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Australians are now turning towards businesses and their leaders to enact change on societal issues as trust in the government tanks following the Black Summer bushfires.
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Australians look to business for societal change
21 February 2020
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The 2020 Edelman Australia Trust Barometer found that trust in the government, business, media and non-government organisations (NGOs) fell from an all-time high of 68 points to 59 points, a nine-point drop in just three months in the wake of the bushfire crisis.
Edelman Australia chief executive Michelle Hutton said the breakdown in trust stems from the government’s response to the recent bushfires.
“This should have been an opportunity to unite the nation and build security, but instead the lack of empathy, authenticity and communications crushed trust across the country,” Ms Hutton said.
With 89 per cent of respondents saying they are worried about environmental matters, including bushfires, drought and global warming, Australians are not confident in the government and see business as more visionary and capable of enacting change.
Business is ranked as the only competent institution in the report, and Australians are now looking to business leaders to lead by example in responding to societal issues.
CEOs are expected to be at the forefront of change, with 86 per cent of Australians expecting them to speak out on societal issues, with a further 78 per cent believing CEOs should not wait for the government to impose change.
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However, respondents believe the way forward is through cross-institutional partnership as different institutions have the opportunity to earn trust by leveraging complementary skills.
“Overwhelmingly, our supplementary study showed people are looking to government and business to partner on vital issues at the moment,” Ms Hutton said.
“Listening to stakeholder concerns and partnering together to achieve a common goal is this year a key theme across institutions – but with Australians not able to see their ability or willingness to do this in a meaningful way.
“The new decade marks an opportunity for our institutions to step up, take action and lead on key issues that will unite Australians and instil hope for the future.”
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