Peter Bailey

So, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, faculty deans, University Secretary, members of the University Executive and Academic Board, staff, family, friends and graduates. I would also like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation upon whose ancestral lands UTS now stands and pay my respects to the elders past, present and into the future.

So, graduates. What a blast. Congratulations on your wonderful achievement, recognised here today. This is a just reward for your hard work, your dedication, your sacrifice of personal time, so well done. But congratulations also to your families. You must be incredibly proud. Yeah, congratulations!

[Applause]

You have provided financial and emotional support and have instilled in your children the values and character that have underpinned their success, so well done and thank you for coming today.

Today, graduates, with your new degree, a world of opportunity now lies at your feet. As I think back to my own graduation, I could not have possibly imagined then the global diversity of work that I’ve experienced in my career over the past, well, so many years. But it nearly did not get off the ground.

In my last year of studying engineering at Sydney University, I attended a campus careers fair – I guess you guys know the one, the sort of thing, where government and private organisations come to the campus to conduct interviews for jobs on completion of your studies. Well, I took this very seriously and I fronted up in a new, blue suit; red, white and blue striped shirt; and a brightly-coloured tie. Hm.

Looking back now, I looked, well, rather colourful, I guess you could say, but overall not bad, considering it was the early 80s. So, I got away with it, I guess. But I was quite nervous when I fronted up to an interview with a large state government employer, the Department of Main Roads, as they were known then. Three men were lined up in front of me to conduct the interview. All three dressed identically. All hard beards, all had beige cardigans, all had brown pants, all had a fawn shirt, and all had paisley ties.

Anyway, I was quite shocked when one of the men opened immediately with a commentary on my attire. ‘Mr Bailey, if you want to be an engineer, you need to look like an engineer.’ Oh my goodness. And the other one beside him said, ‘Yes, you know, like us.’

[Laughter]

Well, I can’t remember the rest of the interview. I was too in a state of shock and acutely embarrassed that I’d missed the mark so badly. Even worse, the coolest employer on campus was, amazingly, an accounting firm called Peat Marwick, later to become the M in KPMG, and they were all dressed like me. Well, maybe I was in the wrong profession. Maybe I didn’t belong.

Well, needless to say, I didn’t get the job. In fact, I didn’t get a job at all when I finished as a recession had taken hold. I picked up a scholarship at Sydney University to do a research master’s studying tall buildings in the wind tunnel, and it was there I came across a firm called Arup, one of the most innovative and socially progressive engineering firms in the world. And the rest is history – I still work there today. So, the three beige wise men did me a favour.

My point is this: there is no typical engineer or teacher or doctor or data scientist. Indeed, if we are to solve the world’s challenges and create a safe, equitable and sustainable world, let alone be successful in business, we need people of all types, of all backgrounds, of different cultures, different genders. Because only then will we have diversity of thought and the best chance of coming up with the diverse and innovative solutions we need.

The world out there needs you and your knowledge and your diverse life experiences to come up with novel and creative solutions in what you do. Every single one of you has something unique to offer – a unique family history, a unique cultural background, a unique education. You may play sport or chess or music or create art. You may even throw Frisbees. You are unique and we need to hear what you have to say.

And, shock horror, engineers, a little secret: you don’t all need to be good at maths. Too late to tell you that now, I guess.

And female graduates in the audience, where are you? Come on. Woo!

[Cheering]

We need you. Aside from your intelligence and competence, you have a unique female perspective that society and the engineering profession in particular sorely needs as we develop just and sustainable solutions focused on people. But what use is diversity if you are excluded? Diversity is pointless without inclusion where you feel valued and respected and have access to opportunities and can contribute your perspectives and talents to improve your organisation or society itself.

But to be inclusive you really have to understand privilege. You see, privilege is invisible to those who have it. I never understood the advantage I had as a Caucasian, middle-class male. For those of you here today who have overcome societal bias and discrimination, I applaud you. You deserve this reward more than me. So, how will you treat others around you in your career, in your personal lives, on social media? To me, the measure of your character is how you treat the least person in the room.

So, lastly where is the most pressing need for diverse talent and innovation in our society today? In my opinion, I put to you today two big challenges. Firstly, we need to act with speed and scale to prevent man-made climate change. And secondly, we need to decipher how to satisfy the needs of a growing population within the finite resource capacity of the planet.

We only have 10 years to make big inroads into these challenges, and only 30 years to solve them. Yes, in your working lifetime. For climate change, the recent IPCC report has clearly spelled out the rapid and far-reaching changes facing us if global average temperatures rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Currently, we’re heading for 3.5. Sir David Attenborough, the world-famous natural historian claims that if we don’t act, we’re facing collapse of civilisation and extinction of much of the natural world. Serious stuff indeed.

Furthermore, population is forecast to increase by a further 3 billion people. Consumption and waste will rise accordingly, putting unbearable pressure on our one and only planet to sustain us. Most of us will live in cities, so every city we are ever going to need will be built in the next 30 years. It’s incredible, isn’t’ it? So we must build them sustainably.

Fortunately, we already have a roadmap to a sustainable future: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs recognise that sustainable cities, transport, water and energy systems are the key to our future. There is endless business opportunity for those nations and businesses that are willing to respond and who view the sustainability challenge not just as a risk to be mitigated but as a driver of innovation. A driver of innovation.

For example, the move to a low-carbon economy is inevitable. It cannot be stopped. Miss out on the innovation this will bring and your nation – take note, Australia – or your business will become uncompetitive. Likewise, resource and environmental limitations will create opportunities for business models that are circular, restorative, even regenerative. Through creative design, AI and other clever solutions we can de-couple economic growth from environmental impact and preserve our planet for the benefit of our children. This is the greatest business opportunity you can get, right here, right now.

I am hugely optimistic. We have the capability; we just need the political will. As Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s 16-year-old school striker says, ‘Take opportunity; be active. Don’t just be concerned; get angry.’ Get angry about it. I urge you all to teach, influence and apply ingenuity to these two important global challenges. And engineers in the room, this is our time to shine, so let’s do it.

In closing, it has been an honour to receive an honorary doctorate of engineering for such an esteemed institution as UTS. I strongly believe UTS is now producing the finest graduates with broad perspectives and this is exactly what we need. Importantly, I would like to thank my family and my colleagues at ARUP, without whom I would not be standing here, because we never walk alone.

I’m so pleased to be able to share this special day with you. I wish you all the very best for your careers. I urge you to make your career count, make a difference to society, and remember this quote: ‘What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught, not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance.’ And I know you will be significant.

Thank you.

[Applause]