Page 2558 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 2013
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I would also like to see a conversation about how to promote the idea of “shared value”. Shared value is about having a broader view of value creation; the idea that businesses can make a profit but also create social benefits rather than diminishing them. The idea of shared value recognises that the competitiveness of a business and the health of the communities around it are inextricably linked. Businesses need successful communities to provide demand for their goods and services and to provide important public assets and infrastructure, and communities need businesses to provide services, jobs and wealth creation opportunities for their citizens.
There is a growing community of shared value thinking and practice around the world, which is increasing competitiveness, employment and innovation for businesses and for communities. It will be worthwhile exploring this idea further and its application in the territory.
I am really pleased that the government is seeking to connect the community and private sectors to enhance the opportunities that philanthropy can provide. I see our role as making sure the community can get the very best out of the skilled and talented people that we have in this city and the wonderful resources that are here. We want to make progress throughout the course of this Assembly term, of course, but, above all, the government is targeting a paradigm shift, a generational change in the culture of giving and contributing, one that will be 10 and 20 years in the making—not just more giving but more effective giving. It is about longer term relationships between the business, community and government sectors, and relationships that recognise the skills and priorities of each sector. The sooner we start, the sooner we will get there.
Mr Assistant Speaker, I look forward to the idea of giving and contributing to our community becoming an even more important part of the culture of our city in our second century. Thank you very much for raising this important topic this afternoon.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (4.55): When I first read today’s matter of public importance I found myself reflecting on what “philanthropy” means in the broader sense. Is it the giving of money by individuals to good causes? Is it the partnerships that strike up between business and communities to fix a problem or address perceived need? Or is it the corporate donations that seek to respond to the human needs of society? Of course, I took the opportunity to look it up—the old definitional strategy—and in the technical sense, it means the love of humanity or the love of humankind. That, for me, is indeed a broad definition and probably answers all of my earlier questions while also allowing much more meaning to be considered. However, I think it is fair to say that the definition provided in the introduction to the ACT government’s review of philanthropy is a lot more relevant to today’s MPI.
The review undertaken in 2008 defines “philanthropy” as an act of giving by individuals and businesses for community benefit involving money, property, expertise or time. This definition allows each and every one of us to be considered a philanthropist and further allows us all as Canberrans to consider our ability to contribute in other ways, not just financially. This is something Canberrans already do
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