The Chairman of the John Monash Foundation, General Peter Cosgrove AC MC (Retd) delivered the annual ABC Boyer Lectures for 2009 titled ‘A Very Australian Conversation’. The lectures, available from the ABC Radio National covered topics of major social, environmental, national and regional security, or political interest. General Cosgove chose his third lecture, on leadership ('Leading in Australia’) to emphasize attributes of accountability, teamwork, organisation ethos, and communication. General Cosgrove concluded with a comment about the humility of leaders:
“We want our leaders to be fair dinkum, as much among us as above us... conscious of the temporary privilege they have in being in charge”.