Oprah

Once again, Western Australia is being treated as the poor cousin of the nation. In a time when the Australian government is hungry to gain from taxing our state's miners, it is also coughing up $3 million's worth of tax payer's money, in a major Australian tourism campaign, that will not include Western Australia.

It's a bit cheeky to sit behind the Tourism Australia banner, when only part of Australia is being represented.

Oprah is one of the world's most influential and most watched personalities in the world. Every product she endorses, becomes a winner. Her hugely successful book club is testimony to her international power.

There is no doubt securing a visit to Australia by Oprah has been a major coup by Tourism Australia, but leaving Western Australia out of the loop is disgusting, a thought shared by our state government.

This would have been an amazing opportunity for Western Australia to showcase her natural beauty and unique qualities for a holiday destination.

Being well travelled, has allowed me to further appreciate what we have in Western Australia, compared to other parts of Australia and the rest of the world. There are very few places where you will find the pristine sandy white beaches of Esperance, the diversity of our wildflowers, the wildness of our outback. We have the dolphins at Monkey Mia, the coral at Exmouth, the whalesharks, the amazing scenery at Karajini.

The rest of the world already knows about NSW. They were the front page story during the Sydney Olympics, and would be the city that most Americans are only aware of. But really, other than the Bridge, the Opera House and the Blue Mountains, Sydney has very little to offer, that you couldn't find in the US.

In a time of eco-tourism and sustainability, very few places do it better than Western Australia. We offer diversity, friendliness and quality.

Winfrey and her guests will visit the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's shopping districts and the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland.

Why the hell would a person from the US need to shop in Australia, when you can purchase a pair of genuine Calvin Klein jeans in the US for $10?!?

I think it is time for Western Australia to stand up and be heard. We have matured as a state, over the past few years, and deserve to be treated with more respect, as part of the nation!