NEWS CORPORATION Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has called on workers to embrace "a lifetime of learning" to take advantage of the opportunities on offer as technological change revolutionises the world.
Mr Murdoch said the world was on the threshold of a technology-driven "golden age" of prosperity, but the benefits would be realised only by those who "cultivate a spirit of learning and flexibility and achievement".
Murdoch's challenge to Australia in first Boyer Lecture
Edited version: Rupert Murdoch's first Boyer Lecture
Delivering the second of the six 2008 Boyer Lectures last night, Mr Murdoch said the global transformation from "an industrial society to an information society" offered vast opportunities for business and the world community.
But changes in technology would not work on their own to deliver the improvements on offer, he said.
"Technology is making the human side of the business equation - skills and knowledege - more valuable than ever," Mr Murdoch said.
"But technology will do you no good unless you have men and women who know how to take advantage of it.
"In plain English, if you run a business, you need good people more than ever.
"That's because computers will never substitute for common sense and good judgment.
"To be successful, a business needs people who see the big picture ... who can think critically and who have strong character."
The obligation to foster talent and education was not confined to business operators, Mr Murdoch suggested.
Changes in technology meant workers now had "a greater incentive to invest" in themselves.
"As technology advances, the premium for educated people with talent and judgment will increase," he said.
"In future, successful workers will be those who embrace a lifetime of learning. Those who don't will be left behind."
Mr Murdoch said historical improvements in information technology - "beginning with Gutenberg's press and continuing with radio and television" - had opened up access to news and entertainment for millions of people.
"There's no reason to think the trend will be different this time," Mr Murdoch said.
"Except that this time, the access will be universal - and the impact will be more profound."
He said adapting to the changes that technology was bringing would force most people to move out of their comfort zones.
"Moving out of comfort zones begins with education," he said.
"If we want to build an Australia where people are not left behind, we need to recognise that a first-class education is no longer a luxury.
"In our age, it's a fundamental civil right and a necessity."
# The third in this year's Boyer Lectures will be broadcast on Radio National at 5pm next Sunday.
(Credit: The Daily Telegraph)
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