Bracks counts eggs before they hatch: Snowy Sale Off
Steve Bracks has found a black hole in his budget following the scrapping of the Snowy Hydro sale. Relying on the sale as a certainty was a mistake, as there are no guarantees in privatisations.
The Age advises Victorian to not believe the claims of the Bracks Government, that it will be business as usual. Promised funding to schools (to the tune of $600 million) will not eventuate in the time given.
More from
The Daily Telegraph,
The Advertiser and the
Herald Sun.
Labels: Education, Rural, Snowy Hydro, Treasury, Water
Doctors' Exodus
VICTORIA'S doctor shortage will worsen if the State Government fails to lift pay rates, medical authorities have warned.Australian Medical Association state president Mark Yates said unless pay increased, Victoria would lose doctors from public hospitals as they went interstate for better deals.
"Doctors are very restless in Victoria because of the lack of response that we have had from the Bracks Government," Dr Yates said.
Dr Yates said doctors in QLD and NSW were paid up to 56 per cent more than their Victorian counterparts.
Victoria has a shortage of some 900 doctors and this is expected to grow to 1500 by 2012, prompting the State Government to boost the number of medical students. However, the new students will not begin to fill the gaps until 2012, making action to attract and retain doctors a priority, Dr Yates said.
From
The AgeLabels: Education, Health, Media Commentary
Party Away Your Health Worries
$450,000
Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars
Thats how much Steve Bracks and his government have spent to celebrate the opening of the new
Austin and
Mercy hospitals.
Amongst the bill for Victorian taxpayers:
- $15,000 for roving performers and stage acts
- $9300 for muffins, danishes, slices and other refreshments
- $15,000 for invitations and flyers
- $46,000 for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike's Party
Tax Justice Association national director Peter McDonald puts it best:
"You don't need to have 20,000 people at something as a feelgood exercise: all you need is an announcement through the media and everyone will know the new hospital, or whatever, is open."
This isn't the first time that Bracks has used big events to soften the pain for cost blowouts. From Victorian Hansard on 1 March 2006:
"Last April the Premier and the Minister for Transport had Max the Magician, Spaghetti the Clown and Thomas the Tank Engine selling the Spencer Street railway station redevelopment and the fast rail project at a party bash, a pathetic public relations stunt that, based on the good freedom of information work done by the member for Brighton — cost taxpayers at least $170 000, all for a one-day shindig. It was a ridiculous open day when nothing was in fact actually open."
also Railpage:
Despite the many thousands of dollars spent advertising the event, just 4500 people attended the day-long festivities at Spencer St Station in April. As well as clowns, face painters and rides for the children, the publicity stunt featured 10,000 balloons, ribbons, banners, stickers, audio-visual displays and two photographers to record it all.
The Bracks Government has spent $800,000-plus on parties and breakfasts to "sell" troubled major projects to voters and will spend about $5 million more on ads and events leading up to this year's election. Think of the money that could have been spent to retain Victorian doctors.
Labels: Advertising, Education, Health, Transport
An Ode To The Bracks Government
Team Brackswatch has received the following submission from a reader. All readers are welcomed to make submissions using the link on the right.I would like to thank the Bracks government for bringing us the Commonwealth Games.
I would like to thank them for using monstrous amounts of my money to turn a school sports event into a pseudo-Olympic games.
Thank you for thus ensuring that very ordinary Aussie athletes could thus stand tall among the pigmies of the sporting world.
Thanks to all the institutes of sport, who pay, house and feed mediocre athletes to enable them to become good mediocre athletes and not have to resort to actually working for a living.
Thank you to the Aussie athletes who whipped the pants off international powerhouses like Jersey, Swaziland and Banghalawootitoti.
Thanks to the Victorian tax payer, who will end up paying in excess of $500 each to subsidize the games.
Thank you for also taking up the slack and buying the tickets that were sent back when no tourists wanted to come to our party.
So, as I lie here in my little beddie, with a warm and fussy inner glow, I am so glad that $40 million was well spent on an opening ceremony and not wasted by improving our hospital waiting lists, helping the aged or upgrading schools and/or roads.
I can sleep peacefully and happy - thank you.
Oh, I almost forgot....a very special thank you to John Steffenson for carrying on like a drug-crazed pork chop - what a lovely "role-model" for our kids he is.
Labels: Commonwealth Games, Education, Guest Post, Health
