This Saturday (September 21) would have been Don Dunstan’s 98th birthday. Troubled by the racial injustice he saw in his birthplace, Fiji, the lad born in the roaring ‘20s would become Australia’s greatest social reformer.
It is remarkable how relevant his ideas remain. Pick almost any policy topic confounding modern leaders and you’ll find wisdom in the Dunstan archives. Take housing, for example – one of the most urgent issues facing Australia. A search of the Dunstan papers available online at Flinders University will offer you his speech to the national housing convention of the Housing Industry Association in 1975.
The Australia of 1975 is a world away from the affordability crisis gripping the nation now, but Dunstan’s remarks as Premier both foresee the problems ahead and mark the issue as one for which political leaders should take primary responsibility. The “housing buck”, he said, stopped at his desk – which he believed was a good thing.
“What more fundamental need is there than housing? In fact, in our climate, there is no more fundamental need – food and clothing are simply equal.”
He walked the talk. His record as Premier included a strong focus on public housing and innovative social housing. You can read the whole speech here. In future newsletters, we’ll be taking deeper looks at Don’s legacy on topics still relevant today.
Next week we’ll be “Raising a Glass” in honour of Don. If you’d like to join us for a birthday drink, there are still a few tickets remaining. Use the code DDFSUBSCRIBE for a discount.
tickets
