Talking Point: From the pulpit of the cult of Mona

DAVID WALSH: It pays to take a punt on a winner.

An artist’s impression of the Mona Macquarie Point 2050 Vision. IMAGE: Fender Katsalidis Architects with rush\wright associates and SCENERY

WHEN I was a child, we were expected to read the paper thoroughly. We were Catholic working-class Lefties.

The Mercury, our local paper, now Murdoch-owned, has always leant to the Right. Even so, as a kid I believed everything in it.

Now I know the world is a bit more nuanced than Left/Right and right/wrong. And the Mercury seems to countenance a much greater range of opinions than my own. This is a complex world, and I have learnt not to express opinions on subjects that I’m ill-informed on (at least publicly, I’ve been known to have a private rant or two).

One way I navigate this complexity is to trust individual journalists and writers to be better informed than I. An easy test of whether to trust a particular reporter is how accurate they are when reporting on something I know about. Here’s a list of things I know about: astronomy, evolutionary biology, gambling and me (I’d like to put art in that list, but I think I’ve got a few years to go).

The thing I know least about from that list, and thus am least likely to claim deep knowledge of, is me. But there are some facts that can be ascertained with certainty, and among those facts is money.

Money is a number. It obeys the associative and commutative laws and, like energy, can’t be created or destroyed (except in my hands, as you will see). It can lose value. Few people were millionaires when I was a kid, now the average house price in Battery Point is over a million dollars. But a million bucks is still worth having. Thanks to the tax department and Patrick and his team of excellent accountants at Mona, I now know pretty well what money comes in, and what goes out. So I know most things we do had little capital support. I have spent close to 300 of those inflated million dollars building Mona and filling it up. If I want to make a profit, I need about three times the number of visitors I get (but I get more than I expected).

If I had built Mona in Sydney or New York, I can be pretty sure it would be profitable. But here, in Hobart, home of me, the Mercury, Greg Barns, and the cult of Mona, I lose about $10 million a year. Why would I build it here? And why would I keep doing that?

The former question is easy to answer. I’m here, and I care about here. The latter is a little tougher. But building and running Mona is fun, and I can afford to. Maybe I’m annoyed that Lonely Planet had Mona as only the second best museum in the world, and I’m launching a bid for the number one spot. I made my money gambling (it’s on the list of those things I know about, after all). But for every dollar I make someone else has a dollar less (after all money can neither be created or destroyed, except by governments). That isn’t a very honourable way to make money, not like building, or entertaining, or writing. Each of those produces a benefit at cost, but gambling does not. So I though it incumbent on me to do something that might be worthy with my easy-earned cash. Mona is that thing. And although it was my intention, that thing has paid off admirably. Now I don’t think cash is the measure of worthiness, remember I grew up Leftie, but the bounty of cash that Mona has generated for the community is something I can demonstrate.

Access Economics did a report a few years back and found Mona contributed at least $50 million to the local community, and $10 million-plus to the rest of Australia, per year. Those numbers have increased since then. That’s not a bad return for a $10 million annual investment. And since it sucks money from elsewhere, that’s new money (at least to this community). I didn’t plan that, but that is the value of doing. Mona got lucky. If it had failed, as many things do, it should not have drawn criticism but praise for being an honourable failure. In general, things that fall over are worthy, but we write about the lucky few successes. Thus the cult of Mona.

The summer festival, MoFo, is not a result of the cult of Mona, since it started a number of years before Mona opened. The Government kicks in $350,000 for that, and although I don’t have an economic report on it, I suspect that they get value for money. However, Hobart is busy in the summer but the tourism economy is frail in the winter. My dad said, “I’ll back the Tasmanian winter against any tourism venture”. On behalf of the Government, and the community, we took my dad’s bet and, so far, it’s paid off admirably. It might not have, of course. So far I’ve spent about $13 million on the festivals, and the Government (on behalf of the community) has spent a further $9 million. Neither of us are going to get our money back, directly. But I think my father lost his bet. There is boundless energy within the community. Five years ago there were a few restaurants, but bookings were available. Restaurant numbers are exploding, but now it’s hard to get a table. Even in that notorious winter.

I am seeking (more?) support from the Government. I want to expand Mona (we are building an extension that will cost over $30 million, we expect more tourists), and soon we will build a hotel, function facility, theatre, spa (assuming these are approved by council). There’s also the tourist-only casino, and an up-market accommodation development at Marion Bay. All that new stuff will cost another $300 million. I’ll need a loan, and I hope the Government will guarantee it (even if those ventures fail, they will get their money back — I have income. I won’t shirk a personal guarantee). I know that some believe the role of government is to do as little as possible. Others believe that governments should stimulate economic, and social, activity. I plumb for the latter view, that may be my upbringing or it may be self-interest, but getting big things done with no risk, that’s a gamble I would be prepared to take. Even my dad might have taken that bet.

In his Talking Point article (Mercury, December 19) Greg Barns mentioned Mona received money from the Government to develop a proposal for Macquarie Point. It’s hard for me to see what his point was. He said he wanted to know why the Government would fund us, rather than giving the job to many other talented people. Perhaps they would do it for free? Mona came out OK so that might have influenced the Government’s judgment. Maybe they thought we learned something building and running Mona? Perhaps they guessed we would spend more money than they gave us? Maybe Mr Barns was trying to get on my journalist do-not-trust list. After all, he was writing about me, but he did not contact me. Did he want to keep his opinion piece unsullied by reality?

GREG BARNS: CULT OF DAVID AND MONA MUST COME TO AN END

Our vision is, as I put it (ripping off Churchill), not the end, or even the beginning of the end. But we hope it’s the end of the beginning. The idea isn’t to exclude others, as Mr Barns said, “but there are many other superb designers, thinkers and art types in Tasmania and beyond”. We want them in, we want the Aboriginal community in, we want everyone in. As I said, “While we would like to see the key elements — the light rail, the black wars memorial promenade, and the excavation — proceed, even these should make way if better ideas emerge”. This is a big project. There is room for everyone. But it’s funny Mr Barns referred to Paul Keating as our predecessor in suggesting Aboriginal engagement, but not the many Aboriginal groups who have sought recognition over the past 200, and more, years. Yes, we need Aboriginal communities to engage, and lead, or we don’t have a project. This vision can fail, but if it does fail, an honourable failure it will be.

We got carried away, of course. When Leigh Carmichael suggested memorialising the black wars, I thought about my schooling. I had been taught about people transported to Tasmania for stealing handkerchiefs, and loaves of bread, and for axe murders. But I wasn’t taught about indigenous people, and their struggles. I went to the museum, and saw quaint (and some excellent) exhibits on colonialism. But I wasn’t taught about the black war there, either. So, when we were looking around for a worthy heart for Macquarie Point, we realised it lay in the heart of Tasmania. Tasmania has clogged arteries. We prescribed open-heart surgery.

We spent more than the Government paid us developing our vision for Macquarie Point. Who wouldn’t, if they could? By the way Greg, if you have an issue, feel free to give me a call.

David Walsh is the owner of Mona.