The Inside Word with…Peter and Renata Singer

The son of European Jews who moved to Australia to escape the Nazis, Peter Singer studied philosophy in Melbourne before moving to Oxford. He has campaigned against cruelty to animals, and for greater philanthropic contribution. In 2004, Peter was recognised as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies, and in 2006 he was voted one of Australia’s 10 most influential public intellectuals. In 2012, he was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his services to philosophy and bioethics.

After working with disadvantaged women in New York, Renata Singer founded Fitted for Work, the Australian non-profit that helps women back into the workforce. Previously, she worked a high school teacher, a community worker, a publications officer for Oxfam Australia and a member of the Workcare Appeals Tribunal. Renata is also an accomplished writer and has co-edited an anthology on ethics with her husband: The Moral of the Story: Ethics Through Literature.

Peter and Renata share their time between Melbourne and New York, and are appearing at the Bendigo Writers Festival this month. Here, they talk about Victoria’s philanthropic, literary and vegetarian scenes:

How does Melbourne rate, globally, when it comes to compassion and philanthropy?These comparisons are very difficult. For example, Americans give more, as a percentage of their income, to charity than Australians, but then, Americans believe in small government and social services are poor, so more is left to charity. What troubles us most, however, is the fact that Australia’s foreign aid is so woefully low by comparison with many other nations. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands all give at least three times as much – again, in proportion to income – as Australia. The UK has, over the past few years, met the United Nations target of 0.7% of gross national income donated, whereas Australia is around 0.23%. We should be ashamed of that.

What are some of the Melbourne-based charities that you think are doing the most good?Oxfam Australia has its headquarters in Melbourne, and is part of the international Oxfam group, which serves as an advocate for the global poor, and funds projects in many developing countries. The Fred Hollows Foundation does great work in preventing blindness and restoring sight for people in developing countries.

You are both appearing as part of the Bendigo Writers Festival this month. How healthy do you think Victoria’s literary scene is?It is incredibly vibrant. There’s a writers’ festival every weekend to choose from – sometimes more than one. Not only are there the big literary players like the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Wheeler Centre, there are suburban festivals like Williamstown and Glen Eira, regional like Bendigo, Mildura, and Port Fairy, identity oriented like Melbourne Jewish Writers’ Festival and plenty more for readers and writers in specific genres – speculative, crime, romance. And festivals are only the beginning – there are writing courses and talks at bookshops and U3As – almost every day of the year.

What are some of your favourite things about living in Melbourne?The Royal Botanic Gardens – all year round for walking and talking with my friends and the Children’s Garden there for hanging out with our grandchildren. We love St Kilda, where we live. Seeing that vista of pier, palm trees and sea lifts our spirits. I (Renata) lived in St Kilda when I was a child and first came to Australia. It’s always been an anti-suburb with that potent mix of crazies, backpackers, beach bunnies and bums with families and the well-to-do living in the mansions on the hill.

If you were hosting visitors from overseas, where would you take them in regional Victoria?We never miss taking visitors along the Great Ocean Road; incomparable scenery, great food and lots of beautiful spots for a dip and a surf. For visitors who stay longer, and who don’t mind camping, we’d head up the Hume (Highway) to Mt Buffalo. We’re both keen hikers and the walking on the plateau is superb.

What are your favourite vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Melbourne?When we have a large table of people, and want to be able to talk and relax – as we did after the launch of my book Older and Bolder – there’s still nowhere better than Shakahari in Carlton, where we’ve been going since it opened in 1974. In those days it was the only place with more than snacky veg food. How times have changed. In certain parts of Melbourne now vegan restaurants are cheek by jowl. We can walk to a dozen. Among our favourites are Monk Bodhi Dharma, in a car park tucked behind Safeway in Balaclava, and Trippy Taco in Acland Street. I (Renata) am planning to get up in the winter darkness to try and get into the newly opened Matcha Mylkbar (corner Acland and Carlisle Streets, St Kilda) with long queues of hip young people patiently queuing to get in (we don’t do queues!).

Bendigo Writers Festival appearances:Peter Singer: As good as it gets, 4.15pm, Friday, 12 August 2016, The CapitalPeter and Renata Singer: Books make us better, 10.30am, Saturday, 13 August 2016, The CapitalRenata Singer: Older and Bolder, 4.45pm, Saturday, 13 August 2016, Bendigo Bank Theatre

Media enquiries: Sharon Wells, +61 419 508 619, info@baccstudio.com