Environment Minister Garrett puts his foot in it (again)

It seems that Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett is one hapless individual.

Everytime he turns around he puts a very large foot in something.

This time he is backing a government program which is badged Caring for our Country.

 

In designing Caring for our Country, we have built on the strengths of previous natural resource management programs. We also recognise that there is a highly talented, committed and engaged group of people in all sectors of the Australian community who have already been working for many years to achieve similar outcomes. Through Caring for our Country, we look forward to working with all these people to help secure Australia's future.

Caring for our Country will commence on 1 July 2008 and, for the first time, will bring together delivery of a raft of Commonwealth programs into an integrated package with one clear goal, a business approach to investment, clearly articulated outcomes and priorities and improved accountability.

 

Sounds like a good idea, but both Garrett and Natural Resource Management seem to have forgotten that their program badge is suspiciously similar to another badge Caring for Country.

 

Crikey ran an article on this yesterday which contained a copy of an unattributed email.

 

Folks

This is the first email I have received with the Commonwealth flying its new "caring for our country" banner through the text.

Despite its statement that the name has been picked up the Commonwealth "with the greatest respect", a great damage has been done to the indigenous land management movement and the great "caring for country" branding -- a branding that originated absolutely with Aboriginal people, not Government.

Now I have look twice at things to see whether they are "caring for country" or "caring for our country", two distinct brands but now branded with almost indistinguishable names.

Imagine, folks, how an entity like Toyota would feel if DEWHA had decided to call its new program "oh what a wonderfully environmental feeling!".

The Aboriginal land management movement it seems to me now MUST abandon the name Caring for Country because it is too ambiguously linked to the new Government brand.

Well, the choice is fight the feds about it in a serious way or just walk away.

It cannot be left with two brand names that sound so similar. What a bad and sad start to indigenous/AG partnerships under Kevin 07.

 

The fact that Caring for Country was removed from ASIC registered business names on an unspecified date obviously does not remove community sensitivity over the current use of a similar name by government.

Peter Garrett has a clear choice - address this issue before July or risk alienating more people.