Marg Gleeson
Ever since the shock resignations last month of the NSW Labor government's three top ministers, it has been a turbulent time in state politics.
It started with new premier, Morris Iemma, and then-opposition leader John Brogden competing for who would make the biggest job cuts to the state public service. Brogden kicked it off with a slash-and-burn ambit claim, which was countered by Iemma promising only that ALP job cuts would not be made to front-line staff — far from reassuring for government workers, those on hospital waiting lists or queuing for public transport.
In his first weeks as premier, Iemma presided over the opening of the cross-city tunnel and the announcement of plans to construct a water desalination plant on Sydney's coastline. What were intended as public relations "good news" stories were quickly revealed as environmental and social disasters.
The opening of a private toll tunnel involving nearby road closures to force motorists to use the tunnel, when petrol prices were at an all time high, was not a winner. And, in case more Sydney residents turned to public transport instead, the Iemma government introduced, on September 4, a new rail timetable.
Since the last timetable was introduced in 1992, there has been a 20% increase in train travel, to 1 million journeys per day. Instead of increasing services to meet the increased demand, the timetable has be rejigged to "more realistically" reflect running times, delays and the service cancellations that are now part and parcel of the NSW rail service. According to State Rail, journeys will now average three to six minutes longer — but they will run on time!
On September 3, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that construction of the $2 billion water desalination plant could begin as early as mid-2006. This would be despite no environmental impact study and opposition to the plant from environmentalists (who advocate conservation, recycling and reticulation of stormwater as more environmentally benign solutions to the water crisis) and Sutherland Shire Council, which covers Kurnell, where the plant would be located. Despite around 80% of water usage being non-residential (that is, business use) households are going to cover the costs of the plant, the first installment of the bill being a 9% hike in water rates from October 1.
Meanwhile, the NSW Liberal Party has been almost entirely focused on internal wrangling. The media leaks that led to Brogden's resignation and subsequent suicide attempt, and that shored up his replacement by Peter Debnam, were orchestrated by a faction within the NSW party that is being widely reported to have links to the Catholic sect Opus Dei.
The Liberals are not even contesting the seats of Maroubra or Marrickville, left vacant by the resignations of former premier Bob Carr and health minister Andrew Refshauge. They have recruited a "whistle-blower nurse" to stand in former planning minister Craig Knowles' seat of Macquarie Fields.
Minister for education and training Carmel Tebbutt has seized the opportunity to move to the NSW lower house by vacating her upper house seat to contest Marrickville. Despite having no seat at present, she is still on the job; an education department report leaked on September 2 reveals that 72 classes for children with special needs will be abolished and 111 of the 422 remaining classes will be "collapsed".
These cuts are only the tip of the iceberg. The bursting of the Sydney property bubble and the impact of the prolonged drought have resulted in a major drop in revenue for NSW. NSW residents can look forward to further increases in fees and charges, and cuts to services.
Iemma is setting the scene for these upcoming attacks on living standards, talking up a likely budget deficit and looming government "financial crisis", supposedly the result of a "wages blow out" in the last period of Carr's premiership.
From Green Left Weekly, September 14, 2005.
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