Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus took part in various events on social business and met with top ministers and government officials in Australia last week.
They discussed how social business can help tackle social challenges in the country, Yunus Centre said in a statement yesterday.
On Thursday, Prof Yunus opened the Australasia Social Business Forum organised by Grameen Australia and the Private Wealth Network in Melbourne.
The event was attended by 380 participants from business, government and civil society. On the sidelines of the forum, he sat with young social business entrepreneurs, according to the statement.
In Sydney, Yunus held a meeting with Australian Finance Minister Scott Morrison to discuss social business as way to fight youth unemployment, social problems faced by indigenous communities, and other social issues in Australia.
The minister who is already familiar with Prof Yunus's global work sought the Bangladeshi economist's advice on how to make Australia's programmes for social inclusion __more sustainable, inclusive and effective.
They discussed several possible programmes which will be followed up in collaboration with Prof Yunus.
Yunus was also invited to the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra to launch its new international development faculty as part of the Diplomatic Academy.
He was part of a panel with Duncan Green of London School of Economics and Sally Moyle, chief executive of Care Australia, to discuss how young diplomats can be trained to make the country's aid programmes __more effective.
In Melbourne, he also met with Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop who is interested in introducing social business into her overseas development programmes for the Pacific region, particularly in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Bishop and Prof Yunus discussed the possibility of creating a social business fund to invest in the two countries and other countries in the region to ensure optimal use of development aid.
He also addressed students and faculty at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and La Trobe University in Melbourne, both of which have established Yunus Social Business Centres.