Now That's a Lobby. (April 16, 2013)

Harry Robinson, a free lance feature writer had contributed to many of Australia's major publications over more than 40 years. "You could call me a tramp...I have tramped across media and from place to place so wantonly that my reward is a media swag." Harry died on  August 18, 2011 but not before he contributed over thirty opinion pieces to The Funneled Web.

The one below was published on July 20, 2001 but unfortunately is just as relevant now as it was when Harry wrote it.

Now THAT'S a Lobby

Pushing the Science Barrow

Harry Robinson outlines a model for an effective science lobby.

"_No matter who you vote for," they used to say, "A politician always wins." Before Christmas close to 200 politicians will win seats in Federal Parliament and there'll be a stampede of barrow pushers, influence peddlers and arm twisters all wanting to put the hard word on MPs. A Coalition or an ALP government makes no difference: hustlers and hasslers will be there to try to squeeze favours for their backers. Hustlers, arm twisters and barrow pushers are rude terms. In civil conversation they are lobbyists.

Will the science community have a fighter in the scrum? A lobbyist prepared to push and shove for funds and projects? Not a rep for learned societies or a part-time host for occasional goodwill meetings but a day-to-day scrapper armed with data and persistent aggression.

There are difficulties in conceiving a lobby operation for science because scientists are a scattered lot geographically and in their fields of interest. How to represent such a fragmented community?

Looking at sport can help. Elite sport is, of course, easily covered with the Australian Institute of Sport and sibling outfits in the states. But neighbourhood sport, your local basketball, golf, junior football, girls hockey.......a whole procession of game-players from Wilson's Prom to Darwin ....neighbourhood sport is as fragmented as science and each unit has small financial clout. The answer is a central lobby operation, independent of government.

ACTSPORTS in Canberra represents A.C.T. or national sports organisations, including 60 peak bodies and will soon be covering clubs and associations. At the top is a board of management directing three executives: a CEO, a business manager and a senior administrator. Mostly, but not exclusively concerned with Territory affairs, it keeps close touch with government and opposition members, pushes cases, raises issues, politely twists arms.

This quiet lobbyist also works the other way--politicians would rather deal with one operator than with 20 golf clubs and 50 netball teams. It's a clearinghouse. And a developer. A current project is titled "Raising the Bar" in which ACTSPORTS is showing teams and sports associations how to raise their management skills, how to run effectively in the business atmosphere of today.

Income is derived from membership fees and sponsorships with occasional government contributions to specific programs.

Let's move to a wider field. Sport Industry Australia was formed under another title 25 years ago when sports people were in a similar position to that of scientists now. The Montreal Games were a disaster for Australia. The world had run away from us. Money was one lack. National backing another. The federal government stepped in to help, at least at the elite sport level. People running national sports organisations were glad about that but they also recognised that they would need an independent body to be their advocate in dealings with governments.

This was a change in mindset. Until then, sports managers and such did not think of themselves as part of an industry, much as science people now find such the label "Science Industry" distasteful. The game players changed their mindset when benefits began to appear.

To jump forward, Sport Industry Australia (SIA) now represents all the peak bodies (awkward term but it goes with the territory) of sporting organisations, all not-for-profit state sports councils, many for-profit interests including manufacturers and stadium builders and professionals such as sports lawyers and accountants. At the top, a board of seven, four elected by members, two appointed by the board and one CEO. Member contributions provide most finance.

An early move was to commission research into the economic impact of non-elite sport which uncovered facts such as 300,000 jobs, so much export income, so much business activity nation-wide. This line is still being worked with research into the role of sport in regional and rural areas, both commercially and as a contributor to community health.

They are in continual touch with sports ministers and senior civil servants in the Department of Industry, Science and Resources plus state sports departments, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. One current push is to increase the amount of export income derived from sport. It's called "Game Plan 2006".

SIA believes direct contact work with politicians is effective because, says General Manager Ron Burns, "otherwise the advice the minister receives comes from officers in the department and the Australian Institute of Sport--advice which they might believe the minister wants to hear. We come in without strings."

There's more. Ron Burns again: "We try to get involved with government task forces in policy planning. We are able to make input while policies are in the development phase. At present, we are on 15 of these committees."

There is more but enough is enough to indicate the scope and power which sports have generated in their own interests through discerning and skilful lobbying. The anatomy of Australian science is similar to that of sport. Similar benefits are there for the lobbying. It does not scan as well as Cazaly but let's try----

"Up there scientalies!"