Whitlam a highlight of Eureka dinner
| Whitlam a highlight of Eureka dinner |
12 November 2004
Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam will be interviewed on stage by ABC presenter Geraldine Doogue as part of the official dinner for the University of Ballarat’s ‘releasing the SPIRIT of democracy’ Eureka Conference.
Sponsored jointly with The Courier, the dinner on Friday, November 26, will be a major event of the Conference.
"One of Gough Whitlam's more memorable quotes over the years was 'the fun is where I am!'...and there's probably been more than a bit of truth to that,” Ms Doogue said.
“Fortunately for me, I'll be participating in the fun when I have the privilege of interviewing him as part of the Eureka celebrations at the University of Ballarat.
“We'll range far and wide, I hope, and I'm brushing up right now on the classics and my Greek. I hope he's kind to a simple, Perth girl whose first vote in 1972 was in the election which brought him to power."
Professor Kerry Cox, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ballarat, said the Eureka Conference will be a showcase for many of the intellectual and academic stars of modern Australia.
“It is a delight that Mr Whitlam will be one of these luminaries,” Professor Cox said.
“The informal and relaxed nature of the interview between Mr Whitlam and Ms Doogue will be a perfect accompaniment to the dinner. It promises to be a very insightful, informative and entertaining dialogue.
“Mr Whitlam always has interesting and thought-provoking views on democracy, so I know it will be a talking point of the Conference.”
Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975 and Leader of the Federal Labor Party from 1967 to 1977. From 1983 to 1986 he was Australia’s Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris.
“Mr Whitlam is just one of the many high-profile speakers attending the Conference,” Professor Cox said.
“We also have Dr Jose Ramos-Horta, Dr Marjorie Mowlam, Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Blainey, Sir Gustav Nossal, and former Victorian Chief Justice John Phillips. They all contribute to an extremely impressive list of speakers.”
The Conference also will include a number of plenary panels on Australian democracy and its future. As part of that, a youth hypothetical on the topic will be convened by Adam Spencer.
A slightly different aspect of the Conference dinner will be a presentation from Sir Murray Rivers on the risks of democracy.
Media enquiries: Matthew Freeman 5327 9510; 0408 519 674
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