Professor Ian Harper AO today (Tuesday, May 13, 2025) neatly summarised balancing policies designed to lift economic prosperity with the broader ideals of justice, peace and human flourishing via a simple addition to the Toowoomba City motto, 'We prosper as we grow'.
Professor Harper's re-worked motto, 'We prosper as we grow in love and service of one another for our community', encapsulated his professional work as one of Australia's pre-eminent economists coupled with his Christian faith.
"As an economist I design policies for economic prosperity. I don't see material prosperity as an end in itself," Professor Harper told the 400-plus people attending today's 31st Toowoomba Mayoral Prayer Breakfast at Rumours.
"Material prosperity is an important part of life, but it is not all there is to human flourishing."
Professor Harper said while a Christian economist could be seen as a contradiction in terms, unlike a Christian doctor or teacher, working to Christian morals and values offered a clear path to serving people.
In a similar vein, he said the overarching objective set for the Monetary Policy Board in the new Reserve Bank Act was to promote the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people both now and into the future.
