ANTHILL ACTIVISM PART #4: TANNER GETS A RINGING OVER BUDGET CUTS
James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine
I think that the next step in this fun form of activism should be for Anthill to send the nice receptionist in Minister Tanner’s office a big, fat bunch of flowers. She deserves it!
According to independent online media service Scopical, the Minister’s media advisers were quick to downplay the phone-in: “I wouldn’t say it was particularly large… it’s probably under one hundred.”
Wait a minute!
Our team of bespectacled mathematicians at the ‘Anthill Institute’ (imagine pristine white laboratories and multiple security passes… or me, in convalescing state, with calculator in hand) has done the numbers and…
That’s up to 16 calls every hour.
Or…
One call every four minutes!
The tight-lipped nature of the response (a pre-prepared comment, at the ready) and obvious awareness of ‘the cause’ suggest to me that an impression was made. I too would be doing me best to avoid media follow-up.
According to the same spokesperson…
“The caller’s names have all been recorded and they will be sent to the Minister, and he will review it.”
That’s a good start.
But, while organising our big, bouquet for the Minister’s lovely and ever-courteous receptionist, I also plan to find a company that delivers nuts. Not cashews. Not almonds. No, I’ll be sending a package that says:
“The scrapping of Commercial Ready was JUST PLAIN NUTS!”
I have prepared a letter that I invite readers to download, stick on company letter head and send to the Minister. If you’re feeling really adventurous, also send some nuts. (Heh heh.)
If you don’t have a lot of time, I have set up an easy email link with a pre-drafted email.
Click the link and a pre-drafted letter/email will appear.
Make sure that you take advantage of this easy tool we’ve set up before you go home today. Follow-up is important.
Lastly… Did we make a difference? Honestly, I don’t know.
My natural belief is that activism is good. It’s a necessary part of our system (because elected officials and their staff aren’t always right). And for those who took part yesterday, you’ll also know… it feels good too! 
While some of you might be tiring of ‘Anthill Activism’ (Antivism?), others are just getting revved up. As such, I’ve decided to create the ‘Anthill Army’. (This brand of ours knows no bounds!)
If you want to take part further or be invited to join us in other activities with political purpose, click here and fill out the form.
And, of course, please post your experiences, thoughts and suggestions about yesterday and the future below.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Onya….anthill army for me. Front page of todays OZ has a good kick in the teeth re permodrives’ CR dilemma (much like the rest of us I guess)…maybe anthills army got this to happen?!
June 20th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I DO NOT believe under 100 calls. I was one of your 200 or so SMS army, eagerly awaiting the signal. And I got two other people to phone. When we called, we could hear voices in the background, sonded like they had to drag people in to handle the deluge.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Andy… I was asked by News of the World to comment on CR and Permodrive (noon report), but I didn’t get the message until 12:10pm. The issue is definitely gaining traction. If the mainstream newspapers pick it up, that’s a strong win for ‘the cause’.
Liesl… I got the same impression. Advocates like Len Rust personally emailed about 50 people, as did some others. If anyone knows of any further examples (or have any ‘inside’ views) very keen to be informed.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
James
Why not send us an sms, asking us to reply with a number:
how many people we personally know called, as a result of the sms to our single mobile number?
Then your white-coated mathematicians can export the text messages into their supercomputer and add the numbers up…..
June 20th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I have written to make this formal complaint to the following ministers and asked them to confirm receipt. I believe that they should understand the implications, and be concerned with specific examples, for businesses that represent Australia’s future.
- Senator Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance and Deregulation
- Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
- Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
We were shocked when we rang AusIndustry last month to ask a question to put the finishing touches on our submission for the Commercial Ready Plus grant, only to find that the new government had canned the grant without notice and without at least a phase out period.
Please reinstate, at least with a phase out period, or provide a replacement with urgency.
Our phone call followed meetings with AusIndustry, over 6 months negotiations and some 12 formal agreements from the world’s leading silicon chip vendors, negotiating a sub-contract, formal project plans and other time spent on the submission. For a small company aiming to build exports, the time spent came at an opportunity cost, as well as wages.
We have also been set back in our aim to employ over 100 additional skilled staff in the next 3 to 5 years.
Moreover, we have not only been set back in achieving traction and growth in international markets via the world’s leading silicon vendors, we are now at risk of not meeting expectations of those new partners, burning relationships that would have been developed differently if we’d known the grant was going to be canned, and risk of negative word of mouth being generated.
Yours Sincerely,
Stan Ghys
Strategic Business Development
FST
www.fst.net
Suite 87, 330 Wattle Street
Ultimo NSW 2007, Sydney - Australia
Phone: +61 (0)2 9281 9055, Fax: +61 (0)2 9281 2944, Email: stan@fst.net
June 20th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Thanks all who participated in the call-in and to James who led the march. Since my last post I’ve encourages letters to be sent to Carr cc’d to Tanner, Albanese, Turnbull and Cutler from TVP investee companies, sent a supplementary submission to the innovation review, been interviewed by two journo’s (yet to see the result) and made the call to Tanner’s office. Leisl had a great suggestion - if anyone hears one of the target ministers (tanner, carr, rudd or oposition counterparts) on talkback maybe we could have an instant response brigade via SMS to call in and try to surface this issue with them. Nice interview with the ABC, James.
Allan
June 20th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Correction to above - I should have said Eric Abetz not Anthony Albanese. Sorry.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hello Gang
Thanks for participating in this experiment. I would like to relay my feedback from calling the minister’s office.
Total disiinterest.
Yes, I have your call. Bye now.
I aske, then if they wanted my reasons? The lady said that she ‘knew what I was thiniing’ already.
That was enough for me to encourage the lady I spoke with to accept that may be I had a sincere case to put. And I got 50 sec to speak my piece, etc. I didn’t think to ask her what she had written down to record my viewpoint. Consider asking for them to repeat your comment back.
Finally, I think we are also entitled to a ministerial reply signed by the minister (and prepared by a public servant, I imagine). If of course I made such a request. Any way you can always ask.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Great article in The Canberra Times yesterday regarding the demise of CR - http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/innovation-budget-cuts-hurt-companies/795694.aspx - also breakfast radio ABC 666 featured a story on this. Good work ACT lobbyists!!!!