In “Conspiracy Theory” Mel Gibson is a crazed homeless man seeking to convince Julia Roberts there is an assassination attempt being plotted. It’s wonderful when the insane engage the sane. You question the separation of insanity and what is normalcy.

Today I sat next to a sane looking businessman here at the China Business Summit. He shared a theory about the future of Australia.

By 2050 Australia will be an outpost in the People’s Republic of China. The 200 million middle class Chinese can’t squeeze into Mainland China so the vast country of Australia seems a perfect outpost. With that longer term view in mind, China is seeding the nation today with some 80,000 students. These pioneers will bridge the cultural and language differences – much like astronauts establish colonies on distant planets in science fiction movies.

But Australia offers more than a great coastal community for over-populated China. The strong natural resource base is mandatory for China’s growth. A pipeline for natural gas is under development. Maybe one day that will offer ways to ship other resources.

We have the only Mandarin speaking Prime Minister in a Western nation. (”I doubt George Bush speaks Mandarin,” said Mike Smith, CEO, ANZ Bank at the China Business Summit. “I question if he even speaks English.”) Was Rudd then sent to study in China much like “The Manchurian Candidate”. Melbourne’s mayor is from China.

So here’s the movie idea (pay attention Universal Studios – you heard it here first): Australia in 2050 with Chinese flags flying and Mandarin-speakers wandering along the beach-front promenade at the Gold Coast. So many things look familiar – it’s good old Sydney beach-side. Yet there’s a strong element of the foreign. Dim Sum and noodle shops have replaced fish and chip shops. A low-flying Qantas plane passes overhead (still with its iconic red tail – but the kangaroo now has a star off its tail). And while rich Chinese eat and shop, second-class citizens originally from Australia serve and clean.

The Gold Coast has become China’s Florida – the beachfront community for rich retirees. Sunscreens had been used to protect the skin – it’s unacceptable for Chinese to have dark skin (that signals a job in the fields – way too plebeian for wealthy). But at this future date silver tennis ball-sized satellites are in stationary orbit above the Gold Coast to deflect the worst of the sun’s rays.

To drive the plot then maybe there’s an insurrection – or just a “Planet of the Apes” style revolutionary who rails against what’s now accepted as normal. Slowly people wake to the change – but isn’t it too late?

Or should I posit – isn’t it too late right now? Isn’t the train hurtling to this destination today? Mandarin is the second most common language in the Sydney basin – after English. Australia’s largest trading partner today is China. Tourism relies on Chinese – today they’re the third highest visitor base.

Come on Universal Studios – this is a great premise!

Speak to my agent…