Australia based Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) honoured New Zealand Round Table Executive Director Roger Kerr with the ‘Alan McGregor Fellowship’ at a conference held in Coolum, Queensland on July 30, 2011.
The Consilium Conference also honoured former Australian Prime Minister John Howard with the Fellowship.
CIS Chairman Michael Darling presented the Awards at the Conference.
The Award is given in the name of the late Alan McGregor, who was a former CIS Chairman. He played a major role in the organisation’s development and success.
Business Roundtable Chairman Roger Partridge said the Fellowships recognised the contributions made by the recipients to foster principles of free markets, liberal society and personal responsibility.
“This is a great honour for Mr Kerr and the Business Roundtable. It is great to see the work he and the organisation have done over the years recognised. That Roger and one of Australia’s longest-serving and greatest prime ministers were the only two recipients gives you an idea of the stature of this Award”, Mr Partridge said.
Mr Darling said Mr Kerr had personally commissioned, overseen and made extensive editorial contributions to all of the work produced by the Business Roundtable.
“These include more than 200 books and reports and more than 1000 articles, op-eds, submissions, media releases, speeches and policy backgrounders,” he said.
He recalled the tribute paid by New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Chairman Michael Walls, while handing over the 2001 NZEIR Qantas Economics Award to Mr Kerr.
“No single individual has done more over the past 15 years to persuade important parts of the business sector to support economic policies which, though often contrary to the interests of individual firms, were in the interest of the country as a whole.”
Mr Kerr’s articles appear regularly in Indian Newslink.
Consilium is an annual conference that brings together a cross-section of Australia’s leaders of business, politics, academia, and the wider community to deliberate on the major economic, social, cultural and regional issues facing Australia and New Zealand.
