The Good Oil by Rod Brown *
- Rule 1: You will NOT crack a $500,000 grant just because you are deserving.
- Rule 2: The Minister will have forgotten the letter signed off to you – hence the puzzled look.
- Rule 3: Don’t expect Canberra to fret about regional and urban development – it’s seen as a State issue.
- Rule 4: Be nice to nerdish bureaucrats. She/he will be writing the recommendation to the Minister.
- Rule 5: Only dumb politicians ignore transparency and integrity issues.
- Rule 6: Think big – try to put your agenda into a national policy framework.
- Rule 7: Accept that important things to you move at snail’s pace such as greenhouse gas, Third World poverty, road safety, hospital standards.
- Rule 8: Don’t get disheartened if long working hours translate into a cranky politician. (Exceptions – Tim Fischer, John Anderson, Kevin Andrews, Gary Nairn, Peter McGauran, Jenny Macklin, Bob McMullan.)
- Rule 9: Remember that Ministers are treated like queen bees – get to know their advisers.
- Rule 10: Meet with Ministers on your turf whenever possible.
RPP untouched
The Senate inquiry report on the Regional Partnerships Program has just been released, a pretty tiresome read actually – some 317 pages of excruciating detail and repetition. The bottom line is that the RPP continues, but more checks and balances are likely. For example, it recommends the strengthening of due diligence processes and competitive neutrality procedures.
Interestingly, the Senate Committee was ‘deeply concerned by the intervention by ministerial offices in the department’s assessment processes which is inappropriate and antithetical to the principle of the public service providing frank and impartial advice to ministers. It also observed that over half of grants were okayed in the three months leading to the Federal election announcement of 2004. The solution would have been to remove Ministers and their staffs from the process.
New Orleans aftermath
Paquita Lamacraft, our UK based colleague, has sent the following report. “In 2001 I went to Louisiana to study the whole art of regeneration of a cultural precinct and contribute to planning a vibrant music precinct in northern Louisiana – the start of the careers of Elvis, Hank Williams, etc.
“I was contributing to the Music Industry Strategy development in New Orleans and in the process, I fell in love with the city and its passion. It sated the senses in every aspect – music, food, art, and the true understanding of life/work balance. I met with industry leaders dealing with cluster development, writing strategies, etc. Many of the centres were headed by people working for considerably less than they could earn elsewhere. I had the privilege of working with some of the most delightful people and talented performers who are world drawcards when they tour, and some precociously talented young musicians, not yet 18 years old.
“Once Katrina’s fury had passed, the world watched the events in New Orleans with genuine sadness. The city is one that has brought such great pleasure to so many and has been the genesis of the two truly American born gifts to the palette and the senses – cajun food and jazz.
“The Big Easy was an attractor to musicians from all over the world. The aid agencies will address the physical and infrastructure needs of the city. But it’s the musicians who understand the unbelievable loss for their fraternity. They have lost all their equipment, their instruments, their writing. Juan LaBostrie has set up the Piano Fund to restore the means to continue to the musical fraternity of New Orleans. Can you help? Go to www.katrinaspianofund.org/#Donate”
Window for regions to sell themselves
Regional branding has never taken off in Australia, despite examples like King Island beef and cheese, and Barossa wine and gourmet foods. Elsewhere it can be pretty amateurish, and not helped by the apathy of the supermarkets and multinationals. However, a window is emerging via the push for country of origin labelling on food products, courtesy of the National Party and the grower/farmer groups. As argued in this column before, some people think twice when they read ‘made from imported product’.
I reckon if the National Farmers Federation et al pushed hard, the mechanism could be extended to provide greater specificity as to the source of local product – instead of some nondescript industrial suburb in Melbourne or Sydney where the company suits are located. A good agenda for some regional organisations of Councils.
* Rod Brown’s Canberra based consultancy group, Australian Project Developments Pty Ltd, specialises in industry/regional development and government liaison. For further information telephone (02) 6231 7261 or email apd@orac.net.au
