you're a fan of the Australian Ice Hockey League you have 10 teams to choose from including the Canberra Brave, the Central Coast Rhinos, the Melbourne Mustangs and the Sydney Ice Dogs. If you're an A-League fan you have 12 teams to choose from. The fact is that many of these leagues are also growing new teams, so we've had the GWS Giants and the Tasmanian JackJumpers.
Read moreFair Go for Consumers and Small Business - Speech
Competition And Consumer Amendment (Fair Go For Consumers And Small Business) Bill 2024
Summing Up Speech
House of Representatives, Wednesday 28 February 2024
At the outset I would like to thank those members who have contributed to the debate on the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024, including the members for Mayo, Moreton, Wentworth, Werriwa, Warringah, Lyons and Hume.
Competition policy has been front and centre in the public debate over recent months. The Albanese government has been concerned to ensure that our competition settings are fit for purpose. Competition reform is vital to boosting productivity. In the early 1990s, reforms kicked off by Prime Minister Paul Keating and competition expert Fred Hilmer led to cooperation with the states and territories which ultimately boosted living standards, producing a permanent 2½ per cent lift in GDP. That translates to something in the order of $5,000 for the typical Australian household in today's terms. So competition reform is a big deal. Getting competition right is good for consumers, it's good for employees and it's good for innovation.
Read morePeace at the Policy Table: Australia's Path Forward 21 February 2024 - Speech
Peace at the Policy Table: Australia's Path Forward*
Australian Peacebuilding Network Roundtable, Canberra
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we are meeting today, and to all First Nations people present.
I acknowledge Kate Wallace, First Assistant Secretary of the Multilateral Policy, First Nations and Human Rights Division at DFAT and Dr Tania Miletic, Deputy Director of the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne — thank you for the warm introduction.
Thank you to John Langmore for the invitation to address today’s Australian Peacebuilding Network Roundtable. John is Professorial Fellow and Chair of the Initiative for Peacebuilding Board at the University of Melbourne. He is also my predecessor, having served as member for Fraser, my former electorate, from 1984 to 1996. In 1988, I was lucky enough to do work experience for John for a fortnight. This ‘New’ Parliament House had just opened, and it was a delight for an idealistic, politically engaged 16-year-old to work in John’s office. He was generous with his time, thoughtful in providing me with interesting work, and optimistic about the power of good policy to change lives for the better. Since leaving parliament, John has been an engaged and energetic contributor to the policy debate – a role model as to what a post-political life can contribute to Australia.
Today I will focus on how Australians have contributed their ideas and vision to shaping the field of peacebuilding. And as you begin discussions, I hope you find inspiration in these stories.
Read moreA Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business - Speech
Competition And Consumer Amendment (Fair Go For Consumers And Small Business) Bill 2024
Second Reading Speech
House of Representatives, Thursday 15 February 2024
One of the summer's box office hits is Wonka—the prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Without giving too much away, it's the tale of how Willy Wonka takes on the chocolate cartel of Slugworth, Fickelgruber and Prodnose.
Between them, the cartel controls the chocolate market. Prices are kept high. Innovators are kept out. Big chocolate has the police in its pocket, and is willing to use every bitter trick to preserve its sweet control over the market.
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