On Wednesday, 7 June 2017, CPD was excited to host our special guest Charlie Leadbeater for a roundtable on the topic of  “Why trust matters for our democracy”.  Charlie is one of the UK’s foremost researchers, writers and thinkers on creativity and innovation in the public, private and social sectors, and a former advisor to British PM Tony Blair.

The discussion, moderated by CPD’s Deputy Chair Jeni Whalan, started with some insightful opening remarks from Charlie on the nature and importance of trust, and on the alarming rate at which trust in our institutions seems to be diminishing, across government, business, media and community sectors alike. Our guests engaged in a wide-ranging conversation about the causes of diminishing trust (from political gridlock and economic inequality to a breakdown in connectedness in communities, societies and workplaces), the implications for government service delivery, policy development and politics, and whether technological innovations can help repair trust and rebuild engagement.

Participants included Alison Byrne (Executive Director Funding Disclosure and Compliance, NSWEC), Andrew Young (Consultant and advisor), Antoinette Le Marchant (CPD), Frances Flanagan (Research Director, United Voice), Frances Foster-Thorpe (Director, Nous Group), Julie Eisenberg (NSW Electoral Commission), Kate Miller (CPD), Leanne Smith (Visiting Fellow, ANU), Lindley Edwards (AFG Venture Group), Martin Stewart-Weeks (Public Purpose & CPD), Mike Stamp (BCG), Rhett Sampson, Roy Green (Dean, UTS Business School), Sam Hurley (CPD), Sarah Hurcombe (The Australian Centre for Social Innovation) and Tamson Pietsch (Senior Lecturer in Social & Political Sciences and Co-Director of the Australian Centre for Public History UTS).

CPD would like to thank Charlie, Roy Green and the team at the UTS Business School for hosting the event, and participants who contributed to an engaging and expert start to CPD’s 10th-anniversary series on the state of our democracy.