University of Western Australia Hosts Breakfast by the Bay to Address Future Generations’ Rights

Laying the foundations for a more just, equitable and sustainable Australian future will be the subject of a panel discussion hosted by UWA’s Public Policy Institute this month.

The event will be hosted at The University Club of Western Australia on Wednesday 30 October as part of the Institute’s Breakfast By The Bay series.

Speakers include WA Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, former Ambassador for the Commissioner for Children and Young People, and founding director of the Kids Research Institute Australia Professor Fiona Stanley, law reform and social justice advocate Linda Savage.

Principal Policy Officer at Aboriginal Health Council WA and Advisor at Foundations for Tomorrow Aime Furlong, Independent Federal Member for Curtin and UWA alumna Kate Chaney and public health physician and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Curtin Medical School Bret Hart, will also join the panel.

UWA PPI Director Associate Professor Paul Maginn said it was Dr Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, who said the most important question we could ask ourselves is: ‘Are we being good ancestors?’

“For children and future generations the decisions of today have profound consequences,” Associate Professor Maginn said.

“Which is why in the face of growing social, environmental and economic challenges the question we must ask is how can we ensure our institutions and the decisions we make protect the rights and well-being of children, young people and future generations?

“This event is a call to action for all those involved in policymaking to create systems that prioritise the long-term well-being of society and equip them to think beyond short-term political cycles and financial quarters and embrace new and innovative ways of thinking.

“In policy terms, there is a need to take evidence-based decisions and to do so sooner rather than later.”