The Australian Design Council (ADC) has re-established itself with an array of top business experts to lead the organisation as it champions design to re-invent and kickstart Australia’s post-Covid-19 economy.
The ADC was initially established in 1958 as the Industrial Design Council of Australia. Industrialist and chairman of BHP, Essington Lewis, served as the inaugural chair. The Industrial Design Council was based on the UK Design Council model, established by Winston Churchill’s wartime government in 1944 to support Britain’s economic recovery.
Sixty years on, a re-invigorated ADC aims to lead the nation towards prosperity and long-term growth using design-led innovation.
A statement from ADC quoted Prime Minister Scott Morrison as saying: “Good design, created by smart people in smart industries, is essential to a country that wants to grow and be prosperous. The envisaged ADC is about inspiring Australian businesses to embrace design as a tool for growth.”
Morrison went on to say the impacts of Covid-19 have been profound.
“The tragedy of Covid-19 has a human face, and our recovery is a human endeavour. That’s why the ADC’s journey to its current, refocused and re-energised form, is so exciting. It’s the kind of adaptability – building opportunity out of adversity – that will carry Australia into recovery,” he said.
“By asking how they can contribute, reignite, enable and create, the ADC is in a position to design solutions to problems – big and small, local and global. I encourage Australian business and industry to engage with the ADC. I think you’ll be surprised by what you come up with when you create an intersection between innovation, investment and productivity.”
The Australian Design Council will serve as a national organisation and have three roles:
- Advocate to government and industry leaders about the role and value of design to help diversify Australia’s future economy.
- Embed design into Australia’s nation-building agenda and policy settings.
- Provide oversight to leverage Australia’s design capability into the nation’s future industry development.
Council member David Thodey said the ADC will inspire Australian business leaders to engage Australia’s world-class design community to innovate, disrupt, and compete in global markets.
“The council’s aim will be to help the nation move forward through greater collaboration to foster real innovation. Embedding great design in production and as a core problem-solving tool – both being important drivers for our economic growth and competitiveness,” Thodey said.
ADC executive chair Sam Bucolo said design-led thinking had the power to transform an industry and accelerate the creation of new businesses whose products and services drive growth and sustained competitive advantage.
“After 60 years, we have decided to re-establish the ADC to address the challenges we are facing today. Design must play a major role in rebuilding our economy post-Covid-19 and the council will shape how we create new and emerging areas for a strong competitive advantage through design,” he said.
“Our global counterparts are already doing this and now is the right time for Australia to accelerate the adoption of design in business.”
The ADC’s first step in raising awareness of the value of design to diversify Australia’s economy has been through the creation of its design manifesto called National Prosperity and Long-Term Growth Through Design. This is the council’s action plan to help shape a brighter future for Australia through design.
To find out more, see the ADC’s website, australiandesigncouncil.org.
The ADC consists of:
- Simonne Bailey, global head of strategy and managing director of GFG Alliance’s property and funds management business, JAHAMA, owned by British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta;
- Stephanie Fahey, former CEO of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission – Austrade;
- Peter Freedman, founder and chairman of RØDE Microphones;
- Professor Roy Green, emeritus professor and chair of the Innovation Council and former dean of the UTS Business School, chair of the Australian Government’s Innovative Regions Centre, CSIRO Manufacturing Sector Advisory Council, NSW Manufacturing Industries Advisory Council and Queensland Competition Authority, and current chair of Port of Newcastle and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub;
- Andrew N. Liveris, former chairman and CEO, The Dow Chemical Company;
- Catherine Livingstone, chair of the Commonwealth Bank, chancellor of UTS and former chair of CSIRO;
- Edwina McCann, editorial director at Vogue and chair of The Australian Ballet Foundation Board;
- Giam Swiegers, non-executive director for Aurecon and former CEO of Deloitte Australia; and
- David Thodey, former CEO of Telstra and current Chair of CSIRO.
