Gorgon great news, but don’t hold your breath for a boom

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would have been reading and hearing a lot about the Gorgon project in WA’s north, and probably a few headlines around how it is tipped to push WA back into boom. There’s no doubt the Gorgon project is certainly a positive. It will definitely produce much needed employment and inject some strength back into our economy, but is it going to save the day?

As important as this project is to our economy, it is not the answer to all of our woes. It isn’t going to see us return overnight to the prosperous boom times, where WA in particular, reaped the benefits from the booming minerals sector. It is naïve to think the Gorgon project alone will have the same affect and return us to the same position we were in two years ago, there are so many fundamentals that come to play in a recovery.

The thing about the recent boom is it has given many people in WA unrealistic expectations and this longing for good times gone by. The boom was not real life and if you spend your days wishing it back you’re wasting time and energy in the wrong place. If you understand the situation you can react to it, if you’re living on false hopes you’re not doing anyone any good.

Ever since the economic fallout people have been grasping at facts and figures that may signal that everything will be A-OK, it is human nature. And the Gorgon story is just another example of this.

In saying all of this, it is worth noting how compared to other countries around the world, ours has experienced much less damage from the global financial crisis. WA in particular has been quite sheltered from the fall out experienced in countries like the USA and Japan.

So yes, Gorgon and the recovery of the minerals sector is positive news for us but keep it all in perspective and keep focused on the bigger picture.

Be happy, be innovative

The boom has left us hanging onto mediocrity. We’ve become comfortable because it’s been easy. We’ve been letting other people take the gamble and the chance. Now the GED has rudely shocked us and rocked us out of that rake-it-in coma.

People are preoccupied with the darkness and gloom but you’ll always find someone living with less light and hope. While Australia is the 18^th wealthiest economy in the world according to one website, apparently we are also the 6^th happiest country in the world.

If you’re not feeling like you’re part of the Top 10 happy places in the world, perhaps it’s because you’ve been paying too much attention to miserable advertising. Notice how quickly television and other forms of advertising have jumped on the bad times band wagon? They’ve taken up the language of a bleak economic climate and adjusted their global economic crisis vocabulary so quickly it’s hard to believe the Ikea-loving Swedes and Canadians are behind us on the happiness ladder.

The days of the spin merchant are gone however and we can’t afford to be seduced anymore. We have neither the time nor money. You just can’t “trust” blindly anymore. Find people who you know are good at what they do or come recommended by those you trust. Work with people who actually have the solutions to your problems, not just people who say they do.

Most of us are pretty clever about what we’re being told, but now more than ever it’s important to see the real message being communicated and not be manipulated by the spin.

The up-side of this down-turn is now we have the perfect chance to make a difference. To be different. To think differently. To strive to be better. To do things which have never been done before.

Whether you’re going to seriously commit to household recycling, buy a home or get involved in a business venture, it’s time for innovation and the climate is ripe for it.

In our recent In Property magazine, Perth horticulturalist Josh Byrne shared with us how planting a verge garden got him out of the back of his house and greeting his neighbourhood. By creating a nice place to be at the front of his house, he’s met the people in his street and made friends with his neighbours.

It’s a grass-roots gesture, but we need them to lift our spirits. Feeling good about yourself and the world around us is what convinces someone somewhere with a great idea to pursue it. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s a valuable mantra to have at the moment.

Let’s cultivate the art of being better, of giving great service and “doing good”. Unprecedented times call for unusual measures.