Bill Lawson
LAWSON, William (Bill) Donald, AM FIEAust
Career Summary
Bill Lawson AM is a recently retired Engineer. After graduating from the University of Tasmania in 1970, he joined the Public Works and Main Roads Departments, working on structural design and road and bridge construction for 15 years. He then founded and built his own business, a private consulting firm LPH (Tas) for 11 years growing to 70 staff.
In 1996 he joined Sinclair Knight Merz where he expanded SKM’s local government practice in Australia and New Zealand, followed in 2002 by working up the Company’s performance in the Indigenous Sector. In 2008 he set up the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility program; that was a global role.
In 2003, Engineers Australia recognised Bill as the National Professional Engineer of the Year.
Bill was mainly responsible for Engineers Australia adopting the policy of paying a tribute to country at the beginning of all its meetings, conferences and events.
Beacon Foundation
Prior to 1988 Bill was an honorary probation officer and involved himself in direct contact with unemployed young people and their problems. He observed anti-social behaviour first hand. There were streets and neighbourhoods full of welfare-dependent families.
In 1988 Bill withdrew from the front line and spent 5 years thinking about the causes and what could be done about them. He was frustrated with the Government’s inability to address generational welfare dependency. Bill realised that if he wanted to change employment outcomes for young people, he needed to challenge them to choose education or a job but not welfare. The “No Dole” aim was born.
The Beacon Foundation was established from this need to find and examine the causes of youth unemployment and ways of cutting it off upstream. It helps school leavers to find a way into a job and away from welfare dependency. It is entirely funded by the private sector.
In 1995 at Brooks High School in Launceston, he and the headmaster tackled those leaving school after Year 10 by connecting them with employers through the Launceston Rotary Club. The annual welfare rate of 33% dropped to 13% and to 2%. The school then took it over and it fell to zero.
For over 27 years, under Bill’s guidance, Beacon continued to maintain a strong track record of success. In 2000 the Beacon model was rolled out nationally, and this year Beacon programs will engage over 15,000 young people in career education development activities from just over 109 schools. Developing and trialling new approaches, Beacon continues to position itself as a respected and trusted not-for-profit organisation by raising awareness and providing support to young people to help them successfully transition from education to meaningful employment.
Newly appointed Beacon Chair, Mr Greg Woolley, acknowledged Bill’s contribution.
“Bill Lawson is a unique Australian,” he said. “It is incredibly rare that a person is able to make such an impact on the lives of so many people over such a long period of time. Beacon’s achievements and the regard in which it is held are a testament to Bill’s foundation of Beacon and his dedicated stewardship over 27 years.”
In 2006 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his development of the national youth assistance initiative, the Beacon Foundation.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders
Bill is passionate about Indigenous issues with a specific focus on helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially young people, overcome their many disadvantages, especially unemployment.
Some of his professional work has been in the Aboriginal sector. He went to Tennant Creek to advise on the construction of an art gallery and an Interpretive Centre in the shape of a lizard, to be run by Aboriginal people. In the Kimberleys, he set up a precast concrete factory employing young Aborigines to build houses. That project won a national award. His company has done more work in the Pilbara, and Bill has come to know all the Aboriginal leaders.
From 2011 to 2012 Mr Lawson was the Tasmanian representative on the Prime Minister’s Expert Panel for the Recognition of Indigenous Australians.
Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to promote a continuing national focus for reconciliation between indigenous Australians and Australians from a non-indigenous cultural background.
In 2015 Bill Lawson was appointed Director and Board member of Reconciliation Australia where his skills and experience across the private, public and community sectors, together with his contributions to overcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, are a great asset to the Board.
Reconciliation Tasmania
Since 2016 Bill has been helping to establish Reconciliation Tasmania (RT) as a wholly independent not for profit organisation. RT was launched by the Premier and Governor in August 2017 and now has over 360 members spread statewide working together through coordinated regional groups. Bill is co-Chair of RT and has been occupied almost full-time since its inception. He expects to achieve financial self sufficiency by the end of 2019. He says here in Tasmania, the challenges are less but discord, distrust and vitriolic nastiness prevail.
