I must admit to having a good laugh when I read someone posted on here that Barnaby Joyce had possession of some proposal for a good period of time and had failed to act/respond on the issue. When it comes to rural and regional ideas - I am well and truly used to that. In fact, I am sure in the late 90s and early 2000s there were a good many NSW State and Federal pollies that hid when they saw me coming - but stupidly I kept coming and kept coming till I could no more be bothered with the political process in relation to the bush. My first foray was in the late 90s - when the casino in Sydney was nearly completed and the transition from the old temporary casino on the waterfront was abandoned and the casino operations moved into what is now their home. In 1998 I got a brainwave - with the upcoming Olympics this huge building available on the water front - lets turn the site into a Australian Rural Expo for three months prior, during and for three months after the Olympics. I thought what an opportunity to promote rural and regional product, lifestyle, tourism to the millions of visitors - and after all the State Government owned the then empty site. I met with then State Minister for Regional Development (David Campbell) - put forward a full proposal. He had reps from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority take me through the place, it was ideal. You could have changing themes, wine tasting, food promotions, lifestyle and tourism promotions, education and business opportunities and all on the harbour that would appeal not only to the tourists but to domestic clients as well. I did not want to charge rural people for their involvement, so I went back to State Government and hit hurdle No 1. They were more than happy to give me the site for the project - but as it was an Australian not strictly a NSW promotion they could not give me any money for the project as they felt that was the Federal Governments arena. So I lobbied Senators, wrote to everyone bar the Pope - got lots of nice letters etc. At the time John Anderson was deputy PM and Mark Vaille (a Nat) was responsible for the funding for the promotion I planned. My idea was simple - the State Government provide the venue and the Feds pay the cost of fit out and promotion of the venue. Ah ah! No way Jose came back the response from the Feds - no money in the tin for rural promotion during the Olympics a period where all governments spent bucket loads on promotion and advertising. In a somewhat ironic twist the site actually became the International Media Centre during the Games and I picked up a six week contract gig for a foreign TV cable network writing and organising the production of 14 30 minute shows promoting Sydney to the world during the Olympics, which they aired in non-event times. Great promo for Sydney tourism!!!! This is just one of the many experiences I have had with Government in relation to things rural.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 08:19:52 +0000
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