In 1989, a lawyer, linguist and maverick in the best American tradition blew the whistle on the gobbledygook of corporate America with his best-selling Doublespeak: From Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living. [Dr Lutz is not here yet, but we shall hear him tonight.]

Health education in Canada and the U.S.
Crucial as it is to know our legal rights, the popular struggle for information is also about a society where people know how to be healthy, how to nurture and educate children, to avoid disease, and, when the time comes, to die with dignity.

In Canada, we had the early work of Mary Breen and Janis Wood Catano. Since then, the Canadian Public Health Association has conducted awareness campaigns in partnership with health professionals from many fields under the leadership of Debra Gordon El-Bihbety and her staff.

We'll learn more about progress in health information in Canada and the United States from Helen Osborne, Joanne Locke and many others, during this conference.

In honour of our health pioneers, would Helen and Joanne, Reva Daniel, the representatives of the Canadian Public Health Association, and all other public health plain language professionals, please stand up and say hello.]

Australia and New Zealand
As early as 1983 in Australia, the newsletter of the Australian Literacy Council was featuring articles by Venetia Nelson and the Communication Research Institute of Australia was publishing style guides on government forms.⁽¹⁰⁾

There was the Centre for Plain Legal Language at the University of Sydney Law Faculty and the brilliant work all through the '80s of Michèle Asprey and the extraordinary Judith Bennett.

We're so glad that Professor Peter Butt, another of these pioneers, is also here. And so is Jacquie Harrison of New Zealand. [Peter, Michèle, Jacquie and anyone I've missed please stand up!]

South Africa
South Africa has the distinction, I believe, of being the first nation to enshrine the right of access to information in its constitution. [I would like to welcome Deirdre Viviers from South Africa, and also ask that Phil Knight, who helped to draft that constitution, stand and say hello.]