Australian newsagents (in the main) don’t support their associations because they fail to serve the needs of newsagents. Rather than representing the newsagent community on relevant industry-wide issues, they continue to invest limited newsagent funds into commercial enterprises. Their track record in this area is appalling.
Watch for at least one announcement from an association this week, maybe next, which they think will excite newsagents.
The announcement form a national association which would excite newsagents would be one on structural challenges facing newsagents. That announcement will not be made because it takes leadership beyond the capacity of those at the table. Instead, they focus on commercial deals of dubious value and which, too often, compete with existing long-established and newsagent owned commercial operations.
The best association model in the country right now is the QNF. Good leadership, solid newsagnt support and excellent consultation with the membership.
You do like stirring things up to suit your own needs. How many people do you need to burn to gain control. Maybe its time you started telling the truth instead of manipulating things to suit yourself.
Rupert, I don’t want control. I want newsagents to have robust transparent respresentation at an association level.
Mark,
It is very hard for any Association to represent all different viewpoints. Only last week in QLD there were many different view points on the New News contrancts.
I have spoken to many who are happy with the outcome and many who have not read either the current one or the new contract.
I guess what you need to do is indentify just what it is that you want from the Associations knowing full well just what can be achieved from one that has been there tried and failed to deliver.
What I am saying you know only too well the frustration of getting those elected alongside of you to go with the cause let alone do it from afar.
All in all currently I believe that NSW and QNF are making a pretty good fist of identifying the problems facing the masses today.
Some go about it differently than I would however is that in itself wrong? Some just don’t know what to do.
The question again is what do newsagents want from their Association?
I believe that the Associations role is that of Govt and that is to do what the collective cannot do individually for themselves. other than that get out of the way!
Individual one on one contracts make it vey difficult for Associations to represent newsagents en force.
However, they can look at a situation and give advice as to how they see that situation-that in my opinion is their role. Now wheteher it the one solution fits all is another matter The least they can do is supply that information as THEY see it.
In my opinion QNF and NANA are doing just that. Maybe it’s not what newsagents want maybe it is. What else can they do?
I do not want any association getting involved in commercial endorsement or operation. I only want them to represent me to government and the publishers. They have failed at everything else they have touched.