What scandalous revelations about Professor Geoff Gallop OA are in store? Let’s get straight to it: the man is director of the University of Sydney’s Graduate School of Government and he doesn’t have a favourite YouTube video. See? You can learn a lot from the newmatilda.com 20 Questions.
As much as you’ll find out below, Geoff has left out a few key details. In addition to his pedagogical duties, he sits on the boards of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2008.
Oh, and Geoff was Premier of Western Australia between 2001 and 2006. (Hint: remember this if you’re at a trivia night together.)
1. What’s the headline you’d most like to see on the front page of a daily newspaper? Australia Leads The World In Social Justice.
2. If you could oblige everyone in Australia to click through to one webpage, which one would it be? This one: www.aph.gov.au/library.
3. What is one thing you’ve always wondered about economics but were too afraid to ask? Why was it converted into a sub-branch of mathematics?
4. When did you last eat a meat pie? Six weeks ago at the Refectory at Sydney Uni.
5. What’s the oldest thing in your fridge? Frozen peas.
6. Has anyone got a climate change policy you agree with? Who? Europe.
7. When was the first time you changed your mind on something important? In 1971. I moved from the Liberal Club to the Labor Club at UWA.
8. What’s the household chore you relish the most? Doing the dishes.
9. What sort of shoes do you wear to work? Black or brown laceups and occasionally my rubber soled Italian boots.
10. What campaigning tactic do you most want to see in this year’s federal election? Properly facilitated debates.
11. Nominate a new public holiday. Human Rights Day.
12. If you could go tomorrow anywhere in Australia for a holiday, where would you go? Ningaloo.
13. What’s your favourite YouTube video? I don’t have one.
14. If you were given $5 million, what would you spend it on? Relaxing, travel, writing and charities of my choice.
15. Who would you most like to sit next to on a long haul flight? That’s easy — my fiancée Ingrid Van Beek who I met on a flight to Jakarta!
16. What trivia question/topic will you beat everyone else in the pub to the buzzer on? Who was Premier of WA from 2001 to 2006?
17. Complete this sentence. I’d like to hear Kevin Rudd say "…" We need to take equality more seriously.
18. Name someone in Australian public life who deserves a promotion. Malcom Turnbull — we need an ETS!
19. In 10 words or less, summarise your food philosophy. Food is an opportunity to indulge the senses.
20. What question should we ask our next interviewee? What is your favourite NGO?
BONUS question from last week’s interviewee: If you were on the edge of starvation and your mother told you she had miraculously regained the ability to lactate, would you, as an adult, drink milk from your mother’s breast? I’m too old for this one!!!