I often use a simple analogy to explain how I see our regional economy, and to diagnose why we struggle to move forward.
Look up at the night sky. What do you see? A universe full of bright, beautiful galaxies. Each one is distinct, and each one is utterly isolated from the next.
Now, imagine that each galaxy represents a major industry sector, a geographic region like the Hunter and Central Coast, or a level of government.
If you look closer at any one galaxy, you’ll see it is filled with countless solar systems. Each solar system is a small, self-contained ecosystem of businesses, stakeholders and people, all focused on a narrow set of conversations or objectives.
At the centre of every solar system is a sun, the major influencer that controls the gravity of that system. This sun might be a university, a dominant industry group, a government department, or a large corporation. It dictates the language, controls the funding, and sets the agenda, and all the other “planets” (the smaller businesses and practitioners) are forced to orbit around it.
This is a vivid picture, but here is the problem I have observed for years.
Because every solar system is so focused on its own sun, it has no idea what is happening in the neighbouring system. The Defence solar system doesn’t know about or talk to the AgTech solar system. The Clean Energy group doesn’t know what the Circular Economy group is doing, even if they are in the same building. The right leg genuinely does not know what the left leg is doing.
This leads to absurd waste. For example, I know for a fact that in the last three years, three different projects have been launched in this region, all with the same goal: to map the local industry. Each one existed in its own isolated solar system, burning energy on a task that may have already been done.
So, what is missing?
In my analogy, the missing piece is the meteors. These are the Connectors. They are the rare few who are not locked into orbit around a single sun. Instead, they move at speed between the systems, carrying knowledge and connections from one part of the universe to another.
They are also trusted. They have credibility in multiple systems because they have taken the time to listen, deliver value, and maintain confidence, and they are multilingual. They do not just carry messages; they translate them. They understand the unique language, the jargon, the unspoken rules, and the hidden priorities of each solar system. They know how to frame a need from the Clean Energy world in a way that the Circular Economy world will not just hear, but actually understand and act upon.
Right now, these Connectors are not really recognised. They don’t control a sun, so they don’t get the funding. They aren’t a planet, so they don’t fit neatly into a box. But they are the only thing that can travel between the silos. They are the oil that allows the economic engine to run without grinding to a halt.
To be clear, this is not a scientific theory. It is an analogy. It is a way of looking at our economy that helps me explain the fragmentation we see every day, and it points directly to the solution: we must find, fund, and empower the Connectors who can finally connect our universe.
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