‘Aboriginal Experiences Highway’ and this week’s NSW election
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March 21, 2007Marc ‘Aussie’ Stone seeks to make his ‘Aboriginal Experiences Highway’ idea an election issue.
You may remember our previous report of Marc ‘Aussie’ Stone’s frustration in trying to have questions answered by the NSW Department of State & Regional Development about his ‘Aboriginal Experiences Highway’ plan.
Well, this weekend Marc is running as an independent for the seat of Keira to bring attention to his plight.
He writes:
It is interesting that the Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway qualifies for Federal funding but that we can’t get the NSW DSRD to co-operate with progressing the concept, nor provide answers as to why they won’t do that.
We have State elections in two weeks and I am standing as an Independent Candidate in Keira , NSW DSRD Minster David Campbell’s seat. I am not against the Minister as such, who has asked his department to answer my questions. They write back nicely, but won’t provide appropriate answers.
The special interest development of authentic 100% hosted Aboriginal experiences product designed specially to attract more longer staying bigger spending , special interest overseas tourists to inland rural Australia is something that should be applauded and supported by Tourism NSW and Tourism Australia.
I know that this Aboriginal Experiences Super Highway would, like the Silk Trail, catch the minds, interests and hearts of the massive, 300 millions, global, special interest, long haul, bigger spending, longer staying, traveler market. A market ideally matched to the many rich
visitor experiences that can be offered by inland rural NSW.I will be defeated and I will lose my deposit but I stay focused and will use every media means at my disposal until these key questions have been answered and the Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway can be brought back on track and progressed as originally planned.
For more on his electoral platforms, visit Marc’s website.
3 Comments
Editor, http://www.pigswillfly.com.au ,
National Community Activists’ Web Site.
10:36 AM, 22 March 2007,
Dear Gail,
I believe as a result of your story on the Pigs Will Fly web report I was contacted yesterday by Peter Hand , Producer of ABC South Coast of NSW, Radio. He booked me to be interviewed by Nick Rheinberger morning host of yesterdays ABC breakfast show. The interview went to air live and went something like this.
And this is reconstructed from memory as there were no transcripts available.
Pre announcement over the air by Nick Rheinberger.
With our State Elections on ths Saturday we have all sorts of Candidates competing for a place in the NSW Parliament. These candidates include Independents and Independents can stand for a variety of reasons. And some of our Independents stand as “single issue” Candidates. This morning we are go to interview one of these Independents who is standing in the South Coast seat of Keira. This is a seat held by David Campbell, the Minister of State Regional Development. This morning I will be interviewing Marc Aussie-Stone and some have said he is Australia’s most unsuccessful Candidate as he has stood many times and always been defeated. But I will let the Candidate tell you his own story.
Nick:
Good morning Marc. Are you Australia’s most unsuccessful candidate.
Marc:
Look Nick thanks very much for letting me have my say on your National ABC breakfast radio show. No I would not say I am Australia’s most unsuccessful candidate. I say I am Australia’s most successful, defeated, Independent Candidate. In fact there is only one Political Candidate in Australia who has ever stood more times than I have and that was Billy Hughes, Australias past Prime Minister. He stood 35 times. I have stood 18 times and including against 5 sitting Australian Prime Ministers.
Nick:
What is the most number of votes you have ever won.
Marc:
I took 1000 votes off Prime Miniister Gough Whitlam.
Nick:
That was as a pretty good effort Marc.
Marc.
Yes I thought so considering I have no paty and no campaign workers whenever I stand.
Nick:
You must have a very good reason why you stand knowing you are going to be defeated.
Marc:
Yes that is right:
Nick:
Well that is good Marc, and now that we have cleared that up, why are you standing against the sitting Minister David Campbell.
Marc:
Well Nick I have spent 35 years working to assist with Aboriginal business development matters all over the world. I was the CEO of an Affiliate Consulting Company to the United Nations, World Tourism Organisation for 6 years. In that capacity I advised a number of Governments in Africa and Asia and the Pacific. In Africa I advised in Malawai, Sierra Leone and Zambia, In Asia in Pakistan India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In the Pacific I have advised in PNG and Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands. I live in villages with the native communities and this gives me considerable insight into real issues and needs.
Nick:
I see Marc and who pays you.
Marc:
I have always been self funded and often with local costs paid by the Government inviting me to give them business development advice.
Nick:
And how have you been self funded Marc and what else have you done.
Marc:
To pay for my work I have always had my own businesses or big jobs at the head of an industry in Australia. At one time I was a trouble shooter for the world’s largest Advertising Agency J Walter Thompson. In that job I was appointed National Launch Marketing Manager for KFC Australia. I was engaged to launch the first KFC Store in Australia and this was on Guilford Road at Parramatta. And after that I was engaged to launch the first Franchisee owned store at Pennant Hills on Pennant Hills Road. And after that I borrowed three millon dollars and built 5 stores of my own in Gosford, Wyong, and Newcastle. I later sold these stores back to the KFC Company and made many thousands of dollars. It was these dollars that paid for my continuing around the world Aboriginal business development initiatives and activities.
Nick:
Did you ever meet Colonel Sanders Marc.
Marc:
Yes I had dinner with Colonel Sanders.
Nick:
Did he say anything Marc.
Marc:
yes. He said they paid me $2,000,000 for my business and my recipe and then they buggered up my recipe.
I can remember Nick when you could put cold KFC chicken in the fridge and eat it the next day and it was beautiuful . Now I find that its not the same.
Nick:
So why are you standing as an Independent in David Campbells seat Marc.
Marc:
I had done a lot of work in Fiji advising the Fijian Government on village business development when in 2000 there was a Coup. I finished up my work building a Village based Volunteers Medical Centre concept I had originated and designed. I then returned to Australia. Minister Campbells Department of Regional Development saw that I was back in Sydney and approached me and asked me for my help. They told me many Aboriginal businesess in inland were failing. I agreed to help them. Subsequently they engaged me and paid me $10,000 to find solutions to progress inland NSW Aboriginal. Business Development.
Nick:
What happened after that marc.
Marc:
I created the Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway. It is a new, globally unique, concept that will allow Australians, and visitors from all over the world, interested in authentic hosted meetings with Aboriginals and their communities, to travel along a 1000k road from Sydney across the Blue Mountains and NW to Bourke. They would hear and experience Aboriginals , but only at times that worked for them, their whole story of their nation from Invasion to Survival to the outstanding achievements of Australian Aboriginals. 45 delegates at a Bourke Meeting, after my 2 day, presentation and workshop, voted unanimously for my Highway idea to proceed. And since that time the NSW DOSRD changed the name of my original plans, and its approved management and direction, and as a consequence the project has been buried.. Now 3 years later it has never been heard of since and I want to know why. The Premier and Minister Campbell have asked the Department to contact me but they will not answer my questions.
Nick
Anything else Marc.
Marc:
Yes I say to your radio listeners help me get those answers by Voting 1 for Aussie-Stone Independent in the seat of Keira on Saturday.
This concepts’ time has come -finally!!!! Australia does not appreciate its native peoples as the rest of the world does. Aboriginal art alone is making millions for investors (foreigners) who basically “rape” the locals of their works. Their works are now displayed in galleries & museums over here and going for huge bucks. Everybody want to be in the game but nobody ever pays the local aboriginals even a 10th of what they will make if they were able to sell it here. It is a disgrace, and has been a disgrace since white people started appreciating the artistic value of the indigenous peoples. I whole heartedly agree with Mr. Marc Aussie-Stone and wish him the best of luck on Saturday. But mainly, I WISH THE AUSTRALIANS COULD EVER APPRECIATE WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR OWN BACK YARD – INSTEAD OF JUST BEER AND GAMBLING!!!!! Come on folks – WAKE UP TO WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE!!!
I think it’s about time you gave Marc a chance to get this project on the way.
Brilliant concept. The ball is in your court Aussie voters.
Good luck Marc.
Ni sa moce.