Under Corporate Skies shortlisted for Blake Dawson
Under Corporate Skies by Martin Brueckner and Dyann Ross made the national shortlist for the Blake Dawson Business Literature Prize worth $30,000.
Dyann Ross said it was an honour to be recognised for a style of writing not always regarded as mainstream but which had a dimension of very strong public interest.
“For me 95% of the honour is on behalf of all the people in the story (which continues at this time) for their individual experiences and accounts of the conflict with Alcoa Wagerup,” said Ross.
The Blake Dawson Business Literature Prize is an annual award administered by the State Library of NSW which was established to encourage the highest possible standards of literary commentary on Australian business and financial affairs.
Martin Brueckner said it was an honour and a privilege to be shortlisted but also a surprise that Under Corporate Skies was perceived to be ‘business literature’.
“While the book deals with a company’s societal obligations, primarily I thought of it as a community account of life next door to a multinational company.
“In this sense I am excited for this book to speak to a wider audience, especially within the business realm where I see a great need for changes to occur in the way in which industry–community relations are being managed,” said Brueckner.
Brueckner said Under Corporate Skies lays bare the often invisible impacts and injustices local communities can experience when they get too close to industry and its largely unquestioned development agenda.
Other books shortlisted included Paul Barry’s Who wants to be a Billionaire? The James Packer Story, Bridget Griffin-Foley for Changing Stations: The Story of Australian Commercial Radio and Phil Jarratt’s Salts and Suits. The shortlist was selected by an external independent judging panel: the Hon. Mahla Pearlman AO, Professor Richard Fisher AM, Alan Cameron AM and Narelle Hooper, editor of AFR Boss magazine.
The winner will be announced at a special presentation dinner on Thursday 5 May 2011.
