We're short one transport minister.

TE2815 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:55 pm

Others are:

Redundant Area Controller (anyone got a job going Question

)

dalts 1985 wrote:

(No offence intended to TE 2815 by the way with that comment/remark as TE2815 is one of the "old hands" & more knowledgeable blokes as shown in many a post/contribution")

Siderodromophobia- Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
My fotopic site

NSWRTM123 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:31 pm

Well Greg, you got your wish. Just remeber to be careful what you wish for.

Save Eveleigh from "progress".
No 12 storey zoning over LES
3801 limited and NSWRTM Forever
Alcos Rule!!!!!

cammo2005 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:10 pm

With Roozendaal as Treasurer, expect rail funding to be cut drastically (remember he was roads minister previously).

Hopefully most of the cutbacks at RailCorp are middle management though - where there is WAY too much fat.

^^
There's an apostrophe in don't.
Yes, I'm the smartsmeg who would always correct the teacher in my year.

Fireman Dave · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:41 pm

dalts 1985 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:01 pm

cammo2005 · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:25 pm

Of course, the middle managers won't have a bar of it, and frontline staff will be cut again. The government doesn't care so long as it gets its headline "$x billion saved".

Both major parties at state level have lost my vote - Labor because it couldn't organise a p*ssup in a brewery, and the Liberals for a similar reason. Both are completely and utterly inept. I mean, how on EARTH do you manage to bungle the 2007 election from opposition?!? And yet, they did it.

Call me old fashioned, but I thought the idea of our government's system was to have the people represented in some way, shape or form.

Because at current, all that seems to be represented is the egos and pork-barrelling tactics of a tired and inept parliament.

^^
There's an apostrophe in don't.
Yes, I'm the smartsmeg who would always correct the teacher in my year.

5814 · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:14 pm

Certainly the spectacle of recent NSW government is very discouraging as is the performance of the opposition, if anything even worse. On this site at least we all know about things like chronic neglect of rail in favour of road, and pathetic mismanagement that sees Sydney still without integrated public transport ticketing that was meant to be ready in time for the Sydney Olympics in 2000!

When Iemma, Costa and Sartor leaving Cabinet mean the quality has gone sharply down (which in my view it definitely has, in intellect and energy even if not in good manners or sympathy for rail in Costa's case) you know there's a problem.

At least Sartor wasn't the sort to give in to NIMBYs who drive their polluting huge 4WDs but object to rail freight terminals, or even extra tracks, anywhere in their area because those will somehow destroy the environment.

Just watch the new crop of ministers cave in or stall on these issues next time they come up - the "Greens" in Marrickville even objected to an extra track on the Botany branch!! Of course, it's the single line section now that causes most noise there, as trains have to start and stop and grind through the points. But with Virginia "No Port Enfield" Judge now in cabinet, even if thank god not in environment or planning, don't look for much courage or intellect there.

We shouldn't forget a few big "contributions" from Canberra to NSW transport problems during the Howard years:

(1) buying their way back in to power a few ties with tax cuts for people to turn into plasma TVs and higher house prices instead of investing in education, health and infrastructure including rail - a particular problem for Sydney as the place with the biggest amount of ageing infrastructure in need of expensive updates, and the place that has absorbed more population growth than anywhere else

(2) despite (1), NSW taxpayers have been actually subsidising the boom states of Qld and WA at least until very recently via dodgy Commonwealth grants commission formulas.

Probably no-one will listen to people of the quality of the current NSW government talking about either of these things, of course.

One hopeful sign is that Anthony Albanese who now has his hands on a very large bucket of federal money actually has an interest in urban infrastructure issues so maybe better things are ahead for rail in future

Back to NSW government however - those on this thread talking about more frontline positions being filled, I would not get your hopes up, a government now desparately looking for budget savings is bound to grab on to the recommendations of the recent review which recommended big cuts to station staffing in many locations, and even bigger cuts to guards, meaning all of them ... A few guards' jobs, or abandon our promise to build a shiny new metro line ... um just let me think about that one for 3 seconds Minister

Boss · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:18 pm

hurstville1 · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:36 pm

I'm glad I don't have to vote, sounds hard with all of these changes Smile

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Please don't speak in Ch@tsp3@k. Its the only language the 'idiots' know. If we don't speak chatspeak, they won't undertstand us =D

alltrainzfan · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:01 pm

I wish I could vote. Laughing

I like how politics goes around.

Seven News last night had a report which had Jeff Kennett talking about what happened when he won the 1992 Elections in Victoria. Labor NSW finds itself in a similar position to Labor in 1992 - heaps of debt. Joan Kirner's government was divided on the issue about how to manage the debt. They cut government spending and raised revenue, but will be problematic as that will cause war with the unions and members within its own party. And Kennett said that it's very, very difficult to fix the problem of debt, and that's how Labor lost that election. May we find a similar situation here in NSW now?

johnboy · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:04 pm

Inspector · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:39 pm

Speed · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:47 am

DHT · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:43 pm

While people might think that seeing Costa and Iemma off might lead to things improving, I doubt people actually realise who is left.

Eric Roozendaal was allowed to contest one of the safest Labor seats, why? Because he is a party powerbroker, hardly a person interested in the electorate. Same goes for John Della Bosca, who was known as a kingmaker prior to being named to join the ministry. To a lesser extent Joe Tripodi is also a powerbroker, more than actual politician.

Yet somehow people believe, blue-eyed, that these people are interested in what is happening to ordinary people in their electorate when they have spent most of their political lives in the dark back rooms of parliament, for Della Bosca and Roozendaal, much of it was spent as unelected bureaucrats. These are the same people who are suddenly going to stop handing out favours to their mates and start turning the rot which NSW has gotten itself into around. Right! Evil or Very Mad

sandown · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:11 am