Demonstrate Our Attention at Election Time

3:30pm, as if on cue the afternoon south easterly picked up.  Being a fresher breeze meant it was going to be worse today.  Though hard to see in the air, it could be noticed on the once white roofs of homes in Keppel Sands and on top of windscreen wipers of cars parked along Lakes Creek Road.  Fine coal dust blown in off the hills of coal to be loaded onto the giant ships parked in Keppel Bay waiting their turn to berth at Balaclava Island Port. 

Is this an aspiration we want for the Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton?  Maybe it is for some; a sign of progress, jobs, economic growth.  The coal dust would be something we would just have to put up with.  Possible health concerns would be constantly debated just like adding fluoride to the water. 

Last week I questioned if there was a plan/vision for Queensland, particularly Central Queensland or if we were jumping on any bandwagon to help address the debt levels no matter the possible long term detriments.

Today we have a chance to say what kind of future we do aspire to.  Many of us will do the same as previous, some will change their preference and some will draw a smiley face, doodle, write obscenities, or just leave the vote blank.  This will be a sign of protest by some.  Others it’s just an indication of a lack of interest or belief things won’t change with or without their vote… which is a pity, as it basically gives permission to the south east corner decision makers to continue to make decisions that allow FIFO, discharges into our waterways, peoples right to object to zoning changes to be quashed, accommodation crisis to escalate, investment in necessary infrastructure to be ignored and perhaps coal dust to blow over a large part of the Rockhampton region.  Whose aspiration for CQ is this? 

In all the negativity and even defeatism of the election campaign have the major parties indicated what their big picture vision is for Central Queensland.  Or is it just to continue as the income generator for the State.

Supposedly the Council’s vision for the Rockhampton region is to be the most liveable community in the world.  It is hard to find evidence to show how they are working towards this lofty goal though.  A super dump mooted for in Yeppoon, and an industrial estate mooted to be built beside residential homes, little interest in the National Broadband Network and potentially coal dust blowing in on a south easterly are hardly an indication this goal is really considered.  In my first letter to the editor I proposed a tri- city concept for Gladstone, Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast. A work, live and play destination: a destination that with the appropriate infrastructure would attract people, taking pressure off the south east corner.  Unfortunately in elections you don’t hear of visions/aspirations, only how bad the alternative is.  It’s got to change, but for change to happen it has got to come from us. Show the politicians we do give a damn and that we expect them to be more accountable.

If your pro-development, anti-development; pro asset sales or anti asset sales; pro amalgamation or anti amalgamation; young or old, demonstrate today that you are interested in what is happening in our region, in CQ by making a valid vote.  By demonstrating our interest in the future of CQ we have a better chance to make the politicians, when they meet in George Street, think twice about the decisions they make about CQ. We have a better chance of finding an acceptable balance between development, lifestyle and the CQ our children and grand children are to inherit.  Our politicians must be made aware that we can’t be taken for granted, that CQ can’t be just milked but not fed.  Barack Obama said, “…. if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership.  And when we get lazy as a democracy and civically start taking short cuts, then it results in bad government and politics”.

If there is to be a change of government let it be known from day one that the people of CQ are paying attention and will not tolerate shortcuts in the decisions they make, particularly the ones affecting us.

The future is not too see it is too create. Make a valid vote today that indicates the future for CQ you aspire to see created.

Backcasting Helps Make the Forecasting A Reality

It was slick, built for speed, a closer inspection revealed the Monaro inspiration in the design.  The Premier, Mayor and dignitaries tightly grouped together for the media photo.  With a large pair of scissors the Premier cut the ceremonial ribbon to signify the bullet train service between Rockhampton and Gladstone was ready for passengers.  The aspiration was finally a reality.

I’ve generally used this column to highlight aspirations that I believe will help make Central Queensland a vibrant dynamic region, even after the resource boom ends.  A kind of forecasting what the future could be like. However this alone is not enough to stimulate action to make an aspiration a reality.  In some cases this column has stimulated some talk, but no tangible results.  Instead of just forecasting some backcasting is needed to help achieve these aspirations.  With words I’ve painted a picture and described a need for aspirations like a bullet train, a webisode series for Mt. Morgan, a wave pool for the Yeppoon foreshore, even a home for 4 Gladstone children to live in.  With a goal in mind one needs to work backwards to identify what needs to be done to achieve it – backcasting.

This week I attended a meeting and heard how a million dollar donation was secured from a single donor.  How it was achieved was from a lot of good planning, preparation and having faith in the six degrees of separation notion.  The idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person. Knowing someone, who knows someone etc that ends up with contact made with a person who can help realise the goal/aspiration.

Reaching the desired decision maker is only part of it, making the best of the contact is also vital.  As a former supervisor told me there’s no such thing as good luck: fortunate moments occur when good preparation meets opportunity.

So how can backcasting be used to achieve an aspiration?  Identify who are the people needed to be convinced to make a favourable decision on the aspiration.  Politicians maybe one, but who puts all the requests for support on their desk and decides which one is on top of the pile.  What bureaucrats produce the reports for the politician’s considerations?  Once identified, determine who knows someone that may know someone who knows the targets.  What is your pitch, when you make the opportunity to meet them?  Be prepared with the facts, figures, costings, benefits, leverage opportunities, petition of support, a plan B if a compromise is necessary, a hard copy to give, etc.  Have a follow up strategy planned and implement it.  Sure it’s not going to be an easy process, but it will probably be more effective than just writing a column in the daily paper about it.

If anyone would like to help me use backcasting to help achieve some or all of the aspirations mentioned above I would appreciate you contacting me.  Especially the urgent one of finding a home for 4 Gladstone children by May.

It may just involve talking to the person beside you on the next plane flight as the speaker at the meeting illustrated.  Introductions revealed the person beside the speaker owned a business and after listening to the speakers pitch the business owner offered to hold regular fund raising BBQ’s at his workplace to raise funds for the charity the speaker represented.  The speaker thanked him for his offer, but also politely asked if he write a letter of introduction to his major clients and suppliers.  The six degrees of separation process of reaching another million dollar donor had started again.

A HEC's on Mine Jobs

We give our resources away to multi-national companies, let them introduce FIFO, let them discharge whatever into our rivers, let them use the infrastructure we the taxpayers have funded; so at the very least shouldn't we insist they invest in one of our resources, our youth, by giving them the opportunity to be gainfully employed and learn a trade. At least they will be one asset that will increase in value after the resource boom ends. Hope you enjoy the following blog.

‘There’s a woman from some HR department on the phone for you’.  Having not received a phone call before, at best a letter, but usually nothing, he was hesitant to hear the outcome to his latest job application.  As the phone went back on the docking station a satisfied smile soon broke into a huge grin.  “That training I got, it’s going to pay off. I’ve got a job with the mines”.

A couple of weeks ago I questioned with 1.2 million Australians unemployed and 2.2 million underemployed, why the need for foreign labour.  Liveability near where the jobs are is one issue.  It was good to see this week one state election candidate help try to address this with a free family fun park proposal for Rockhampton.  The Rockhampton region needs to position itself as a place where families of mine/resource workers can live.  Infrastructure like this proposal and for Yeppoon, along with fast train access to Gladstone and out west to Alpha would make it more enticing for people to move closer to where the jobs are.

Another issue that was brought to my attention was the high cost to get all the training and tickets required to make a person potentially employable by the mines.  A $7000-$10000 outlay.  If you’re unemployed this outlay would be a substantial hurdle, if not insurmountable.  Why not introduce a HEC’s type of repayment scheme, suggested a reader to this column.  Just like a university student, the person receiving the training repays the cost of it out of their income once it exceeds a pre-determined amount.  Sounds like a great idea.  The Government would be making an investment in its own citizens which would be repaid once they gained employment and the income exceeded the set amount.

With the Government also collecting income tax and extra GST with more gainfully employed Australians.  Something I question whether they’ll be collecting taxes from the fly in fly out (FIFO) foreign workers.  The person who advised me of the idea has written to the State Minister of Mines suggesting it, but has yet to receive a reply.

However instead of the Government creating another level of bureaucracy to handle this would the mine/resource companies be better to fund and administer it.  They could therefore give a clearer indication of persons they deem suitable for the work and thus eligible for the training and funding.  Not providing false hope to the participants who outlay the huge dollars but aren’t likely for whatever reason to gain employment with the mines. Plus arguably the mines/resources companies could administer such a scheme more efficiently than the government.

Either way there does appear to be merit in this HEC’s type proposal.  Hopefully someone who has the power to appraise it fully can bring it to the attention of the people who do really want to get more Australians employed does so.