Dear Editor,
The hopeless Martin/Henderson Government, having pretty much completed its work of turning the NT into a clone of the failed state of NSW, now plans to throw more taxpayer’s money at the terminally ill “PowerWater”. And to find these funds for the extra treatment this seriously diseased “patient” requires they will be increasing power charges by 23 per cent.
If ever there was an argument for the NT Government getting out of the electricity generation business – this latest outrage is it. The assets of “PowerWater” are of considerable value and therefore could easily be packaged together for sale as a going concern to a number of possible buyers from power-generation industry.
The sale of “PowerWater” would of course provide this poorly managed, wasteful government with much needed cash, but would of course also wipe out the need for any more injections of taxpayer’s funds into this hugely bureaucratic, poorly-run utility.
Even if power prices rose slightly under a new privately-owned electricity company, the taxpayer’s liability – present and future would be zero.
A wise and prudent government would immediately call for world-wide expressions of interest for the purchase of “PowerWater” and the provision of cheap and reliable electricity to Territorians.
Is the current Henderson Government “wise and prudent” or as I said, just a clone of the failed NSW Government?
Dave Wane
Woodleigh Gardens
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Labor failure predicted.
Dear Sir,
Back in August 2001 when Labor came to power here in the Northern Territory I warned in these pages that the new government should be very careful how they run things if they were going to avoid becoming a clone of other failed Labor states such as New South Wales.
Whilst New South Wales is now a basket case thanks to the pathetically incompetent “stewardship” of the Carr/Iemma Government, it has become clear that the Martin/Henderson Government has in fact followed the same disastrous script as their southern Labor counterparts. Sadly the Northern Territory is of course well on its way to becoming a carbon copy of NSW.
As I predicted in 2001:
*Labor has increased the size of the already bloated bureaucracy (by around 3,000 – at an ANNUAL cost to the taxpayer of at least $300 Million.
*Labor have hired “Labor Mates” (failed public service types – some local and others from the southern states) to “run” their departments and utilities. The Health Department, The Education Department, Worksafe and PowerWater are just some examples.
*Labor has embarked on a program of unnecessary regulation in almost all areas of territory life. From the swimming pool fencing fiasco, the abolition of an open speed limit on our highways to “over-the top” building regulations designed to keep the “leech-like” union bosses on side – Labor has decided that Government and ONLY Government “knows” best!
*Labor has squandered the GST revenue on all of the above and a whole lot more, leaving us vulnerable to a complete melt-down like NSW.
Henderson and his advisors need to come to grips with the magnitude of the mess they have created and hire some REAL managers with proven track records in the REAL world to seriously overhaul all areas of government before it is too late.
They cannot continue to depend on the Inpex Gas Plant and other private sector developments to hide the extent of the financial and administrative catastrophe that this Northern Territory Labor Government has produced.
If the Henderson Government continues on the same course the NT will become another NSW, albeit with the bonus of massive gas expenditure.
Surely the writing is on the wall – hopefully some hard decisions will be made.
Dave Wane
12th October, 2008
Back in August 2001 when Labor came to power here in the Northern Territory I warned in these pages that the new government should be very careful how they run things if they were going to avoid becoming a clone of other failed Labor states such as New South Wales.
Whilst New South Wales is now a basket case thanks to the pathetically incompetent “stewardship” of the Carr/Iemma Government, it has become clear that the Martin/Henderson Government has in fact followed the same disastrous script as their southern Labor counterparts. Sadly the Northern Territory is of course well on its way to becoming a carbon copy of NSW.
As I predicted in 2001:
*Labor has increased the size of the already bloated bureaucracy (by around 3,000 – at an ANNUAL cost to the taxpayer of at least $300 Million.
*Labor have hired “Labor Mates” (failed public service types – some local and others from the southern states) to “run” their departments and utilities. The Health Department, The Education Department, Worksafe and PowerWater are just some examples.
*Labor has embarked on a program of unnecessary regulation in almost all areas of territory life. From the swimming pool fencing fiasco, the abolition of an open speed limit on our highways to “over-the top” building regulations designed to keep the “leech-like” union bosses on side – Labor has decided that Government and ONLY Government “knows” best!
*Labor has squandered the GST revenue on all of the above and a whole lot more, leaving us vulnerable to a complete melt-down like NSW.
Henderson and his advisors need to come to grips with the magnitude of the mess they have created and hire some REAL managers with proven track records in the REAL world to seriously overhaul all areas of government before it is too late.
They cannot continue to depend on the Inpex Gas Plant and other private sector developments to hide the extent of the financial and administrative catastrophe that this Northern Territory Labor Government has produced.
If the Henderson Government continues on the same course the NT will become another NSW, albeit with the bonus of massive gas expenditure.
Surely the writing is on the wall – hopefully some hard decisions will be made.
Dave Wane
12th October, 2008
"Free" Public Transport
Dear Editor,
Has the Henderson Government now gone completely mad? Free public transport – really?
There is no doubt that the Martin/Henderson Government “lived-well” during the halcyon days of the Howard/Costello Government. Martin and Henderson spent up big as the GST revenues rolled in. 3,000 extra public servants were hired at an ANNUAL cost of at least $300 Million. Taxpayer’s money has been thrown at everything from water-slides at Lake Leanyer to wave-pools at the new convention centre. Life was good – whilst the funds kept coming.
However whilst all this big-spending largesse was taking place the services provided by this government became more and inefficient. Health, Education, Police and of course Electricity are of course the obvious examples. All these areas received more money (mostly wasted on bureaucrats and lesser public servants) yet there is little doubt that services have declined during the Martin/Henderson period of government.
Now Henderson has a grandiose “plan” to waste even more taxpayer’s funds on providing “free” public transport.
Does Henderson not realize that his mate Rudd has already wasted billions of taxpayer’s funds and plans to borrow even more - eventually saddling Australia with a debt of $300 Billion?
When the Australian economy is in tatters as it inevitably will be under Rudd, how does Henderson think he is going to fund “free” public transport – or his vast army (and increasing) of bureaucrats and public servants or any of the other hair-brained schemes he and his southern-Labor “advisors” have devised?
Henderson’s only positive contribution to the NT was his efforts to lure Inpex here.
Well he is going to need Inpex and Arafura Harbour and a whole lot more if he is going to keep his very expensive show on the road in the very uncertain times that lie ahead.
Dave Wane
Woodleigh Gardens
Has the Henderson Government now gone completely mad? Free public transport – really?
There is no doubt that the Martin/Henderson Government “lived-well” during the halcyon days of the Howard/Costello Government. Martin and Henderson spent up big as the GST revenues rolled in. 3,000 extra public servants were hired at an ANNUAL cost of at least $300 Million. Taxpayer’s money has been thrown at everything from water-slides at Lake Leanyer to wave-pools at the new convention centre. Life was good – whilst the funds kept coming.
However whilst all this big-spending largesse was taking place the services provided by this government became more and inefficient. Health, Education, Police and of course Electricity are of course the obvious examples. All these areas received more money (mostly wasted on bureaucrats and lesser public servants) yet there is little doubt that services have declined during the Martin/Henderson period of government.
Now Henderson has a grandiose “plan” to waste even more taxpayer’s funds on providing “free” public transport.
Does Henderson not realize that his mate Rudd has already wasted billions of taxpayer’s funds and plans to borrow even more - eventually saddling Australia with a debt of $300 Billion?
When the Australian economy is in tatters as it inevitably will be under Rudd, how does Henderson think he is going to fund “free” public transport – or his vast army (and increasing) of bureaucrats and public servants or any of the other hair-brained schemes he and his southern-Labor “advisors” have devised?
Henderson’s only positive contribution to the NT was his efforts to lure Inpex here.
Well he is going to need Inpex and Arafura Harbour and a whole lot more if he is going to keep his very expensive show on the road in the very uncertain times that lie ahead.
Dave Wane
Woodleigh Gardens
NT Government Laziness and Incompetence
A recent attempt by Consumer Affairs to discredit a perfectly legitimate multi-level marketing system is indicative of laziness and ineptitude of most NT Government departments under the Martin and Henderson Governments.
Whilst I am not directly involved with the organization mentioned in the press release of 28th April, 2009, I know many prominent Territorians who are members – some born and bred and others who have been here for over 30 years.
My understanding is that after 2 months of harassment by Consumer Affairs the proponents of this system effectively told certain staff at that department to either “put-up or shut-up”. In other words, to call the scheme illegal with supporting evidence and documentation, or allow the members to continue to enjoy the benefits of the system free of bureaucratic meddling.
Instead this obviously overstaffed and “underworked “department resorted to gutless scare tactics in a pathetic attempt to get rid of a system that they clearly do not understand, and are too tired and lazy to properly research.
The laziness of this department is symptomatic of a general malaise across the entire NT public service. Despite over 3,000 extra public servants being employed – (many of them expensive “so-called” managers) productivity is at an all time low, as the results on the ground in education, health, police and electricity supply will attest.
Whilst I am not directly involved with the organization mentioned in the press release of 28th April, 2009, I know many prominent Territorians who are members – some born and bred and others who have been here for over 30 years.
My understanding is that after 2 months of harassment by Consumer Affairs the proponents of this system effectively told certain staff at that department to either “put-up or shut-up”. In other words, to call the scheme illegal with supporting evidence and documentation, or allow the members to continue to enjoy the benefits of the system free of bureaucratic meddling.
Instead this obviously overstaffed and “underworked “department resorted to gutless scare tactics in a pathetic attempt to get rid of a system that they clearly do not understand, and are too tired and lazy to properly research.
The laziness of this department is symptomatic of a general malaise across the entire NT public service. Despite over 3,000 extra public servants being employed – (many of them expensive “so-called” managers) productivity is at an all time low, as the results on the ground in education, health, police and electricity supply will attest.
Arafura Harbour
Dear Editor,
Paul O’Brien (NT News Letters to the Editor 10th April, 2009) is unhappy that $4 million of taxpayer’s money was wasted on a mud crab farm on some of the land where the Arafura Harbour development would be located. So am I. Paul also mentions the previous prawn farm on the same site, no doubt another disaster for the taxpayer.
Surely then the development of the Gwala Daraniki land (Kulaluk) is the best way to avoid any more taxpayer’s funds being wasted on poorly managed “pie-in-the-sky” Aboriginal schemes.
Kulaluk and the surrounding land is an eyesore. The proper development of this low-lying area will be of huge benefit to all the citizens of Darwin. Currently the Kulaluk land only benefits the few people who live there.
The Arafura Harbour project is as Dave Tollner describes – “Visionary”. As I see it everyone in Darwin, including the residents of Kulaluk will be more than pleased when this project is completed.
If however the Arafura Harbour project does not go ahead, it is very likely that the taxpayer will continue to waste even more money on this Aboriginal community and even more failed “business-projects”.
The only problem I have with the project is the proposed channel and lock system which would cut across East Point Road near the Aero Modellers Club. I would not like to see the picturesque beauty of the Fannie Bay side of East Point “altered” in any way.
And no, I am not a mangrove expert either, but I do remember Cullen Bay when the mud flats and mangroves were there.
Enough said?
Dave Wane
Woodleigh Gardens
Paul O’Brien (NT News Letters to the Editor 10th April, 2009) is unhappy that $4 million of taxpayer’s money was wasted on a mud crab farm on some of the land where the Arafura Harbour development would be located. So am I. Paul also mentions the previous prawn farm on the same site, no doubt another disaster for the taxpayer.
Surely then the development of the Gwala Daraniki land (Kulaluk) is the best way to avoid any more taxpayer’s funds being wasted on poorly managed “pie-in-the-sky” Aboriginal schemes.
Kulaluk and the surrounding land is an eyesore. The proper development of this low-lying area will be of huge benefit to all the citizens of Darwin. Currently the Kulaluk land only benefits the few people who live there.
The Arafura Harbour project is as Dave Tollner describes – “Visionary”. As I see it everyone in Darwin, including the residents of Kulaluk will be more than pleased when this project is completed.
If however the Arafura Harbour project does not go ahead, it is very likely that the taxpayer will continue to waste even more money on this Aboriginal community and even more failed “business-projects”.
The only problem I have with the project is the proposed channel and lock system which would cut across East Point Road near the Aero Modellers Club. I would not like to see the picturesque beauty of the Fannie Bay side of East Point “altered” in any way.
And no, I am not a mangrove expert either, but I do remember Cullen Bay when the mud flats and mangroves were there.
Enough said?
Dave Wane
Woodleigh Gardens
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