QUEENSLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS PRESENTATION
PHILANTHROPY ADDRESS, HILTON HOTEL, THURSDAY 20 JUNE 2013,
12 NOON
by The Hon Justice Margaret McMurdo AC
What a delight and a privilege on this eve of our winter solstice to be with so many
good hearted, generous people as part of Queensland Community Foundation's
Philanthropy Week and its Awards luncheon.
Here, on the northern banks of the Brisbane River, we are on the traditional lands of
the Turrbal people. They knew this area as Meanjin. For tens of thousands of years
before European contact they prospered here, holding celebratory feasts in honour of
their good-hearted and generous members, in essence not so very different from
ours today. I acknowledge their elders past and present.
Some interesting synergies have contributed to this presentation. The first was that
when John de Groot asked me to speak today, we were each participating in a
philanthropic act: the Walk for Justice at 7 o’clock on a bleak mid-May morning,
raising funds for QPILCH’s wonderful pro-bono legal work.1 I was on leave and
setting off the next day with my husband, Phil, for a month overseas. I would,
however, be returning in mid-June shortly before this luncheon. I had been aware for
many years of QCF's work, through its sponsorship of QUT’s highly-respected
annual W A Lee Equity Lecture. I had long been impressed with QCF’s business
model; its encouragement of philanthropic giving; and its significant annual
distributions to charities and non-profit organisations for the betterment of the
Queensland community. I was honoured to support QCF by accepting the invitation
to speak
The second synergy was that my travels took me for the first time to Greece, the
cradle of philosophy and the concept of philanthropy. The term "philanthropus", a
word combining the words "philos" (love in the sense of benefiting, caring or
nourishing) and "anthropos" (humanity)2 was first used in ancient Greece in 460 BC
by the playwright, Aeschylus,3 to describe the title character in his play "Prometheus
Bound". Prometheus, out of his love for humanity, gave the original humans two
symbiotic gifts. The first was fire, representing knowledge, skills, technology, arts
and science. The second was optimism. The power of fire allowed those original
humans to be optimistic and with their optimism they could use fire constructively to

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2
3
President, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland. I gratefully acknowledge
the research and editing assistance of my associate, Catherine Drummond LLB
(Hons)/BA UQ.
See Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House Inc (QPILCH)
<http://www.qpilch.org.au/>.
M. Sulek, 'On the Classical Meaning of Philanthrôpía' (2010) 39(3) Nonprofit and
Voluntary Sector Quarterly 368.
Although in recent times there is some controversy over the author of the play.
Despite doubts of authorship, the play's designation as that of Aeschylus has
remained the conventional position. See generally: M. Griffith, The Authenticity of
Prometheus Bound (Cambridge University Press, 1977).
improve the human condition. The two gifts in combination sparked the beginnings
of human civilisation.4 Of course, the ancient Greeks did not know in 460 BC that the
Turrbal people in Meanjin, even then, had been using Prometheus’s two gifts for tens
of thousands of years.
The classical Greeks refined the concept of philanthropy and the love of humanity
into an educational ideal. Philanthropy was a goal all should strive for, consistent with
excellence in the sense of the fullest possible self-development.5 This classical
Greek view of philanthropy developed over centuries. After floundering somewhat in
the Dark and Middle Ages, it was revived during the Renaissance. Scottish
enlightenment philosophers during the 16th and 17th century saw philanthropy as the
essential key to human happiness.6 The manifestation of loving, good deeds
towards others ensured a fulfilling, satisfying personal life and a strong community.7
The late 20th and 21st century has seen this concept develop further with the
populisation and professionalization of philanthropy on a large scale.8 QCF is a
leading example of a modern institution capturing this Zeitgeist.
Despite the passage of 2,500 years, analogies remain between Prometheus’s
philanthropus through his two gifts and 21st century philanthropy. The original
meaning of philanthropy, "love of humanity", has now expanded to practical, large
scale charitable benevolence. But philanthropy continues to mean much more than
mere cold charitable giving. Today, the giving of money, assets or the volunteering
of time, services and skills are akin to Prometheus’s gift of fire to the first humans.
The noble humanitarian motivation to make the world a better place and improve the
quality of life of other individuals and the human condition generally is akin to
Prometheus’s gift of optimism to the first humans. In the 21st century, as in 460 BC,
the act of giving combined with loving optimism strongly contributes to the fabric of a
strong, decent and civilised community. It facilitates and encourages the fullest
personal development for which the ancient Greeks strove in their pursuit of
excellence.
The third synergy was in New York City earlier this month when Phil and I set out for
our first ever walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. We were caught in a heavy storm which
equalled the worst Brisbane December downpour. Awnings were useless and acts
of God are great levellers. We sought shelter in a hole in the wall café in Tribeca.
Good coffee is hard to find in NYC but, surprisingly, our flat whites were perfection.
We realised this was no ordinary café when the barista graciously served
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6
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8
R. H. Bremner, Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History (Transaction Publishers,
2000), 3; G. McCully, 'Philanthropy and Humanity' (2010) (VII) Conversations on
Philanthropy: Emerging Questions on Liberality and Social Thought 43, 46-47.
M. Sulek, 'On the Classical Meaning of Philanthrôpía' (2010) 39(3) Nonprofit and
Voluntary Sector Quarterly 396.
G. McCully, Philanthropy Reconsidered: Private Initiatives, Public Good, Quality of
Life (Bloomington, 2009), 27-29.
M. Sulek, 'On the Classical Meaning of Philanthrôpía' (2010) 39(3) Nonprofit and
Voluntary Sector Quarterly 385-408.
Through, for example, the emergence of companies offering professional and
advisory services both for those seeking to donate to philanthropic causes and for
charities and non-profit organisations seeking to maximise capital raising potential.
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complementary coffee and cake to a marginalised homeless person who, like us,
was sheltering from the downpour. A postcard on the bench explained that this café
was part of Laughing Man Worldwide, a company launched in 2011 by Australia's
Hugh Jackman to allow entrepreneurs to help humanity. It gives 100 per cent of
profits from its established businesses to charities focussing on education,
community development and new businesses across the globe. Its mission is to
support livelihood, dignity and laughter with the aim: "May all be happy, may all be
free of disease, may all have wellbeing and none suffer misery of any kind". Hence
its catch-phrase: "All be happy".9 I certainly was as I sipped a good coffee, basking in
the thought that Australians were encouraging the success of large-scale 21st
century international philanthropy.
The fourth and final synergy was a key-note address at the medico-legal conference I
attended in Greece. It was given by Simon McKeon AO, a 2011 Australian of the
Year, member of many corporate and not-for-profit boards, record-breaking
sportsman, philanthropist-extraordinaire and former speaker at this QCF luncheon.
Simon spoke on the most recent of his many stellar achievements, his chairmanship
of the National Health and Medical Research Review. As a great philanthropist,
Simon could not resist touching on philanthropy in the address. I was proud to hear
that the 2012 World Giving Index places Australia as the number one nation for
philanthropy, with 76 per cent of Australians each month giving money to good
causes and 37 per cent volunteering their time. Australia has had the highest
average results for philanthropy of any country in the last five years.10 But,
concernedly, Simon reported that Australia's philanthropy levels are not so high
amongst those with the most to give. Four in 10 of Australians wealthiest tax-payers
give absolutely nothing, zilch, to charities or philanthropic causes. When I discussed
this with an accountant friend over lunch last Sunday, he suggested these individuals
may be giving generously through their companies. But even so, they have personal
incomes of upwards of a million dollars a year. I am shocked that they make no
personal tax-deductible gifts whatsoever. I invite QCF to note that this group may be
ripe for education as to the multiple benefits of philanthropy.
As, a classic philanthropist, Simon remains optimistic. He pointed to signs that rich
Australians may be beginning to embrace the joys of philanthropy in the same way
as their US counterparts. Fortescue Metals Group chairman and mining magnate,
Andrew Forrest and his wife Nicola joined the Warren Buffett/Bill Gates Club in
February 2013 by signing the Giving Pledge.11 With the love and support of their
children, they have undertaken “to give the vast majority of their wealth to causes
and benefits aimed directly and indirectly at improving the lives of those less
fortunate, within their lifetime or at their death”. You may have seen an article on
Andrew Forrest's philanthropy towards the arts sector in today's Australian Financial
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11
Laughing Man Worldwide, 'About Us' (2013)
<https://secure.laughingmancheckout.com/aboutus/> accessed 17 June 2013.
Charities Aid Foundation, 'World Giving Index 2012: A global view of giving trends'
(December 2012) < https://www.cafonline.org/PDF/WorldGivingIndex2012WEB.pdf>
p6, accessed 17 June 2013.
The Giving Pledge, 'Pledger Profiles' (2013) <http://givingpledge.org/> accessed 17
June 2013.
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Review.12 The Forrests were the first and, I understand, still the only Australians yet
to sign the Giving Pledge. Like the Forrests, I hope their philanthropic commitment
will inspire other wealthy Australians to acts of loving generosity towards mankind.
The Turrbal people, the ancient Greeks, Hugh Jackman, the Forrests, the awardwinners today, everyone in this room gets philanthropy. You give with love, whether
money, goods or services, to ease the burdens of your less fortunate brothers and
sisters. You give with love because it makes you happy to strive for excellence, to be
the best individuals you can. You give with love because you want to live in a strong,
civilised, cohesive community. You may not have the fame or the resources of Hugh
Jackman or Andrew and Nicola Forrest. But QCF makes everlasting philanthropy
accessible to you all.
12
Financial Review, 'Give what you can afford to the arts, says philanthropist Forrest'
(20 June 2013), 3.
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