Edgar Adams' Editorial

Firstly, may we wish all our readers and advertisers a Happy New Year.

Depending upon who you talk to, 2010 will be all upside or a year of ups and downs.

Either way it will be a year in which the world economy’s ups and downs will have some impact on the national economy.

This will all be further complicated by the fact that Australia and NSW are both now in election mode.

The Rudd Government will have to go to the polls towards the end of the year but if they see an opportunity it could be a lot sooner than that.

Rudd has smooth-talked his way through the last two years and spent a packet, which has certainly helped the economy, but it will undoubtedly come back to bite us as interest rates inevitably rise.
Meanwhile the unions are quietly getting their own way and taking us back thirty years. Once their new found strength becomes apparent it will be too late to shut the gate.

So get used to a new world of union power in Australia.

On the NSW front it’s musical chairs for the poisoned chalice position of Premier. That’s okay if it wasn’t for the fact that the economy will be held back by a moribund government that is plainly incompetent and useless.

We have twelve months to go until the March 2011 state election.

We welcome Central Coast Tourism’s new CEO, Oliver Philpot to the Central Coast and wish him well in his new position.

He joins the organisation at a time when tourism across NSW is in decline.

The 2008 O’Neill Review into Tourism in NSW revealed a disturbing decline in tourism from 2000 to 2007 indicating that NSW had failed to capitalise on the 2000 Olympic Games. However, it also showed that of all the regions in the State, including Sydney, the Central Coast had shown the least decline.

This fact has been lost on a number of the Coast’s “leading” tourism people.

To its credit the NSW Government and the Minister for Tourism, Jodi McKay, acted promptly on the O’Neill Review and put some real funds into those regions that had shown they had the capacity to use the money effectively.

Central Coast Tourism was one of only three who got the initial funding.

If Mr Philpot is to succeed he will need the industry to unite behind him. It was this unity that once made Central Coast Tourism the successful organisation it was.

On the subject of Central Coast Tourism, it is time to comment on Wyong Council’s negative impact on the organisation.

The marriage of Gosford Tourist Association and Tuggerah Lakes Tourist Association that ultimately became Central Coast Tourism about eighteen years ago was a marriage made in hell.

Wyong Council has been a disruptive influence all along and never paid their fair share of funding. It was always smoke and mirrors.
In the last two years it has gotten worse with certain Councillors playing divisive politics supported by a number of industry players.
Wyong Council has now effectively ceased funding Central Coast Tourism in favour of promoting The Entrance.

They say they will provide funding to Central Coast Tourism on a project-by-project basis.

Well that is fine, but on that basis Wyong Council has certainly forfeited its right to any representation on the Board of Central Coast Tourism.

Edgar Adams
Editor

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