| TJ RYAN FOUNDATION | |
| Foundation: | 27 February 2014 |
| Key People: | Roger Scott (executive director) Paul Boreham (deputy executive director) Ann Scott (research coordinator) John Ford (secretary) Ron Monaghan (treasurer) |
The TJ Ryan Foundation is the only progressive (left-leaning) think tank specifically focussing on Queensland public policy. The idea of the Foundation was announced by Queensland Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk on 4 May 2012.[1] [2] In May 2013, Emeritus Professor Roger Scott was appointed inaugural executive director of the TJ Ryan Foundation Board, together with the initial Board members.[3]
The TJ Ryan Foundation was launched on 27 February 2014 at the Gibson Room of the Queensland University of Technology QUT's Gardens Point Campus. The keynote address 'Nepotism, patronage and the public trust' was delivered by Queensland Integrity Commissioner David Solomon.[4] [5] [6]
The Foundation is named in honour of T. J. Ryan, Labor Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919.
The think tank functions as a public policy research institute, networking forum and online publishing platform. The main purpose of the organisation is to inform Queensland public policy by linking policymakers with TJ Ryan Foundation researchers. The Board and Research Associates all work pro-bono (unpaid). The Board members are predominantly senior university academics, drawn from the University of Queensland, Griffith University, James Cook University and the Queensland University of Technology. In addition to the Board, Research Associates (also mostly university academics) and policy experts have been invited to join the organisation to provide a source of expertise for policymakers, and contribute to the website.[7]
The stated aims of the Foundation are to:
Despite seed funding being provided by the Queensland Labor Party (ALP) and the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU), the goal of the TJ Ryan Institute is to be a politically independent source of policy analysis and commentary and in the words of Executive Director Professor Roger Scott, to "reach beyond the ideological confines of the ALP".[7]
Other left-leaning or progressive think tanks commenting on public policy in Australia include The Australia Institute, the ALP's official think tank the Chifley Research Centre, the socialist Fabian Society, the Evatt Foundation, the Grattan Institute and the centre-left Per Capita. Avowedly non-partisan think tanks include Centre for Policy Development and the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. Conservative or right-leaning think tanks include the libertarian Centre for Independent Studies, the Menzies Research Centre, the H. R. Nicholls Society and the Institute of Public Affairs