Had A Busy Week? I Did

Last week the election occupied my time talking to my close friend pollster Gary Morgan who was conducting daily polls. Gary predicted last Tuesday when I interviewed him for our weekly website Father & Son segment that it would be a hung parliament. In fact, his firm Roy Morgan Research was the most accurate poll forecaster of all the national pollsters.

On Wednesday I had to arrange at short notice two interviews for my Channel 31 Big Jack Sports Show with Kevin Sheedy, who was in Melbourne for the day and Jason Akermanis. Fortunately my film prodcer, Nick Tortoni of Allegra Productions, was available to film them in my office. They were good interviews and some were  shown last Monday night. Sheeds is a polished performer on and off the field and he is confident GWS will succeed

On Thursday I was on Steve Vizard’s 1377 morning radio show and caught up with a very fit looking Shane Warne, a confident Joe Hockey (Liberal Shadow Treasurer) and the energetic 1377 Melbourne”s boss, Steve Price.

Steve Vizard an ex lawyer started his media career in the 1980s with the Comedy Company shown on Channel 7 where well known Melbourne cartoonist and producer Peter Nicholson created the Rubbery Figures segment. I was one of his rubbery figure characters together with Hawke, Keating and Howard. Some of these have been already shown on the website and will remain a regular segment The political days of the late 1980s and early 1990s were very similar to those of today.

Over the last five days I was a guest speaker at three functions, two interstate and one at Frankston. Also off to Perth this Thursday to be guest speaker at the West Australian Italian Club Business Forum luncheon with an expected crowd of 300. This function coincides with the Carlton/Fremantle game which Carlton has to win to get a home final, if not, they will play the Swans in Sydney.

Both Sam Kekovich and I were guest speakers last Friday at the Frankston Footy Club. Sam was in fine form. On the Saturday I flew to Snug 20 miles south of Hobart to do a joint football speaking engagement with Jimmy Buckley and Wayne Johnston, two Carlton 1980′s champions.

Yesterday I was guest speaker at a Newcastle Business Club luncheon where a crowd of 120 attended. I covered a wide range of topics focusing on the election result, water, population, business and football and was brave enough to recommend the NRL form an independent commission like the AFL. Nothing like a bit of interstate footy rivalry.

It was evident Newcastle has become a vibrant city due to its coal exporting facilities the largest in Australia and has recovered well from the adverse economic impact resulting from BHP’s closure of its Newcastle steel mill. However there were still 50 ships waiting to be loaded. Average waiting time 10 days; port infrastructure needs to fixed not only in Newcastle but also W.A.

This morning I did a live radio interview with 6PR Perth to promote this Friday’s function in Perth. They indicated the WA seat of Hasluck will most likely go to the Liberals which will create more tension within the Labor party.

My prediction is the Coalition will form a Government and we could still win Corangamite in Victoria, which will make it a certainty.

At this stage next week should be less hectic.