He will be joined in conversation by Sally McManus, Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) to discuss the topic “Power, Profits and Price Gouging.”

WHO:

Professor Allan Fels AO – former Chair of the ACCC

Sally MacManus – Secretary of the ACTU

WHEN: Thursday, 5 September 2024

Doors open – 5.30pm

Event – 6.00pm to 7.15

WHERE: RMIT Building 80, Level 2, Lecture Theatre 7, 445 Swanston Street Melbourne, VIC 3000

The Laurie Carmichael Lecture is an annual keynote lecture co-sponsored by the Carmichael Centre (an initiative of the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work) and RMIT University’s Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRIGHT).

The lecture is named in honour of Laurie Carmichael, the legendary manufacturing trade union leader who passed away in 2018 at the age of 93. Previous Carmichael Lectures have included Nobel Prize economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and former ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

“Prof. Fels is a distinguished economist, lawyer, and academic who has made an outstanding contribution to public policy in Australia,” said Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work (home of the Carmichael Centre).

“For years he has championed the cause of fair, competitive pricing—a concern which became more urgent in the wake of accelerating inflation (and profit mark-ups) after the COVID pandemic.

“Professor Allan Fels has long recognised the dangers of corporate concentration and unfair pricing to the efficiency and equity of Australia’s economy.

“His Carmichael Lecture is a timely opportunity to highlight his recommendations for preventing price-gouging and protecting workers’ living standards.”

Attendance at the lecture is free, but advance registration is essential at:

2024 Laurie Carmichael Lecture: Professor Allan Fels AO