Both Australia and New Zealand pride themselves on their egalitarianism: being classless societies where everyone gets a fair go and where people are the masters of their own fate. But is this still the case?
Nick Cater, a senior editor at The Australian newspaper, believes that this culture of egalitarianism is under threat.
Cater’s controversial new book The Lucky Culture observes how since the 1970s a new tertiary-educated class of people have emerged who not only think their education gives them better academic skills, but crucially also a sense of moral superiority over their fellow citizens.
Cater claims that this development has created ‘a new ruling class’ who genuinely believe that they are better equipped, intellectually and morally, to tackle the problems facing society. Their views are now shaping public debates from climate change to poverty alleviation, genetic engineering, aspiration and even the notion of progress itself.
Though his book is written in an Australian context, many of Cater’s observations have resonance in other countries, including New Zealand. And his questions are as relevant here as they are on the other side of the Tasman: Are we witnessing the emergence of an exclusive political class with little experience outside of university and politics? What does this mean for our social and political debates? And are we losing our egalitarian spirit?
Join us for a thought-provoking lecture by one of Australia’s best-known journalists. This is an event not to be missed.
About the speaker
Nick Cater has worked as journalist for more than 30 years. He began his career in Britain as a studio manager at the BBC before joining News Limited in 1989. He worked in Adelaide, Canberra and as a foreign correspondent in Asia before joining The Daily Telegraph in Sydney in 1997. He has been a senior editorial executive at The Australian since 2004. Nick Cater graduated in sociology at the University of Exeter in 1980.
Date: Monday, 15 July 2013
Time: 5.30 PM - 8.00 PM
Location: The New Zealand Initiative, Level 12, Bayleys Building, 36 Brandon St, Wellington
Date: Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Time: 5.45 PM - 8.00 PM
Location: The University of Auckland, Engineering Building 401, Room 401-439, Symonds St, Auckland
Date: Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Time: 5.30 PM - 7.30 PM
Location: Canterbury University, South Arts Lecture Theatre A4, University Drive, Christchurch