State of disgrace
The implosion of the NSW State Government was a long time coming. For too long the state has been the personal play thing of malevolent forces who wielded power for their own ends.
All of Australia has to hope that who ever becomes NSW Premier is prepared to tackle the mess the state is in head on. The first step a new Premier will need to take is to stop blaming Canberra or the economy for their problems, because they have been self inflicted by a series of very bad decisions from governments at both the state and local level.
The economic downturn and a few decisions from Canberra simply multiplied the effects of the big mistakes made in NSW. It did not cause them. I have written about this many times (NSW is the laggard, June 18, Who will save NSW?, July 31).
The first person to blow the whistle on Sydney's role in the NSW mess was Australia's largest apartment developer and Sydney resident Harry Triguboff, who declared in The Australian more than five years ago that Sydney "was dying”.
It's dying because local governments were so bound up in their own political turmoil that they could not make sound real estate decisions.
It's dying because NSW has zoned out good land, forcing house prices up to levels that people could not afford.
It's dying because NSW taxed developed land at around $140,000 block – six times the amount charged by other states.
It's dying because its health and safety rules use the French system of justice (guilty until proved innocent).
It's dying because there are a maze of bodies that strangle industrial development and the proper working functions of the state.
There are many other forces at work preventing this state from reaching its full potential. The business people and politicians in Queensland have developed a strategy of expansion based on the NSW joke. Melbourne will soon become Australia's largest city because of the Sydney/NSW morass.
But there's a problem. NSW is our richest state and Sydney is still our largest city so everybody suffers when the 'Premier State' is badly managed.
NSW desperately needs a premier like Anna Bligh, John Brumby or Nick Greiner. Or a partnership in the mould of Jeff Kennett and Alan Stockdale. Unfortunately none of those people are available. Let's hope somewhere there is a strong person prepared to tackle the favour ridden factions of NSW and the bodies within that stifle the development of the state.
If NSW's credit rating was slashed – which it ought to be – it might be a blessing in disguise. Voters would then surely demand proper leadership.
Even Harry Triguboff had some faith, stating that "Sydney will not die”. Because a leader will arise who will make the tough decisions. The sooner the better.
The economic downturn and a few decisions from Canberra simply multiplied the effects of the big mistakes made in NSW. It did not cause them. I have written about this many times (NSW is the laggard, June 18, Who will save NSW?, July 31).
The first person to blow the whistle on Sydney's role in the NSW mess was Australia's largest apartment developer and Sydney resident Harry Triguboff, who declared in The Australian more than five years ago that Sydney "was dying”.
It's dying because local governments were so bound up in their own political turmoil that they could not make sound real estate decisions.
It's dying because NSW has zoned out good land, forcing house prices up to levels that people could not afford.
It's dying because NSW taxed developed land at around $140,000 block – six times the amount charged by other states.
It's dying because its health and safety rules use the French system of justice (guilty until proved innocent).
It's dying because there are a maze of bodies that strangle industrial development and the proper working functions of the state.
There are many other forces at work preventing this state from reaching its full potential. The business people and politicians in Queensland have developed a strategy of expansion based on the NSW joke. Melbourne will soon become Australia's largest city because of the Sydney/NSW morass.
But there's a problem. NSW is our richest state and Sydney is still our largest city so everybody suffers when the 'Premier State' is badly managed.
NSW desperately needs a premier like Anna Bligh, John Brumby or Nick Greiner. Or a partnership in the mould of Jeff Kennett and Alan Stockdale. Unfortunately none of those people are available. Let's hope somewhere there is a strong person prepared to tackle the favour ridden factions of NSW and the bodies within that stifle the development of the state.
If NSW's credit rating was slashed – which it ought to be – it might be a blessing in disguise. Voters would then surely demand proper leadership.
Even Harry Triguboff had some faith, stating that "Sydney will not die”. Because a leader will arise who will make the tough decisions. The sooner the better.
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