The McKinnon Prize is pleased to announce the appointment of Amanda Vanstone AO and The Hon Simon Crean as ambassadors for the 2020 McKinnon Prize.<\/p>\n
Ms Vanstone and Mr Crean are highly respected individuals and have been prominent leaders of Australia. Both have demonstrated their ability to lead with vision, courage, decisiveness and collaboration.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the prestigious careers of the ambassadors will help raise awareness of The McKinnon Prize and amplify our vision for celebrating good political leadership.<\/p>\n
Grant Rule, co-founder of the Susan McKinnon Foundation said, \u201cMs Vanstone and Mr Crean are two highly-accomplished leaders who have, through their decades of public service, positively contributed to Australia\u2019s democracy. We look forward to working together and raising greater awareness of The McKinnon Prize and the importance of good leadership in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amanda Vanstone AO is a former Howard government minister, regular radio host and political journalist. Entering the Australian Parliament in 1984, Ms Vanstone was a Liberal senator for South Australia until 2007. She was the only female member of the Howard cabinet in 1996.<\/p>\n
In the cabinet, Ms Vanstone held a number of portfolios covering different aspects of Australian life including Immigration, Education, Community Services and Justice and Customs.<\/p>\n
Ms Vanstone reflected on her appointment, \u201cAustralians continue to question the value of our democracy and therefore, it is more important than ever that we celebrate good leadership when we see it. As an ambassador of The Prize, I look forward to strengthening the profiles of current leaders who lead with courage and vision, helping to reinforce the importance of our democracy by achieving real change for the public good\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Hon Simon Crean has been a leading figure in government, politics and industrial relations for five decades. Mr Crean was elected to Federal Parliament as Member for Hotham in 1990, successfully contesting the seat eight times over 23 years. He served in the Cabinets of four Prime Ministers, holding portfolios across government including Primary Industries and Energy, where he developed the first national drought and natural disasters policy.<\/p>\n
As Minister for Trade (2007-2010), Mr Crean was heavily involved in the DOHA Round in the World Trade Organisation and in the Free Trade Agreements with New Zealand, Chile, China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Mr Crean is a leader across the government, business and education sector, including the Deputy Chancellor of the Monash University Council, an Associate Professor at Deakin University and a board member of Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD).<\/p>\n
Mr Crean is also eager to begin his role as McKinnon Prize Ambassador, \u201cI look forward to contributing to one of our country\u2019s most important prizes. Through the Prize, we will continue to advocate for a strong and effective system of government in Australia and encourage those who are current leaders and future leaders to lead with their values and vision.\u201d<\/p>\n