Why I borrowed 'I have a dream' line from Martin Luther King

WHEN it comes to talking about the Northern Rivers' future, we have to think big.

I BORROWED the 'I have a dream' line from the Reverend Martin Luther King for a speech I gave at our Northern Rivers Future Forum with demographer Bernard Salt at SCU on Tuesday.

I told the crowd of 160 people:

I have a dream we will be the first region to trial an integrated public transport network based on driverless cars and buses.

I have a dream we become known as the next boutique food bowl of Australia.

I have a dream millions of tourists continue to pour through the Gateway Airport in Ballina and we freight our produce nationally and internationally from Lismore airport.

I have a dream the region becomes known as the cultural capital of regional Australia.

I have a dream that one day there is a medical school at SCU supporting the multi-million base hospital nearby.

I have a dream where we are known as the co-op capital of Australia. Where farmer-owned collectives are not frowned upon as the poor cousins of agri-business but studied and turbo-charged as a great way to do business.

I have a dream we are leaders in renewables.