{"id":5968,"date":"2025-11-21T06:52:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T06:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2026-02-27T03:59:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:59:52","slug":"2025-john-curtin-prime-ministerial-library-jcpml-anniversary-lecture-looking-ever-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/2025-john-curtin-prime-ministerial-library-jcpml-anniversary-lecture-looking-ever-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library (JCPML) Anniversary Lecture: Looking ever forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The twenty-fourth John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library (JCPML) Anniversary Lecture was held on Remembrance Day, 11 November, and delivered by Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, to an audience of nearly 200. Guests included John Curtin\u2019s grandchildren John Curtin and Barbara Davidson, great-granddaughter Rebecca Curtin, and current and former members of Parliament including Zaneta Mascarenhas MP, Hon Dr John Cowdell, Hon Gary Gray AO, Hon Bob Kucera APM, Hon Dr Cheryl Davenport, and Hon Kay Hallahan AO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following a heartfelt Welcome to Country by Barry McGuire, MC and JCPML Director Kylie Percival acknowledged the late Emeritus Professor David Black, honorary historical consultant to the JCPML, and the recent passing of Professor John Maloney, former Curtin Vice-Chancellor at the time of the JCPML\u2019s establishment. Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne then introduced the Hon Jason Clare MP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam government, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the death of wartime Prime Minister John Curtin, Clare opened with reflections on leadership, legacy, and the role of great universities.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/172-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/172-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/172-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/172-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><br>\u2026 real greatness isn\u2019t about titles. It\u2019s about choices. It\u2019s about character. And it\u2019s about what you do. However you measure it, John Curtin fits the bill\u2026 He made decisions that shaped the war and still shape the country we are today. He changed the way Australia worked. He was a practical man who thought deeply. He had that most elemental of virtues that all great leaders need. Courage. And he acted with intent. That\u2019s why he is arguably the greatest Prime Minister we have ever had. And why this university carries his name.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5968_215cfe-ee\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column5968_950c40-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5968_950c40-e0\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><br>From the education legacies of the Whitlam, Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard Labor governments, to the reform agenda of the Albanese government in which he now serves, Clare provided his listeners with a comprehensive view of the expansive programs which aim to build a higher education system for the future and \u2018open the doors or our universities wider to more Australians\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A vote of thanks was given thoughtfully by Hon Dr Toni Buti, Attorney General and Minister for International and Tertiary Education, Western Australia. Afterwards, guests enjoyed refreshments served outside on the lawn on a beautiful early summer evening. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251121_VCNTS_JCPMLPhoto.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5971\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With (L-R) the Hon Jason Clare MP, Kylie Percival (University Librarian) and the Hon Dr Tony Buti (Attorney-General; Minister for Commerce; International and Tertiary Education; Multicultural Interests).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025 lecture recording is available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=75_BaGd0jQc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n<section\n                class=\"block block--no-indent video-panel \"\n        data-heading-align=\"default\"\n        role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"Video panel\"\n        data-segment=\"all\">\n\n    \n\n    <div class=\"video-panel__grid\" data-grid-layout=\"no-content\" >\n        \n<a class=\"video video--large\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=75_BaGd0jQc\" target=\"_blank\" data-fancybox data-ratio=\"16:9\" data-options='{\"smallBtn\" : \"true\"}'>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"video__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-21-at-2.27.17-pm-aspect-ratio-2-1.png\"\n         alt=\"Video cover image - play video\">\n<\/a>\n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>The JCPML Anniversary Lecture has been held since 1998. Previous lectures are available on the JCPML website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jcpml.curtin.edu.au\/events\/anniversary-lectures\/\">Anniversary lectures | Curtin University, Perth, Australia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The twenty-fourth John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library (JCPML) Anniversary Lecture was held on Remembrance Day, 11 November, and delivered by Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, to an audience of nearly 200. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":6439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-library","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5968"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6442,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5968\/revisions\/6442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}