Hawke went full ahead for MFP

Hands up anyone who can remember the multi-function polis?

This was a curious plan to support a multi-national technology community in Adelaide that was adopted by the Hawke Labor government in 1987, before being abandoned in 1998 under John Howard.

Cabinet documents for 1988 and 1989, released by the National Archives of Australia, show Labor was so enthusiastic its reaffirmed its commitment to a $4.7 million feasibility study.

The multi-function polis was first proposed by Japanese trade and industry minister Hajime Tamura at the 1987 meeting of the Australia-Japan Ministerial Committee.

The original concept envisaged a futuristic city with a focus on research, education, health and lifestyle activities.

Labor saw this as helping structural change in the Australian economy, with MFP viability based on private sector not government funding.

Australia and Japan both established committees to represent interested parties and contribute to the feasibility study.

At this stage, there was no particular location in mind. That came later, with everyone but the Northern Territory pitching to be home for the MFP.

Queensland's Gold Coast was eventually chosen but then premier Wayne Goss failed to jump on board with the necessary land consolidation.

Subsequently Gillman, South Australia, was chosen.

The multi-function polis never proceeded but the site is now occupied by Technology Park Adelaide.

There was substantial domestic opposition to what then opposition leader Andrew Peacock and others termed an exclusive Japanese enclave.

That didn't help attract investment in Australia or Japan. Neither was the MFP cause advanced by long delays but the clincher seems to have been the end of the Japanese economic bubble in the early 1990s.