Annual Review
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THE ETHICS CENTRE Annual Report 2019–20 Contents 01 The Year That Changed the World 04 Reflection on 2019-20 06 Highlights of 2019-20 08 Our Vision & Strategic Pillars for Change 10 Good Decision Making 14 Building & Maintaining a Civil Society 18 Revitalising Australia’s Ethical Infrastructure 22 Bringing Ethics to the Centre of Australian Life 32 Fundraising & Membership 35 Looking Forward 36 Financial Overview 38 Governance 40 Our Supporters The Year That Changed the World This financial year began quite differently for The Ethics Centre. We were Then, the world changed. First, bushfires ravaged the eastern seaboard of within reach of the Centre’s 30th anniversary – offering a sense of celebration Australia, catapulting environmental ethics and political accountability into and quiet achievement. Having reached that milestone in November 2019, the public fore. The fires were followed by the global pandemic that has, sadly, we reflected on three decades spent encouraging the Australian community killed so many, closed borders, challenged decision making, highlighted inequity to bring ethics to the centre of everyday life, ranging from the decisions of and brought new, unseen ethical challenges to the doorsteps of every person individuals through to the conduct of our major institutions. We recalled the in the world. COVID-19 not only closed the Festival of Dangerous Ideas founding of powerful change-making initiatives, including: Primary Ethics, it required our entire organisation to pivot to a purely digital delivery and the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship, Ethi-call, and the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. workplace culture. Indeed, it was all shaping up to be a ‘big year’. In the first six months, we released It has been the year that changed the world. It has also been the year that the a decision making guide for boards and tool-kit enabling small-to-medium world needed ethics like never before. The Ethics Centre was founded 30 years businesses to develop their own ethics frameworks. We launched the program for ago for times like these. This year has highlighted why The Ethics Centre is so the 10th Festival of Dangerous Ideas – due to be held in April 2020. And we critical to the foundation and future of Australian society. commenced a number of new initiatives designed to institute critical thinking This review shares many of the initiatives we delivered from July 2019 through and ethical deliberation in secondary and professional education. to June 2020. 01 In Challenging Times Ethics Can Help Is fear the true Can we find meaning pandemic? in isolation? ARTICLE – LIFESTYLE + HEALTH ARTICLE – RELATIONSHIPS Ethics in a time of coronavirus How to deal with people who aren’t doing their bit to flatten the curve How far and wide Are we brutish should our care by nature? for others extend? ARTICLE – RELATIONSHIPS ARTICLE – BEING HUMAN Mutuality of care in a pandemic There is something very revealing about #ToiletPaperGate Must we ration Where do you human lives? draw the line? ARTICLE – BEING HUMAN ARTICLE – POLITICS Rationing life: COVID-19 triage and end of life care The sticky ethics of protests in a pandemic Will remote working Is racism a byproduct become the norm? of fear? ARTICLE – BUSINESS + FINANCE ARTICLE – LIFESTYLE + HEALTH Moving work online Coronavirus reveals our sinophobic underbelly Can we measure What does it take wellbeing economically? to lead in a crisis? ARTICLE – POLITICS ARTICLE – BUSINESS + FINANCE To deal with this crisis, we need to talk about ethics, Why ethical leadership needs to be practiced before a crisis not economics Do you consider people Are we prepared for you don’t see? the next epidemic? ARTICLE – BEING HUMAN ARTICLE – LIFESTYLE + HEALTH It’s easy to ignore the people we can’t see Disease in a Time of Uncertainty Are parents ready Does value trump to be teachers? possible harm? ARTICLE – RELATIONSHIPS ARTICLE – RELATIONSHIPS This isn’t home schooling, it’s crisis schooling Is it ok to visit someone in need during COVID-19? Is authoritarianism How do you define the solution? fairness? ARTICLE – LAW + HUMAN RIGHTS ARTICLE – POLITICS There’s more than lives at stake in managing this pandemic Whose home, and who’s home? 2019-20 Reflection We had all hoped that our thirtieth anniversary year The crucible of the pandemic has helped us to refine our understanding of our would be a celebration of past achievements and work. We have seen the value of Ethi-call as a service to help ease the wearing effects of ‘moral fatigue’ and prevent the far more serious risk of ‘moral injury’. more importantly, a springboard for future opportunity. This area of our work would benefit from the results of serious research – So, we made our plans – and were delighted when but the anecdotal evidence is compelling – and even if only one person has they started to deliver the results we wished for. been saved from self-recrimination and despair, then that is enough. The Festival of Dangerous Ideas was aiming to celebrate its tenth edition – We were buoyed by the affirmation we received from so many of our members, with one of our best programs ever attracting solid sponsorship and generating donors, sponsors, ticket holders, supporters – those who helped us not only to good ticket sales. Our Consulting & Leadership practice was developing fill the gaping financial hole we looked into as the year progressed but who also and delivering new forms of ethical impact within organisations. We were signaled that our work matters – especially at such times. building our roster of philosophers – with Eleanor Gordon-Smith bringing This has been a time to look inwards – to ask if our own culture measures fresh perspectives and a new voice to our contribution to public discussion… up to our expectations. The truth is that we frequently disappoint. However, I could go on. However, there is little point in doing so because we all know by June 30th we could sense a change for the better. I would like to thank all what happened next. of my colleagues – those who remain and those who have departed – for their It would be easy enough to dwell on the disappointment and loss caused contribution during this period of renewal. by COVID-19. In particular, there was the price paid by loyal and competent In the course of the past year, we also refreshed our strategy. In doing so, colleagues whose jobs were made redundant – not through any fault on we reviewed our own ethics framework. The most significant change was in their part, but as a matter of financial necessity. our vision – which now offers a much clearer description of the world we wish Yet, the extraordinary events covered in this review have also been a source of to help make. inspiration and renewal. Like every other organisation, The Ethics Centre has had to rethink its purpose, its vision for the world it hopes to influence and the strategy by which its potential impact can be realised. 0406 This is a world: “In which privilege has been tempered by fairness; in which power has been checked by conscience; in which good and right prevail – for the benefit of all.” We believe that a healthy and prosperous society can only be sustained through an investment in the quality and character of its ‘ethical infrastructure’ – the formal and informal mechanisms through which we regulate the exercise of power for the public good. This is the work of The Ethics Centre – to keep tending to the ethical foundations on which all else must stand. This review tells something of the story of that work over the past financial year. Not every detail of note has been revealed. There are aspects of the Centre’s work that never see the light of day due to obligations of confidentiality. There are moments of profound impact that lie so deep as never to be recorded. Yet, I sincerely believe that, seen or unseen, The Ethics Centre is an agent for change and a better world. It is a remarkable privilege to have a job that one loves and to lead an organisation that inspires belief. It is an imperfect place. It is constantly at risk of failure. It hangs on by its fingertips. It is remarkable. So, thanks to the Centre’s Board, to my colleagues, to our members and Simon Longstaff AO supporters for tending the flame. A single spark is all one needs to ignite a Executive Director forest of light. 0507 2019-20 Highlights 546 930,000 +10,000 Members of The Ethics Centre, Website views across 500,000 visitors, Minutes of ethical counselling, including welcoming 170 new representing a 73% increase in traffic. delivered by our 12 volunteer members into our community. counsellors on Ethi-call. 51 30,000 81,000 Downloads of Festival of Dangerous Views of The Ethics Centre and International and Australian speakers Ideas podcast episodes. Festival of Dangerous Ideas videos. challenged ideas and perspectives across 17 event sessions. 06 5 55 50 New thought leadership papers released Interviews and articles published Speaking engagements giving on the topics of business, technology, exploring the ethics of critical issues light the role of ethics in trust, culture and leadership. across radio, print, digital and TV. organisations and industries. 50,000 968 117% Fans in our social media community New professionals took the Banking and Increase in organisational impact across Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Finance Oath. A 31% increase that brings engagements through workshops, Instagram and YouTube. the number of current signatories to 3835. culture reviews and services. 07 Our Vision 2020 was the year the world changed. It was also the year we adapted our vision for the future: A WORLD IN WHICH PRIVILEGE HAS BEEN TEMPERED BY FAIRNESS; IN WHICH POWER HAS BEEN CHECKED BY CONSCIENCE; IN WHICH GOOD AND RIGHT PREVAIL – FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL.