Wayne Hawthorne, Naracoorte Community News

Then beyond to Council at local and finally state level. This was the life story conveyed to Naracoorte Men’s Probus Club by Ben Hood, now a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).

Ben is Naracoorte born and bred and now a Mount Gambier resident. His office as MLC is in Adelaide, but he is a regular visitor to regions and invites feedback.

Ben outlined his farm upbringing, career background and where he is heading. His career started as an apprentice graphic designer with the Naracoorte Herald, and after four years moved to Hansen Print for a further nine years.

Ben saw the opportunity to build web sites, and with Simone Kain, commenced constructing branding/logo websites for a wide range of businesses, local and state governments Australia-wide. He was his own boss, successful, enjoying the work and able to plan.

He gravitated to the Liberals due to his background of working hard and freedom. He believed that local government was talking but not doing much about it.

Therefore, he stood for Mount Gambier Council, and organised a group as a ticket with an action agenda. This saw him elected as deputy mayor.

The Wetherill government $600m forward sale of state forests worth $1.3B was a 99-year contract to pay for Adelaide Oval. This made Ben nervous about local employment and likely subsequent marketing and promotion drop-offs.

He then saw the opportunity for iphone based apps for farming, but so did Agriweb, now a global app. Hence to get ahead and be successful, something else was needed.

With Simone’s desire to write children’s stories, and Ben’s graphic drawings, George the Farmer was born as an interactive story to educate kids about farming. It went top for education, but at $3/app was not making huge money.

ABC landline was showing interest in “George the Farmer”, but they wanted more and something new. Luckily Beef Week was on in Rockhampton, and Ben and Simone were asked to talk to teachers about farming and entertain children six times a day for six days at 15 minutes each time. How to do this, they asked.

Simone played the guitar and sang, and Ben wrote four songs, dancing to them undercover in a mascot style outfit (ie George). The AFL-like mascot suit was collected enroute.

Landline filmed a test segment where 100 kids went wild. This act was not the main goal but became so ahead of the app.

Their phone rang hot for three months, with bookings all round Australia at field days, shows and Agshows. They came second to the wiggles in the ARIA awards.

At the same time, they were asked when the ‘proper’, hard copy book was coming out. The first 500 books sold in a day. Since, 14 books, clothes, dolls, albums have evolved.

The George the Farmer team became famous for its picture storybooks, music, paddock-to-plate videos available to watch on YouTube and ABCTV, nationally touring performances and free curriculum-aligned educator’s resources.

They educated and inspired kids to learn about where food comes, along with how important agriculture is to our everyday lives.

With Ben’s new political role, he had no time, so sold his share to Simone Kain in July 2023. George the Farmer is still doing well and educating kids about farming.

The older Ben got, the more he realised that politics affects life, and it was time to give back to community.

Opportunity arose when Stephen Wade stepped down as MLC. Ben had the political will to back grow regions, especially the Limestone Coast. He was able to fill the casual vacancy on the need to advocate the region.

With Troy Bell and now Nick McBride as independents, he felt that the South-East needed a Liberal voice and advocate for regions. Border restrictions during COVID was a common complaint with the three.

Ben and sister Lucy are unique in being siblings in politics, especially since they are on opposing sides. Politics is about numbers, so Ben is advocating for politicians to look beyond Adelaide (1.3m people) into regions (400,000 people).

Rare Earth mining, energy grid and infrastructure, water issues and infrastructures are all local issues. If not raised, then these issues get no focus.

Ben tries to get to regions, having coffee catchups in the South-East. Chats are tailored to each region, and invitations are there to meet with him.

In questions, the results of the SE radiotherapy request was raised. A petition of 16,000 signatures and 4,000 online did receive attention and put pressure on the health network to consider. It went to a working group, but frustration from Government is the real limiting issue.

Excuses were made but could not be justified after consultation with existing providers. The finished feasibility study is not yet made available.

Reality is that it is about dollars. Cost to state Government could be reduced if the region was declared an ‘area of need’.

Forward estimates for 2027/28 were talked of and the $44B debt in South Australia.

Interest is $5m/day, or three Adelaide ovals per year. These estimates do not include the north-south corridor or new Women’s and Children’s Hospital planned for Adelaide. Also, 8,000 more public servants are planned, allegedly first respondents, but questions are being asked as to how many will be plugged into bureaucracy.

Business owners are frustrated by red tape and forms to fill out. Reality is that in 2018-2022, public service should have been reduced. The liberals lost that election by not talking around the dinner table and having policies to suit those people. Payroll tax was talked about, and the threshold lifted. But this ridiculous tax is still twice as high as in Victoria.

Apprentices and traineeships should be exempt. Ben’s motto for business is “have a crack and we will back you in”. Get your mates together and let’s sit down and have a talk about what can be done to help.

Current education and teachers preaching climate change was mentioned, along with children being made to feel guilty for past actions.

What should be taught is practical issues like how to budget and spend wisely, rather than spend on a credit card and hope you can pay later. Practical education solutions are needed, perhaps another George the Farmer equivalent.

Mount Gambier hospital needs for anesthetists was mentioned, with only one of four available currently. Hence patients are flown to Adelaide at $15,000 per RFDS flight.

Surgery and complicated births in the region are now crowding city hospitals. Dollars provided are not enough to do it right, yet enough to do it a second time.

This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.