Throughout March, AADA held a series of ‘town hall meetings’ with Dealers around Australia in order to communicate the Association’s current position, priorities and needs. We were pleased with the reception we received and believe Dealers who attended had much to take away.
Chairman, Terry Keating, and CEO, David Blackhall, conducted the meetings, conveying to attendees the scope of the work AADA had done on their behalf since AADA reformed three years ago. These things include:
- attending more than 30 government and regulatory hearings and working groups
- developing more than 25 submissions to regulators and government
- forging effective working relationships with politicians and bureaucrats
- briefing cabinet ministers, backbenchers and opposition members
- making, where possible, a common cause with the MTA’s and FCAI
- hiring the first-ever Canberra political and policy advisors, and
- Dealer communications – magazine, website, Convention, newsletters.
Our two leaders highlighted some of AADA’s achievements, such as turning back the ‘New Zealand model’ of open slather on used imports, as well as those things yet to be done, including private imports and the next stage of insurance commissions.
Mr Blackhall stressed that in order to achieve its full potential as an advocacy body for Dealers, AADA needs more buy-in from Dealers. If we could collect just one extra dollar from every car sold, our resources would grow by $1 million and we could afford the proper infrastructure required to achieve our goals.
Additional investment required to build capability of secretariat:
- Senior communications and policy director
- Strategic analyst
- Revenue and membership manager/analyst
- Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne representative office
- Expanded lobbying and political advisory services, particularly at state level
- Modern, relevant social media deployment
- Updated communications and marketing strategies and assets
- Dealer interactive tools and presentation packs
- Robust database
- Dealer pulse surveys.
We urge all Dealers to ensure they are paid-up members of AADA. Being united together is the only way we can take the fight to the powers that be.
