Last Thursday New South Wales saw another change in its state administration with Morris "Dilemma" Iemma stepping down as Premier after he realised he didn't have the numbers within the Labor Party Caucas to continue to preside. The tide started turning on the Tuesday when Iemma announced a cabinet re-shuffle following the resignation of his deputy, John Watkins, and former minister John Della Bosca being cleared of all charges in the Iguana-Gate Affair. Mr Della-Bosca left cabinet to sit on the back bench while the matter was investigated by both State and Federal police and finally reviewed by the State and Commonwealth DPPs. He was cleared of all charges on Tuesday. Mr Della-Bosca was one of the few efficient and competent ministers Mr Iemma had in his cabinet and as a result Mr Iemma was desperate to have him back on board. Mr Iemma was also using this opportunity to get rid of quite a number of under-performing and/or controversial ministers in particular the no holds barred Treasurer, Michael Costa. The previous two weeks for Mr Costa and Mr Iemma had been particularly trying with their unsuccessful attempts to get their proposals to privatise the NSW Electricity Commission through the NSW parliament. The Upper House ended up rejecting the entire bill. Mr Iemma sacked Mr Costa on the Wednesday night. Mr Costa was not going to go quietly though calling a press conference Thursday morning informing everyone loud and clear of the dire financial situation NSW finds itself. NSW it seems is no longer the Premier State, in danger of losing it's AAA credit rating.
If Costa was going down, he wasn't going on his own. Using politic spin, he basically said "we're fucked"; NSW is out of money and it's not his problem anymore. The writing was on the wall for Iemma. By lunch he realised he didn't have the numbers. By 2pm he had resigned and by 4pm a new shining knight was appointed as Premier. It was all very Shakespearean.
Nathan Rees has been in the NSW parliament less than 18 months and is now Premier of New South Wales. From Western Sydney, he was formerly a green keeper, then a public servant followed by a stint as an advisor to Morris Iemma. He is 41 years of age and is to be married in November. He is NSW's youngest ever Premier. Carmel Tebbutt has been appointed deputy premier. I still can't fathom why the Labor Caucas has appointed someone whom the community does not know and who has very limited experience over someone like Tebbutt who has been the only decent consistent minister this government has had over the last ten years. Perhaps she didn't want the job or probably more than likely the boys club that is the NSW Labor Right didn't want her.
My estimation of Mr Rees dropped immediately when he announced on Monday he wanted to talk to the homeless because he wanted to understand why people in this day and age would be homeless. I always become very suspicious of politicians who want to play Mother Theresa. It means usually they have absolutely no fresh ideas and are grandstanding. Kevin Rudd did the same thing with alco-pops and fuel watch and John Howard did the same thing with the military intervention in the child protection crisis in the Northern Territory.
I can tell you Mr Rees why there are so many homeless not only in this state but in others is because successive state governments (yours included) have practically shut down the mental health systems in this country leaving people with mental health issues either to be left on the street or in jail. That is pretty much the mental health system in this country these days: truancy or jail. And you don't have to wander down and talk to Jo Homeless Blow under his blanket in the St James tunnel to find that out. In fact Jo Homeless Blow will probably tell you that he's perfectly happy where he is and he'd rather be in a tunnel than being stabbed in an understaffed under funded homeless shelter.
Mr Rees also announced that there is a billion dollar shortfall in the state coffers. Woops. Can I ask a stupid question? NSW has been under Labor Party rule now for almost 13 years. The next election is two years away. What I want to know is why this state is in such a fiscal mess when Australia, the country, the nation state has just had 15 years of the biggest economic growth it has ever seen?
Nathan Rees says he wants to make a clean change, get rid of the dead wood, prove to his constituents that his new team is capable of good governance; yet on Monday he announces his new front bench which will include none other than Eric Roozendaal and Joe Tripodi, and all their right faction cronies. Joe Tripodi has had so many scandals in the last couple of years that he should just move his offices into the ICAC building (Independent Commission Against Corruption). To add insult to injury both Roozendaal and Tripodi have been appointed to administer the state's finances as Treasurer and Finance Minister. And Rees says he is not being dictated to by the factions of the Labor Party? Please…come on. The new Premier even conceded himself that he formulated his cabinet based on a list of names handed back and forth with NSW Labor Party Head Office Chief, Mr Karl Bitar. And so the charade continues…
This state government is being run in the twilight. The light is not clear enough to show what is really happening. Mr Rees is yet another puppet of the right faction of the Labor Party and while that happens, NSW and it's administration will continue to resemble something out of 80s Queensland but even worse….at least Joh Bjelke Peterson had the nouse to leave the Sunshine State (or the Moonlight State as it was nicknamed then) in good fiscal condition when his corrupt government was kicked out. NSW on the other hand is not only corrupt but it's also broke.
C
If Costa was going down, he wasn't going on his own. Using politic spin, he basically said "we're fucked"; NSW is out of money and it's not his problem anymore. The writing was on the wall for Iemma. By lunch he realised he didn't have the numbers. By 2pm he had resigned and by 4pm a new shining knight was appointed as Premier. It was all very Shakespearean.
Nathan Rees has been in the NSW parliament less than 18 months and is now Premier of New South Wales. From Western Sydney, he was formerly a green keeper, then a public servant followed by a stint as an advisor to Morris Iemma. He is 41 years of age and is to be married in November. He is NSW's youngest ever Premier. Carmel Tebbutt has been appointed deputy premier. I still can't fathom why the Labor Caucas has appointed someone whom the community does not know and who has very limited experience over someone like Tebbutt who has been the only decent consistent minister this government has had over the last ten years. Perhaps she didn't want the job or probably more than likely the boys club that is the NSW Labor Right didn't want her.
My estimation of Mr Rees dropped immediately when he announced on Monday he wanted to talk to the homeless because he wanted to understand why people in this day and age would be homeless. I always become very suspicious of politicians who want to play Mother Theresa. It means usually they have absolutely no fresh ideas and are grandstanding. Kevin Rudd did the same thing with alco-pops and fuel watch and John Howard did the same thing with the military intervention in the child protection crisis in the Northern Territory.
I can tell you Mr Rees why there are so many homeless not only in this state but in others is because successive state governments (yours included) have practically shut down the mental health systems in this country leaving people with mental health issues either to be left on the street or in jail. That is pretty much the mental health system in this country these days: truancy or jail. And you don't have to wander down and talk to Jo Homeless Blow under his blanket in the St James tunnel to find that out. In fact Jo Homeless Blow will probably tell you that he's perfectly happy where he is and he'd rather be in a tunnel than being stabbed in an understaffed under funded homeless shelter.
Mr Rees also announced that there is a billion dollar shortfall in the state coffers. Woops. Can I ask a stupid question? NSW has been under Labor Party rule now for almost 13 years. The next election is two years away. What I want to know is why this state is in such a fiscal mess when Australia, the country, the nation state has just had 15 years of the biggest economic growth it has ever seen?
Nathan Rees says he wants to make a clean change, get rid of the dead wood, prove to his constituents that his new team is capable of good governance; yet on Monday he announces his new front bench which will include none other than Eric Roozendaal and Joe Tripodi, and all their right faction cronies. Joe Tripodi has had so many scandals in the last couple of years that he should just move his offices into the ICAC building (Independent Commission Against Corruption). To add insult to injury both Roozendaal and Tripodi have been appointed to administer the state's finances as Treasurer and Finance Minister. And Rees says he is not being dictated to by the factions of the Labor Party? Please…come on. The new Premier even conceded himself that he formulated his cabinet based on a list of names handed back and forth with NSW Labor Party Head Office Chief, Mr Karl Bitar. And so the charade continues…
This state government is being run in the twilight. The light is not clear enough to show what is really happening. Mr Rees is yet another puppet of the right faction of the Labor Party and while that happens, NSW and it's administration will continue to resemble something out of 80s Queensland but even worse….at least Joh Bjelke Peterson had the nouse to leave the Sunshine State (or the Moonlight State as it was nicknamed then) in good fiscal condition when his corrupt government was kicked out. NSW on the other hand is not only corrupt but it's also broke.
C
3 comments:
Oooh, that's a very policitcal statement to make...coming from someone who purports to be shallow! LOL
Our politicans are not only mostly incompetent but none of them seems able to think beyond their on re-election at the next poll.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - State Government is neither desirable nor is it necessary. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment (noting the increasing sense of anger and frustration as the blog progresses) and if there's one thing I agree with Costa - it's to abolish the current state government system.
We are the most overgoverned country on the planet, and I would challenge anyone to argue that this is a positive thing...
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