Victorian Election

[Francois Jackson]

You people are in denial.

The only reason this state has a AAA rating is because Kennett had to lift it out of the absolute mess the Cain/Kerner government left it in. The cut backs were necessary at the time to help rebuild the state.
I know that jeffs head got too big it finally fell off his shoulders but the facts are the Bracks/Brumby Labor government inherited the state in good financial position.

The new reality is that Big Ted has got to figure out how to fix Myki, what to do with a useless Desal plant, and how to make us feel safe on our trains again. 

good points there. Desal plant..hahaha what a farce. seriously whats worse this or the myki. i cant split them.

Its like splitting Overland with Christine Nixon. One thing is for sure we will pay for brumby and his countless mistakes that he makes.

[Carvels Ring]

cutbacks were necessary?  try telling that to the kids and parents of the schools that were closed.

sorry mate, but yr the one in denial.

[10 FLAGS]

this state was bankrupted by labor before Kennett came in. Kennett had no choice but he went to far- especially on health and hospitals. If it wasnt for Kennett, Victorians en masse would be lining up at Soup Kitchens today. As for Electricity, Gas and Water prices, it was the role of state government to control the privatised companies as far as increases were concerned. Brumby and Labor failed to control them and that was the end of the penny section.

[Penelope]

 If you privatise companies then control them, does that not defeat the free market principle on which they were privatised in the first place?

[Infamy]

Surprised it took so long for the Kirner/Cain legacy to get mentioned
Funny how Labor supporters won't forgive Kennett, but they're happy to ignore the Kirner government for almost bankrupting the state

Kind of what NSW Liberals will inherit in 3 months time

[Tigeritis™©®]

Surprised it took so long for the Kirner/Cain legacy
Funny how Labor supporters won't forgive Kennett, but they're happy to ignore the Kirner government for almost bankrupting the state

Kind of what NSW Liberals will inherit in 3 months time

The state had a -A rating after Cain/Kirner. Even Tassie was laughing at us.

Kennett did what he had to do but his big head got the better of him in the end. 

I like Big Ted though, I sounds like an honest, stand up guy to me. 

[Francois Jackson]

Surprised it took so long for the Kirner/Cain legacy
Funny how Labor supporters won't forgive Kennett, but they're happy to ignore the Kirner government for almost bankrupting the state

Kind of what NSW Liberals will inherit in 3 months time

The state had a -A rating after Cain/Kirner. Even Tassie was laughing at us.

Kennett did what he had to do but his big head got the better of him in the end. 

I like Big Ted though, I sounds like an honest, stand up guy to me. 

yep i agree. Something about him i really like. He doesnt seem arrogant at all, just a real nice family guy.

His mrs is quite the milf also 

[Carvels Ring]

wish all the stand up family guys had his money

[mightytiges]

this state was bankrupted by labor before Kennett came in. Kennett had no choice but he went to far- especially on health and hospitals. If it wasnt for Kennett, Victorians en masse would be lining up at Soup Kitchens today. As for Electricity, Gas and Water prices, it was the role of state government to control the privatised companies as far as increases were concerned. Brumby and Labor failed to control them and that was the end of the penny section.

In a free market it is real competition and the cost efficiencies that result from it that is meant to control prices; not the state. The problem with Victoria's privatisation of utilities and public transport is there was/is no competition. Each company was virtually set up as a monopoly over a specific region of Melbourne/Victoria rather than them going head to head. Take public transport - Connex was given the south-east and Hillside the north-west. How the hell was that creating competition?! No wonder it fell over and Connex took over the whole system. This lack of competition and choice leads to  publicly listed companies being answerable first and foremostly to their shareholders at the detriment of their customers. That's why as the public cut back on their usage of say electricity, the companies jacked up these BS service charges so they maintained/increased their profits, share price and dividends to shareholders. Way to encourage the public to not waste our energy resources  . Like all the banks, all the utility companies are all the same and us consumers/customers are now considered more of a necessary nuisance that can be screwed with little all threat of a backlash as there's bugger all real choice for the customer to take their business elsewhere. Add to this the CEOs and directors are then rewarded with massive payouts linked to the company's shareprice to further encourage these anti-customer practices. Privatisation of basic services was promised to lower prices via gains in efficiency in delivering these services without the need of a bloated state (government) bureaucracy but the complete opposite has happened  .

[Infamy]

Problem is that these private companies are still using state infrastructure to deliver the services, they are screwed. Crazy to try and land the contracts in the first place IMO as they're on a hiding to nothing.

[mightytiges]

Just as Brumby could no longer blame Jeff for things after 11 years, Jeff can't claim credit for a AAA economy 11 years after being thrown out. Victoria got through the GFC virtually unscathed.

I have a lot of time for Jeff even if I disgree with some of his views. He did a lot of good while he was premier especially in his first term. He seemed to rest on his laurels in his 2nd term though thinking Labor wasn't a threat to him and started to try and nobble the checks and balances to his authority as well as close down too many schools, hospitals etc and ignored everyone outside of the eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Like Brumby in 2010, Jeff lost the 1999 election when he could have easily won it being more in tune with the electorate. Also both tried to 'sandbag' their way to election victory and it didn't work for either in the end. By 2014 Vic Labor has to learn the lessons the Vic Libs didn't by 2002. Accept they have lost and acknowledge the public's voice (hello Tony Abbott federally  ) and not pretend it was a 'protest vote' gone too far. Instead correct and develop new policies in areas that cost them government (eg: on crime) and act as a credible opposition offering positive alternative policies in readiness to govern as well as scrutinizing the new government. Victoria over the next 4 years is only one by-election from a hung parliament and what would be an enforced early election.

As for the Desal plant - one season of drought breaking rains due to a stronger and later in the year la nina effect and all of a sudden some people forget we were in a severe drought and tight water restricitions for over a decade. Baillieu just 3 years ago predicted the Thompson dam would become so low in water that it would be unusable. Ironic his first act as premier is closing a water pipeline. I'm sure future generations will be glad we'll have a water source that doesn't depend on hoping and praying for rain.

First day on the job and the Victorian Libs have already closed down the North-South pipeline most likely leaving it to rot. Same old same old. Actually there was a fair bit of caving into NIMBY politics from Ted yesterday: Nth-Sth pipeline closure and the removal of clearance ways in the inner-east suburbs (back to bad old days of trams being held up along Toorak Road  ). If Ted wanted to trump Labor he could have looked into and budgeted for pumps so the Nth-Sth pipe could move water both ways. Melbourne could rely on water from the desal plant while excess water from Sugarloaf could have been pumped up to the Goulburn river, Murray-Darling basin and irrigators.

[Infamy]

Just as Brumby could no longer blame Jeff for things after 11 years, Jeff can't claim credit for a AAA economy 11 years after being thrown out. Victoria got through the GFC virtually unscathed.

I don't think anyone is giving Kennett the credit for getting through the GFC (Howard & Costello on the other hand...), just giving him the credit for getting the state out of it's financial turmoil after Kirner/Cain.

As for the Desal plant - one season of drought breaking rains due to a stronger and later in the year la nina effect and all of a sudden some people forget we were in a severe drought and tight water restricitions for over a decade. Baillieu just 3 years ago predicted the Thompson dam would become so low in water that it would be unusable. Ironic his first act as premier is closing a water pipeline. I'm sure future generations will be glad we'll have a water source that doesn't depend on hoping and praying for rain.

First day on the job and the Victorian Libs have already closed down the North-South pipeline most likely leaving it to rot.

Thing is if the desal plant is going ahead then the North-South pipeline was never needed. Droughts happen, it's not the first and won't be the last.

[mightytiges]

Problem is that these private companies are still using state infrastructure to deliver the services, they are screwed. Crazy to try and land the contracts in the first place IMO as they're on a hiding to nothing.

Selling the assets lock, stock and barrel would be a recipe for political suicide though as it's unpopular.

You're right though Infamy. It is a problem with the railways as the basic infrastructure had been neglected for 80 years and so Connex and now Metro had/have to run new rolling stock and timetables on the equivalent of a 19th-early 20th century railway museum. Under the now previous government at least there was finally movement with the replacement of old wooden sleepers with concrete ones over the entire system (a 3-year project) and other local improvements but it's hardly something sexy you can sell to the public no matter how much a necessary first step it was when the trains still run late. All of this should have been done 50 years ago when the city was smaller and less dense and transport corridors were easy to find without needing to resort to ticking off local residents/voters for the greater long-term good  . It doesn't help getting the public onside either when you stuff up and delay the new ticketing system that it's not up and running fully before a crucial election. It's going to take decades to fix the mess after 80 years of neglect and that's if all government on both sides from now on actively support the same plan and work towards bringing the system into the 21st century. You've got to wonder now if the new Metro line to Domain (and then joined to Caulfield) and the regional rail link through Tarneit will be built now. The Libs abandoned their own 1969 transport plan although Mulder (new transport minister) now wants to plan to come up with plans for a Rowville and Doncaster lines even those these plans were developed 40 years ago  ???.



I can understand people wanting (faster) change when it comes to our public transport system given the stuff-up with Myki and things like no rail extension yet to Merdna but I don't understand the thinking behind believing the party that caused the system to rot in first place through total inaction over decades in power (Victoria was the Liberal "jewel in crown" during the 20th century) will now suddenly see the light and fix it.

[mightytiges]

Thing is if the desal plant is going ahead then the North-South pipeline was never needed. Droughts happen, it's not the first and won't be the last.

How often has Victoria experienced a decade plus long drought before though? The desal plant won't be operational until 2012 at the earliest. Yep the drought breaking rains have finally arrived but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Before this year we just couldn't wait and pray for rain as the dam levels fell below 30% full. No one was predicting the end of the drought 18 months ago. Most of the criticism back then was why hadn't another dam been built since 1983 (Thompson). Based on the current rainfall and rising dam levels you could argue those wanting another dam were wrong as well and even the desal plant itself isn't needed. IIRC the desal plant will only be used when dam levels are below 65% so it won't be used all the time either. In any case the North-South pipeline is built now and even if you believe it was not needed closing it down just confirms the money spent as wasted. Closing it down doesn't reverse time nor get the money back. The pipeline is built so why not be pragmatic about it and make it (more) useful and add pumps to send excess Melbourne water up north where during a drought it is needed in our state's foodbowl. Melbourne will have the desal plant operational by then.

[FNM]

Thing is if the desal plant is going ahead then the North-South pipeline was never needed. Droughts happen, it's not the first and won't be the last.

How often has Victoria experienced a decade plus long drought before though? The desal plant won't be operational until 2012 at the earliest. Yep the drought breaking rains have finally arrived but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Before this year we just couldn't wait and pray for rain as the dam levels fell below 30% full. No one was predicting the end of the drought 18 months ago. Most of the criticism back then was why hadn't another dam been built since 1983 (Thompson). Based on the current rainfall and rising dam levels you could argue those wanting another dam were wrong as well and even the desal plant itself isn't needed. IIRC the desal plant will only be used when dam levels are below 65% so it won't be used all the time either. In any case the North-South pipeline is built now and even if you believe it was not needed closing it down just confirms the money spent as wasted. Closing it down doesn't reverse time nor get the money back. The pipeline is built so why not be pragmatic about it and make it (more) useful and add pumps to send excess Melbourne water up north where during a drought it is needed in our state's foodbowl. Melbourne will have the desal plant operational by then.

Well said. We were perilously close, but people would rather forget that and stick the boot in. And becuase we have it, we'll probably never be in drought conditions again so they'll continue to say why did we need it, knowing full well it's the plant that made it so.
PS: It's Thomson Dam lol