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Australia needs diversity to keep the creative juices flowing Australia has traditionally been a highly successful and prosperous nation. On almost every important business index, we are accelerating. But the stakes – the financial, social, environmental and political consequences – are also rising. Being lucky is no longer enough. We lag well behind many other nations on innovation. We have to nurture our entrepreneurs and innovate faster in order keep up with the pace of growth. To compete globally we must welcome, include and empower the many diverse voices of our citizens, migrants and the refugees who are seeking haven here.
Australia doubles the research outputs of the United States per capita but produces half the amount of patents. We generate plenty of ideas and research but we don’t commercialise them enough. We urgently need to train our young people to be entrepreneurs: makers and creators of the jobs of the future. We need to build a culture of creativity and innovation to sufficiently develop our capabilities to turn ideas into enterprises. Willingness to experiment and fail leads to innovations, creating opportunities and prosperity for millions. FAIL, after all, stands for First Attempt In Learning.
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Turning ideas into enterprise also benefits from diversity. With skilled migrants and refugees seeking a home here, we have real opportunities to foster a new wave of entrepreneurship and innovation. We surround ourselves with people who make us feel safe, who come from similar backgrounds and educations, who think, feel and dress like we do – and who agree with and endorse us. Yet our biggest gains as humans come from “creative abrasion”, where we rub up against people who make us feel uncomfortable and challenge our notions of ourselves and the world we live in. We need to embrace “positive human collisions” where creativity and innovation can truly spark. Inclusive leadership must be paramount. Instead of fearing people from different backgrounds and cultures, there is an opportunity for all of us to choose to create a happy, healthy, inclusive and innovative Australia. This is about removing the “us and them” mentality and acknowledging our common humanity. There is only us. Ultimately, we are more similar than different, yet our negative focus on the differences between us creates a lot of our problems. Let’s remove the walls between us and build bridges of understanding. As a community we need to empower all voices, no matter what their faith, background, disadvantage, disability or age. People need to feel like they have a place here, a true home, a sense of belonging, a sense of self and respect from others. Then they will truly be able to contribute to our future. When refugees and migrants come to a new country they want to restart their lives. They work incredibly hard and bring a diverse and rich cultural background that contributes economically, politically and socially. They just need to be given a voice. We do accept people from diverse backgrounds into Australia. Now we need to put out the welcome mat and provide everyone with the education, skills, engagement and opportunities to participate in this accelerating environment and contribute fully to their new homeland. Then they can truly call Australia home, and together we can co-create a productive, innovative, sustainable and prosperous future. Tania de Jong AM is an acclaimed Australian soprano and one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs and innovators having developed 5 businesses and 2 charities over the past 3 decades. he is the Founder of Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Creative Innovation Global, Dimension5 co-working hub, MTA Entertainment & Events, Pot-Pourri and The Song Room. Tania presents keynote speeches and performs around the world. She has released 10 albums. She works across the public, private, creative and community sectors. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2008. In 2018 Tania was named in the 100 Women of Influence and the 100 Australian Most Influential Entrepreneurs lists. Tania’s TED Talk How Singing Together Changes The Brainhas sparked international interest. Tania’s mission is to change the world, one voice at a time!
www.taniadejong.com
Information Presented by :Tania De Jong AM Level 1, 10 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne Victoria, 3205 AUSTRALIA +61 (0)3 8679 6000 Email: info@creativeuniverse.com.au Web: www.creativeuniverse.com.au