To Don the speaker on behalf of the experts who feels they may be not expert enough? I agree with your reasons to highlight "education, manufacturing, housing affordability, homelessness, science, poverty, mental health and IT".

Don't you remember how hard you worked before the election to have some of these issues tabled by the new government. We gained the right now to discuss these issues with this government and now it is time to jointly table in the added detail.

It is time for Australia to have a round table comprising of Labor, Liberal, National and the Greens. Our national experience is part of the national agenda, the thinking that needs to be heard... shared and exchanged... together, loudly.

Do you agree?

You turn your own research on its head if you allow yourself to be left out. I am one of the hopefuls who may not get to Canberra to speak, to share, to exchange. If you were not there on my behalf than what do we, (many people like myself) DO... if we cant come for the distance from here in Cape York?

I enjoy your spirit and mind and hope you speak as you have to stir us and to wake us up.

http://www.miacat.com/
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Don,
Please do not be too dissappointed if the invitation does not come. Tell you what,next time I am in Canberra we can lunch together. you sound more fun to be with than those other experts.

My experience tells me these 'talk feasts' are an exercise in PR only, same as Senate inquiries. A QC once told me, never ask a witness a question that you don't know the answer to. It's a stupid politician that holds an inquiry without knowing the outcome before hand.

My Local Government experiences also shows me that inviting public input and comment on developments is a PR exercise as well. If the council wants to refuse the DA it will use the objections. If the council wants to approve it, the objections are discarded. I have yet to see a DA refused because of public objections only.

So don't be too upset, you won't miss much.