Shaky in the Garden State

victoria

Some four weeks from now, on November 29, Victorians will install their next state government, with polls and bookies giving the edge to Opposition Leader Dan Andrews and his Labor Party. If the portents prove correct and Liberal Premier Denis Napthine’s team is turfed, his will be the first government in 60 years ejected after a single term. How could this be? Former Labor leaders Steve Bracks and John Brumby left a legacy of red ink and ruinously expensive public works, an unused desalination plant leading that herd of white elephants and union-friendly feather beds. Four years would seem an inadequate period to forgive and forget such gold-plated incompetence, yet here is the Garden State facing the prospect of Labor’s return to power.

If Napthine & Co., do go down for the count — the betting market’s trends suggest the race is tightening, by the way — two stories in today’s Age  might help ousted members grasp why the electorate turned against them.

The first is an article that quotes “Monash University’s governance research unit director Ken Coghill” on the probity, or his perceived lack thereof, in senior public servants being treated to dinner and afternoons at the races and footy by contractors on the East-West Tunnel project, which Andrews says he will scrap before work can begin. He may well have a point, but the thing about Coghill, which the Age neglects to mention, is that he is a former Labor speaker of the Legislative Assembly and, just to put his opposition to freeways and tunnels in perspective, an ardent advocate of bicycles, public transport and all things green.

If the Sunday morning after votes are tallied proves as bleak as polling suggests, former Liberal and National members may well conclude their side should have been more pro-active in confronting and correcting the inaccuracies and omissions of adverse press coverage. Along with “Carn’ the ‘Pies”, the line “the minister was unavailable for comment” has become part of the state’s soundscape.

Then there is this story detailing the vast sums being extracted from motorists by speed cameras, which the Coalition vowed to review when it came to office. From The Age:

“Justice Department data reveals that five of the 10 most prolific cameras in the state are new cameras in 40 or 50km/h speed zones. Between them they have caught caught 90,000 drivers, generating $20.5 million in fines, despite all being switched on for less than four months.”

That’s 90,000 voters slugged at the rate of $170 apiece for being, in most cases, just a few clicks over the posted speed limit. No doubt some will remember that when the time comes to fill in their ballots.

For the latest betting odds on the election — Liberals $3.70 / Labor $1.25, as of  October 28 — follow the link below.

Read More

Leave a Reply