Huge Win for Tassie: Hot Shot Advisers!

The ABC has done it again! On Friday last week the statewide-morning progam, hosted by Leon Compton, was really on to something. They’d scored a magic moment with former IXL-Elders boss, ex-AFL Carlton boss and ex-federal president of the Liberal Party.

It was a “pearls of wisdom” segment which had Compton hanging on every word of John Elliott’s grand vision for Tasmania. Tourism was the go, and agriculture. We just needed to find another Henry Jones to make it all happen, but sad to say Tasmania hadn’t had anyone like Henry since he died in the 1920s. What a grand opportunity was missed by Compton to raise a few thoughtful possibilities for Big John to muse wisely on – but John, what about John Gay? But not to worry. Elliott was on the ball. He didn’t know er, um, what was really going on about matters forestry, but he was all in favour of the pulp mill. Tourism, agriculture and the pulp mill were what Tasmania had to have, to add to his overnight rant about gross overregulation and failure of the tertiary education system.

Elliott’s profound advice must have been music to the ears of all Tasmanians, and once again we must extend our gratitude to the public’s very own ABC for going to such trouble to seek the, er, um, in-depth views of Mr Elliott, who presumably is here on a fly in- fly out trip, so just had to be grabbed before the moment was lost, maybe forever.

So there you go.

The ABC’s amazing coup comes just a week or so after its sponsorship of the remarkably informative tete a tete between Jeff Kennett and Paul Lennon, with its glowing references to Tasmanian “rat shit”, and spit and polish eloquence. No doubt Elliott had those themes in mind when he lamented the death of Tasmanian entrepreneurial spirit with the passing of Henry Jones.

Jon Kudelka’s famous the Premier in a hot-tub. Your Daily Kudelka, here

But the Elliott interview was an excellent follow-up to the Kennett-Lennon visionary er, um, vision for Tasmania:

Two ex-Premiers blast minority government

So it’s been a good news week to be sure. Almost on a par with the collective sighs of relief around Tasmania that the entry of the trawler Magiris had nothing to do with the creation of Tasmanian jobs, but just with making fish harder to find, so thank goodness for that. At least we know that, which reminds me…

Compton didn’t ask Elliott about fishing, recreational, commercial or anything else. Another opportunity lost. And let’s not forget that we can’t give all the credit to the ABC for interviewing hot-shot fly in fly out advisers. That would be unfair to the TCCI who deserve unreserved plaudits for getting the ball rolling, when they had Lindsay Fox and Frank Costa over for a pep talk.

Frank Costa, Lindsay Fox

As I said at the time – or was it later? – it was a shame that we Tasmanians didn’t get the chance to see Lindsay Fox and Jeff Kennett debate the merits of Fox’s brilliant proposal – thoroughly endorsed by such august opinion leaders as the Hobart Mercury – that we should consider the merits of “democratic dictatorship”, Singapore-style.

Get a dictator … watch what Frank and Lindsay had to say

But at least the ABC has got the message, and is following it through to the max. I predicted that they would get big John Elliott into the game, but it’s hard to say who’s going to be next. Is the focus going to stay on ex-AFL club bosses, ex-most unpopular premiers (or a combination), or is the net going to broaden? Last time round I mentioned Brian Burke, or maybe one of the many failed premiers of NSW, but maybe that shifts the goal posts too far.

One of big John’s old sparring partners comes to mind, if he’s still around. How about Eddie McGuire’s predecessor at Collingwood, Alan McAlister? After all, he’s got heaps to offer, and lots in common with John Elliott, including the advantage of leaving his club bottom of the ladder.

What better recommendation does the ABC need?