It has become so commonplace for political candidates and elected officials to stand on a factory floor or construction site and vow to revive the industry and town, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a top priority for them.
But our policies, or the policy vacuum speak louder than words. For all the genuine concern about the declining prosperity in the community, the fact remains politicians make excuse after excuse and essentially shrug their shoulders.
The conventional wisdom, is not only wrong, but dead-end. Griffith needs a transformation in it’s thinking from the elected council and to expand their sense of what’s possible. Business too has a role to play beyond responsibilities to serve their shareholders, customers, and employees.
As important as they are, there are broader obligations we must explore to advance the community and national interest.
There is a wide gap separating private interests and the public interests, and more we can do to apply our ingenuity, know how and determination to the greatest challenges to confront the community we call home.
The Griffith community needs revival and re-invigoration, not old out-dated ideas no longer are applicable to the changing tide. Generation Y and Millennials have vastly different expectations, that are far greater than the baby boomers currently running the show.
Gen Y and M want experiences and memories, they want to contribute to something bigger and have an identity. For far too long Griffith has run on out-dated ideology that has just about died out.
Latest calls for a new base hospital and 50-metre pool are basics to this generation, yet they are seemingly hard to follow through on. Gen Y & M spend the most of their income and are willing to further chase the high of a new experience, yet Griffith refuses to capitalise on the changing times.
With successful ideas implemented around the world, towns have been transformed into tourist and investment hotspots for all. We have seen the same model be applied at Burning Man, Coachella, Octoberfest, Woodstock, Wanderlust, Blues Festival and Elvis festival.
All these locations hosting these events have transformed communities and become internationally-recognised events. Griffith needs to carve out a new fresh identity to survive, and to prosper.
The generation born before 1960 simply cannot identify with the current needs and wants of today’s generation and therefore need to resign their old ideology no longer apply today.
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OPINION: Helen Dalton & Deb Buller – pg 12.
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