A classic case involving an Australian bank , ANZ, a conman and Territory government officials which brought a Darwin business to its knees and caused great financial loss and stress to those associated , covered by this blog in the past , has been raised with the Royal Commission. Whether or not it becomes the subject of public examination is not known . However, a television investigative team has asked for information .
Another Darwin case which deserves forensic examination , covered in depth by this blog over the years , concerned the Australian government backed Bank of America Down Under Tour across America in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games , which became a disaster for highly regarded Aboriginal art gallery identity Shirley Collins .
The Australia Council had recommended the Australian Tourist Commission invite her to participate in the event. She had to take out a $160,000 loan from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission , after the international marketing consultants Auslink looked into the viability of the proposal and painted a glowing picture of a profitable tour of the USA in a tent replica of the Sydney Opera House , selling NT Aboriginal art.
However, upon arrival in the USA, having laid out a large amount of money, it was discovered that under the Bank of America sponsorship , the entire proceeds were to got to the US Olympic Council . Nobody in the Australian government and the financial report had picked up this vital fact .
Collins had to pull out of the tour , resulting in a long drawn out legal battle which saw her stock seized, closure of the Raintree Aboriginal Art Gallery and the forced sale of her house .
John Morse, managing director of the Australian Tourist Commission , who was at the launch of the tour in America, said Collins had been made the scapegoat for the mistakes and misinformation of others in Australia and America . She had been made to suffer due to many factors, including an unrealistic commercial assessment by the consultants and the hard line attitude of ATSIC , its board later sacked by the government .
