BOB BURTON Center for Media and Democracy
Should someone who worked for one the world’s biggest tobacco companies be celebrated as a national role model?
Ms Quentin Bryce, the Australian Governor-General who acts as the representative of the Queen of England, apparently thinks so. To coincide with the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in early June, Bryce announced that Carla Zampatti had been made a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia for “service through leadership and management roles in the fashion and retail property sectors, to multicultural broadcasting, and to women as a role model and mentor.” Two others were also made companions, the most prestigiou honorary titles bestowed on individuals.The awards, announced twice a year, are extensively publicised in the mainstream media.
Zampatti is best known as an Italian immigrant who created a name for herself as a fashion designer, building a successful boutique retail chain on her clothing designs. It’s an appealing “underdog makes good” story. Read more here
