Another poster mentioned the correct details about Tony Abbott's citizenship recently.For some reason I had always thought that he was made an Australian citizen as a young child.Not so.That could be what he preferred the public to think I suppose .
Why did Tony Abbott wait until he was almost 24 years old to become an Australian citizen?
BY THE AIMN NETWORK on MARCH 27, 2014
Tony Abbott was apparently intending to depart Australia on or about 10 July 1981 and, started his scholarship course at Queens College, Oxford, in October 1981.
One cannot escape the suspicion that the future Prime Minister of Australia only applied for Australian citizenship at that time in order to gain a monetary advantage which would allow him to further his studies overseas.
Note: Immigration and citizenship information found at the National Archives of Australia.
http://theaimn.com/2014/03/27/why-did-tony-abbott-wait-until-he-was-almost-24-years-old-to-become-an...
Giving and proud: a record-breaking $220m in charitable donations signals Australia’s new era of philanthropy
Published 18 November 2013 07:57, Updated 18 November 2013
http://www.brw.com.au/p/leadership/giving_philanthropy_proud_record_QrU4ZnKmtQFYbGI308qu5M
Culture’s there, but more covert
The desire for a $1 billion foundation remains unfulfilled, but Australia’s rich have otherwise proven equal to the challenge. A spate of record-breaking charitable gifts by wealthy Australians – totalling more than $220 million – has created a new era of philanthropy in Australia.
Kimberly Downes, a senior consultant with fundraising organisation DVA Navion, is impatient with claims that Australia’s wealthy lack the spirit of their US counterparts.
“Australia has always had a culture of philanthropy, but [non-profit] organisations and people say to me, ‘Oh, we don’t have a culture of philanthropy like the US’, but Australia’s got its own culture and we do things differently here,” she says.
“In the US, they’re more overt about it. There are some very wealthy Australians we don’t see in the media, who are silent about their giving. Some people may mistake that for not being interested in their community and I’m sad about that because I know what they’re giving.”
Downes says she is encouraged by the recent flurry of high-profile philanthropists being open about their acts of generosity. “You don’t have to be a high-net-worth individual to be philanthropic, but those people certainly attract attention and can set an example for everyone else,” she says.
“I’m hoping that those people [who shun publicity] won’t want to remain anonymous any more, because in coming together and promoting philanthropic activities we can create a true spirit of philanthropy in Australia.”
Ignore philanthropy ‘at your peril’
Melbourne entrepreneur and private equity investor Ryan Trainor, whose wealth was valued at $27 million on this year’s BRW Young Rich List, has an ambivalent view about seeking a public profile for his philanthropic activities.
“With personal philanthropy, I want to be private about that, but from the corporate side of things, it’s always been my view that we have a responsibility in business to be involved in our communities,” he says.
“For companies, giving back to the community should be as much a part of their DNA as making a profit. Clients and employees, and the community as a whole, really expect companies to take their community responsibilities seriously now and companies which ignore that do so at their peril.”
Trainor started the Franklyn Scholar training and vocational education group in 2007. He sold the business to US training giant Kaplan in 2011, the year he debuted on the Young Rich List.
Before selling the business, Trainor committed Franklyn Scholar to Sydney-based charity the I-India Project, which helps destitute children in the city of Jaipur in northern India through education and vocational training.
With a staff champion located in each of Franklyn Scholar’s six offices nationally, in 2011 the company and staff raised $100,000 towards the construction of the Franklyn Scholar Vocational Training Centre, 45 kilometres out of Jaipur.Kaplan maintained Franklyn Scholar’s partnership with I-India, raising a similar amount of money since. In March this year, two Franklyn Scholar employees flew to India to witness the opening of the centre, which includes accommodation for homeless children, a school for 350 students, medical facilities and a community hall.
“Franklyn Scholar’s I-India project helped define our people; they weren’t just working for a training company, they were part of something bigger. It made people proud of who they were working for,” Trainor says.
He now concentrates on his venture capital business, Crosby & Prince Ventures. Although Trainor is reluctant to discuss his private philanthropy, he says he lends his business and financial skills to Melbourne-based charity the Mirabel Foundation as a member of the charity’s board. There is an obvious correlation between Mirabel and the I-India project: Mirabel assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their parents’ illicit drug use.
“Mirabel believes that investing in children is the most compassionate and economic investment we can make,” the charity’s website states.
Emulating Warren Buffett
http://www.brw.com.au/p/leadership/giving_philanthropy_proud_record_QrU4ZnKmtQFYbGI308qu5M
Education the favourite
The 2013 roll call of mega-donations includes (see link above)
Australia has entered a new age of philantrophy
