AFTA update

From AFTA’s chief executive, Jayson Westbury

SEEMS like there is never enough to talk about in Canberra anymore. Yeh right! So the number 30 has become a bit of a new number to kick around as the Prime Minister hits what was apparently a previously held code number to the “lodge”. My reference to the “lodge” being the Prime Minister’s residence in Canberra. It was the code number that gave rise to the change from Prime Minister Abbott to Prime Minister Turnbull and is no longer the code number. I am referencing all the media coverage about the fact that when Turnbull overturned Abbott as Prime Minister one of the reasons mentioned was that Abbott had lost 30 Newspolls in a row and as such needed to be removed as the Prime Minister.

It would now seem that this is no longer the case in the Coalition and that perhaps there is a new code being developed by others. For now at least, it would seem that Prime Minister Turnbull will carry on as the Prime Minister and we shall see what might or might not happen next with the leadership of the Coalition and in fact the Australian Government if anything at all. I think regardless of your political bent, it is in the country’s best interest for the people to select Prime Ministers at elections, not pollsters.

Meanwhile, the political media pack can’t get enough of talking about this and that may be because for a little while they have nothing else to talk about. Forget the fact that the country is hosting an international event on the Gold Coast (The XXI Commonwealth Games) and we Aussies are doing very well at collecting a significant number of medals. As the best part of the rest of the world watches all this unfold, they insert a conversation about our Prime Minister and popularity polls. We seem to have the ability to get our priorities wrong at the wrong times.

So I hope that like me, most of Australia is more interested in the #GC2018 and is continuing to support our athletes in their dedicated pursuit of gold. Some incredible records are being set across a range of sporting disciplines and this is something that I am sure we can all be very proud of. Go Australia. I am sure the entire travel industry is well and truly behind what team Australia is doing. It will all come to an end this Sun (#GC2018 concludes on 15 Apr) and before we know it, our attention will turn to the XXXII Olympiad in 2020 which is to be held in Tokyo, Japan. It does not seem that long until 2020 will be upon us.