James Van Smeerdijk
James Van Smeerdijk is the Chief Executive Officer of the Allen Consulting Group, a strategic consulting firm specialising in economics and policy.
James has consulted to business and government over the last decade on a wide range of public policy issues. A major specialisation has been on the restructure and regulation of infrastructure industries including in the energy, water and transport sectors. He has also undertaken major public sector strategic and organisational reviews in areas such as fire services, food safety, food labelling, industrial chemicals, maritime safety, ambulance services, environment protection, international education and economic regulation.
James previously held a number of senior policy positions in the Victorian Public Service including working in the Treasury on the pro-competitive reforms to the gas and electricity sectors.
James holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School. He is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Infrastructure Forum, a council member and fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Victoria and a Williamson Fellow.
James is married with two children and passionate about history and wilderness travel.
What a reconciled Australia looks like to me.
Wouldn't it be nice to host a foreign visitor to Australia without having to explain the glaring gap in outcomes in health, education and welfare between many of the original Australians and their fellow Australians? A reconciled Australia would have a stronger position in world affairs by having cleaned up its own backyard.
Wouldn't it be good if governments tailored and coordinated programs better to meet community needs? A reconciled Australia, however, is more likely to be one in which we no longer wait for slow and ponderous government programs to deliver solutions, but instead rely primarily on communities, individuals, NGOs and businesses to drive change.
Why can't we do better in helping communities to help themselves? A reconciled Australia is one where we don't blame the victim, and where original Australians don't consider themselves as victims.
Why do we only grant land rights in cases where modern usage of the land is virtually excluded? A reconciled Australia would be one in which traditional ownership of the land meant something more substantial, and provided a springboard for economic and community development.
Wouldn't it be powerful if more Australians better understood and really respected the 50,000 year traditions of the original Australians - the great survivors. A reconciled Australia would be one in which tradition would be seen as a rallying point and a springboard for communities, not as a constraint or as something quaint.
James van Smeerdijk
