The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and CHOICE will host the annual Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture in Sydney this evening.
Gordon Renouf, founder of Ethical Consumers Australia and Good On You, will deliver the lecture ‘Can Consumers Buy A Better World?’
The ACCC and CHOICE host the long running event in memory of Ruby Hutchison, the founder of the Australian Consumer’s Association, the organisation we know today as CHOICE. Ms Hutchison was also the first woman elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1954.
“The lecture is a fitting tribute to Ruby Hutchison’s trailblazing efforts in crusading for women’s rights, social justice and inspirational commitment to the consumer advocacy movement,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
"Ruby Hutchison was a pioneer not only in consumer rights, but in Australian political life. She deserves greater recognition, and this lecture is our way of trying to achieve that," said CHOICE CEO Alan Kirkland.
“This year, we are privileged to hear from Gordon Renouf, a pioneer in his own right in the field of ethical consumption. He has also made an enormous contribution to the consumer advocacy movement over many decades,” Ms Rickard said.
Mr Renouf will seek to answer a number of challenging questions, including whether conscious consumption is a responsibility or a right, and whether consumer choices really make a difference. He will also talk about the roles played by consumer organisations and regulators.
This year’s Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture coincides with World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March. World Consumer Rights Day celebrates the anniversary of former President John F Kennedy’s landmark address to Congress on consumer rights. The address provided the framework for many rights enjoyed by consumers today, and provides an annual opportunity to promote consumer issues.
The ACCC will be joining other regulators in promoting consumer rights to all Australians on World Consumer Rights Day.
Mr Renouf’s address will be published on the Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture 2016 page in due course.