Bryan Green on an earlier trip to China
Bryan Green believing that his fitter and turner qualifications and his membership of the ALP, are qualifications to embark on a $million overseas sales mission is an exercise in arrogance. What are the chances he will return with a contract which is ‘in confidence’ and cost us money?
I think it will be a 100% certainty.
Poor Bryan will be screwed by skilled business people who will see hubris and lack of confidence (in one package of contradiction) approaching from 1000 kilometres.
Knowing from previous experience his inability to put together a big project for Tasmania, this idea will fail with the law of unintended consequences and an inability to read the market.
Bryan, it’s over, face it, no-one is selling woodchips, have you heard of Kindle or the NEWS ltd Firewall or the high AUD or the destruction of forests in the Third World.
The market has fallen over for Australian exports, not just forestry.
There are many more important problems facing Tasmania and this absurd concentration on Forestry is an example of how few practical ideas or innovations are actually floating around the government.
Bryan you need to do your job here, so I challenge you to come up with one other workable idea before you leave.
Bryan, don’t do it, please take some good business advice from someone who has 27 years in private enterprise, including overseas sales and export: you are not up to it and to think you are capable, is insane.
You will be screwed and you will have to hide it, once again.
Greg James
Related:
Simon Lauder, Radio National AM
Claims CSIRO is compromised by forestry group ties
Simon Lauder reported this story on Friday, February 3, 2012 08:03:00
TONY EASTLEY: The CSIRO has been forced to defend itself against claims of inappropriate links with the logging industry.
The CSIRO is a member of the industry’s lobby group, the Australian Forest Products Association.
It’s been taking the government to task over its climate change policies as well as lobbying for more resources for CSIRO researchers.
Environment groups say the CSIRO’s credibility as an independent research organisation is damaged by its membership of the Forest Products Association.
Simon Lauder has this exclusive report:
SIMON LAUDER: The Australian Forest Products Association was set up last year with the objective of selling what it says is a carbon positive, renewable and environmentally friendly resource. The CSIRO stands out among the association’s list of members, most of which are timber and forestry companies.
The CSIRO has told AM it paid $10,000 to be a member.
Jill Redwood is the coordinator of Environment East Gippsland.
JILL REDWOOD: I think this compromises the CSIRO terribly. They are supposed to be objective and unbiased.
SIMON LAUDER: Why should the CSIRO be held accountable for the actions and words of a lobby group? The CSIRO says the Forest Products Association doesn’t necessarily speak for it.
JILL REDWOOD: Why are they a member of it then? I’ll bet there’d be some screaming loud and long if the CSIRO were to join Greenpeace or the Wilderness Society, for example.
SIMON LAUDER: The CSIRO operates under the Public Research Agency Charter which states that the CSIRO should not “advocate, defend or publicly debate the merits of government or opposition policies”.
The Australian Forest Products Association is heavily involved in policy debate. In its submission on the Renewable Energy Scheme the association accuses the Federal Government of being ignorant of the economics of commercial forest management.
In a submission on the Carbon Farming Initiative the government is accused of deliberately misleading the public and making policy which is not informed by science.
The association also wants to boost the CSIRO.
In its submission to the Federal Opposition’s Review of Industries it points out that the CSIRO’s forestry research capability has been significantly downgraded and makes this recommendation:
RECOMMENDATION FROM THE AFPA (Voiceover): Halt the decline in Australia’s capacity in research, development and extension in the industry; restore lost capacity, particularly in CSIRO.
SIMON LAUDER: Jill Redwood wrote to the Federal Government last October, urging it to ask the CSIRO to cancel its membership of the association.
JILL REDWOOD: And that has been ignored for months and we have written a reminder and we are still being ignored so obviously this is an issue they just do not want to be having to deal with.
SIMON LAUDER: The Science Minister Chris Evans has not responded to AM’s requests for a comment. The Opposition’s industry and science spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella won’t comment either.
The science spokesman for the Greens Adam Bandt says the CSIRO is blurring the line between politics and science and the minister should do something about it.
ADAM BANDT: Next time that the Government issues its statement of expectations it should be explicit that whilst collaboration with organisations should be something that is heartily encouraged, in its statement of expectations the minister should make it clear that it draws the line at being members of industry lobby groups.
SIMON LAUDER: A spokesman for the CSIRO says it’s a member of a wide range of interest groups, but none of them speak for the CSIRO. He says the CSIRO doesn’t comment on government or opposition policy and it is appropriate to maintain close links with all sides of a debate.
TONY EASTLEY: Simon Lauder reporting. And the Australian Forest Products Association has not returned AM’s calls.
