Why I remain a New England New Stater - reasons for the series

I have been running a series on the New England Australia blog as to why I am still a New England New Stater.

When I mention this to people in Sydney or even in New England, eyes glaze. They struggle to see the relevance.

I cannot overcome this through individual argument. Instead, I have started to build a case file based on my own experience, just giving examples of current systemic weakness. Each case can be argued on the facts. Here I have tried to be fair, giving people the opportunity to challenge.

One case can be argued. Six cases - my current number - can be argued. But twenty examples, fifty examples, one hundred examples? At some point the body of evidence should become overwhelming to the point that the issues must again be addressed.

I am one of the few people who can do this simply because I have worked inside and outside the system, at community, business and official level, for so long.

But I do get depressed. I did so in writing my recent post on the case of Tourism NSW. Here I have collected material based on my own experience, but I have also read the NSW Hansard and talked to people in the industry.

I dealt with Tourism NSW as Chair of Tourism Armidale. The people of Tourism NSW are not bad. They are, to my mind, just working in a sick system that saps creativity and is, in any case, unworkable.

I don't want to debate the detail of Tourism NSW. I am not close enough to the current organisation, among other things. But I can show, I think, the fundamental conflicts that are built into the present way they work.

For those that are interested, you will find the introductory post in the whole series here.