Richard caught out on the hustings

WHAt a difference a few hours and, more particularly, a change of audience makes to our Premier, Richard Court.

At the breakfast launch of the Regional Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Mr Court told regional leaders that his government could easily be described as being too bush centric in its approach to politics.

He said he had to be careful what he said, but the Government had done a study on where public money was being spent.

There would be a city backlash if the truth was told on how much support the bush got, he said.

Five hours later, Business News tracked him down at a Property Council luncheon where the Premier appeared to contradict his statement from earlier in the day.

Sparked by a question by former PCA president Brett Wilkins, an outspoken critic of the Court’s Government’s focus on the bush, Mr Court told the PCA audience that his Government was often accused of being too city centric.

“We’ve actually been criticised for being city centric. And that’s a political danger that Jeff Kennett paid a high price for in the recent Victorian election.”

Mr Court then went on to describe in detail how much importance the Government did place on the city as evidenced by the Bell Tower, the planned Convention Centre, the Graham Farmer Freeway and other major projects.

But Mr Court said patience was needed by the PCA.

“What we have found is that quite simple things take longer than we at times want. I think we are moving as quickly as we possibly can,” he said.