2017 DFAT White Paper Submission

Dear Ministers:

Please find following my submission for the 2017 DFAT White Paper.

Yours sincerely

John McGregor
Celebrate 88
http://celebrate88.com/
TEL 048181 3388

DFAT WHITE PAPER SUBMISSION
2017
JOHN MCGREGOR
CELEBRATE 88

In the decade ahead Australia must pursue a robust foreign and trade policy that secures our place on the world stage as a prominent leader and producer of goods and services that represent cutting-edge capabilities.

With our diverse multicultural workforce, we already have so many innate advantages in trade on the global stage, more however needs to be done in promoting our goods and services in ways that further our nation-branding in timely and focussed means, and this is where our membership of the Bureau of International Expositions, and representation at and of hosting of World Expositions needs to be further maximised and delivered.

Too much of late, including glaring omissions at Milano 2015 and Astana 2017, Australia has missed it's opportunities for promotion at these pinnacle events, citing short-term "budget emergencies" or "financial constraints", effectively meaning that Australia is "not in business" at these microcosm world diplomacy and trade events.

We would not think of not sending a team to the Summer or Winter Olympics Games, citing "budgetary pressure", and yet, when there is the opportunity to further our key core assets on the world stage makes itself possible by representation at or at hosting of a World Expositions, we strangely believe that it is "not in our national best interest" to attend.

Too often, lack of a burgeoning trade relationship with the Exposition host nation is used as a excuse for not being represented with an Australian Pavilion at a Recognised or Registered Exposition.

But this is precisely the reason why we should attend - to boost trade and diplomatic relations with not only the host nation and region - but also with the myriad of other nations (and corporations) represented at the Expo also in terms of business deals made with visiting international corporate and national delegations to the Expo.

It is sincerely hoped that through regular representation at World Expositions, Australia can once again gain trade, business, and diplomatic momentum on the world stage, and that subsequent Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, can earmark from a early stage funding for upcoming Expositions, hence furthering our trade and diplomatic relations, and our membership of the BIE.

As an observer for Brisbane's World Expo 88 at three Assemblies of the BIE-led Assembly of Expo Cities and Regions, it would be an honour to speak further to the Commonwealth Government on ways in which "brand Australia" can re-assert itself on the World Expositions stage.

Our nation depends on it.

Yours sincerely

JOHN MCGREGOR
CELEBRATE 88
http://celebrate88.com/
TEL 048181 3388

Australia at Dubai 2020

22 August 2016

CORRESPONDENCE TO FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MONCRIEFF
THE HONOURABLE MR STEVEN CIOBO MP
RE: AUSTRALIA AT DUBAI EXPO 2020

Dear Minister:

AUSTRALIA AT DUBAI EXPO 2020

Greetings!

My name is John McGregor and I live in your electorate, in Lawson St Southport.

I run a commemorative organisation for Brisbane's World Expo 88, entitled Celebrate 88, and hosted at http://www.celebrate88.com/, and we also look into advocacy for Australian representation at future World Expositions, including the upcoming Astana Expo 2017, and Dubai Expo 2020.

Although we have received official notification that Australia will not be at Astana 2017, we have yet to hear about Australia at Dubai 2020, a bid which Australia supported in its initial and concluding stages.

Representation at World Expositions enables Australia to promote it's important nation branding initiatives on the world stage, not only at the host city and host nation level, but also for trade and business delegations amongst other participating nations and corporations at the Expo.

Whilst Australia's lack of participation at Astana 2017 is disappointing, what would be even more disappointing is  being absent also from Dubai 2020.

Being represented at Dubai is an important fiscal priority for the Australian Government, and measures must be made now to ensure future budgets take this into account.

I would be grateful if you could forward this correspondence to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Ms Julie Bishop MP, whose portfolio responsibility lies for Australia at World Expositions, for her comment.

As always, Celebrate 88 fully supports an Australian presence at future World Expositions, we need not rest on our laurels of past Exposition Pavilion successes, but we need to work further towards future synergies of trade, commerce and diplomacy and their benefits for Australia as encapsulated by being represented.

I look forward to your response.

With cordial regards,

JOHN R MCGREGOR
Founder
Celebrate 88
Progressing the World Expo 88 Vision

Response to Minister for Trade

30 October 2015

The Honourable Mr Andrew Robb MP
Minister for Trade
Commonwealth Government of Australia
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Minister:

AUSTRALIA AT WORLD EXPOSITIONS

Thank you for your letter of 13 October 2015 to my local Federal Member Mr Stuart Robert MP's office with regards to my representation to you regarding Australia at Milan World Expo 2015 and subsequent World Expositions.

I acknowledge your Department's response and the effort made to secure representation at Milan, however unsuccessful.

Every World Exposition is a one-off event, unique to the host city, unique to the world, and unique to that epoch and time. The theme of the Expo gives us a further opportunity to communicate Australia's objectives on the world stage.

Unfortunately, like any advertisement, it costs money to have a shop front, but we run into the danger of "advertising" that Australia is "closed for business", if we do not make the effort for a Pavilion at these pinnacle public diplomacy events.

But lack of Government funding should not be a stumbling block for no representation at a World's Fair, as the USA example (and others) shows.

Wouldn't it therefore, be far better that the portfolio for Australia at World Expositions be moved to Austrade where that agency would be better able to facilitate and promote Australian private enterprise representation and funding of an Australian Pavilion?

Whilst a fully private enterprise funded Australia Pavilion has, I believe, not been explored before, now, as Astana and Dubai, loom, maybe it is time to investigate such an approach.

And given the microcosm and myriad of business transactions which take place amongst international participants at a World Fair, I believe that geopolitical relations with the host nation, whilst important, need to be a second tier rationale for representation at an Expo, with the ability to network with the global community and articulate the Expo theme to Australia's advantage at a World's Fair to be the principal non-financial deciding factors.

Australia in its modern history has been a proud representative in World Exposition history, including hosting World Expositions in Sydney, Melbourne, and recently Brisbane 1988, with Australian representation at World Expositions being amongst the most awarded and memorable of any nation's Pavilions.

We need not however forget the important role of World Expositions in the peaceful promotion of global understanding and trade relations, objectives that Australia proudly also upholds, and we also need not run into the danger of "resting on our laurels".

Correspondingly, I ask that your Department, on behalf of the Australian nation, take into serious consideration the matters raised in this letter.

I await your response.

Yours sincerely

John R McGregor
Celebrate 88!
- Celebrating Brisbane's World Expo '88 and Australia at World Expositions -

celebrate@celebrate88.com
http://www.celebrate88.com/

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Co-host The World's Fair Podcast
http://www.worldsfairpodcast.com

http://www.facebook.com/celebrate88/
http://twitter.com/celebrate88
http://YouTube.com/foundationexpo88/
http://worldexpositionssnapshot.blogspot.com

 Tel +614384 89135

"It is a great and glorious end to bless the sons of man,
And meet for peace and doing good, in kindness, while we can;
It is a greater, and more blest, the human heart to raise
Up to the God who giveth all, with gratitude and praise."

Excerpt from prose by Martin Tupper Farquhar, on the 1851 London Crystal Palace Exhibition