Michael Costa - Roads Minister

[igor]

I am scared. Anyone else? I told about this to a guy at work and his resonse was: "The cars are going to be late now".

Anyway I hope we don't get any more of his zero-tolerance type policies.

[ApleX]

what did he say ?

[fatz]

lol stuffs up the trains so he gets roads lol

gold

word on the street is he has a liberal policy on speed limits

[lwells]

Word is that he actually made a lot of reforms (for the better) in the transport portfolio, but the results haven't been seen yet. He is being moved so he doesn't get tarnished by the fallout from public anger re: the trains.

Can't be worse than Scully

LW.

[igor]

He didnt say anything as just yet, not that I heard of. I know he has transformed the police for better but didnt quite make it with the trains. My reason for the post is that he has been known as a hard line kind of person, which i really dont want to see on the roads.

[lwells]

igor: frankly it doesn't matter much what the person is like. It comes down to whatever government policy is, and that's mainly at the discresion of Bob Car and the inner sanctum.

LW.

[igor]

I don't agree, he is still a minister. if he says to Carr that 100 more speed cameras are great for keeping the budget in surplus I am sure that Bob wouldn't say no.

On the other hand the reshuffle was a political survival exercise for Carr, so we should expect popular reforms - tax cuts etc. Well, for some time anyway.

[lwells]

I don't agree, he is still a minister. if he says to Carr that 100 more speed cameras are great for keeping the budget in surplus I am sure that Bob wouldn't say no.

On the other hand the reshuffle was a political survival exercise for Carr, so we should expect popular reforms - tax cuts etc.

As a card carrying member of the Labor Party, I can assure you that policy is very centralised in the Carr government. Costa will undoubtedly have input, but his personal feelings on issues are irrelevant to what will get the party reelected (bearing in mind an election is coming soon and the Governments' approval rating has slumped).

LW.

[igor]

That's true. In that case what is role for the ministers? Advisors?

[lwells]

Well it depends. Some ministers are little more than figure heads: they know sh!t all about their portfolio, and aren't really that interested in it. They are there to be a parrot, basically. Decisions are made at the centre, and implemented below the minister by the bureaucrats (department heads, etc).

Some are far more hands on. This tends to be true of the important social and economic policy areas -- budget/treasury, health, education, the usual suspects. Those in important portfolios are not there due to any particular interest or knowledge of the area, but because they are powerbrokers (or alternatively, back by powerbrokers). For those two reasons -- important portfolio and backed by powerful factions -- they have to be listened too.

However, it all flies out the window on the approach to an election. Expect a lot of "housekeeping" in the next few months as the government announces are range of "tough on X, Y, Z" policies designed to appeal to marginal voters.

LW.

[igor]

However, it all flies out the window on the approach to an election.  Expect a lot of "housekeeping" in the next few months as the government announces are range of "tough on X, Y, Z" policies designed to appeal to marginal voters.

LW.

Thats what i was thinking.

[GTRSRULE!!!]

sounds like costa sacked scully yet again

[Abo Bob]

Didn't we have an election only about a year or so ago and don't we only have to vote every 4 years in NSW?

[lwells]

Didn't we have an election only about a year or so ago and don't we only have to vote every 4 years in NSW?

2003.

Parties don't swing in to election mode when the election is announced. I would give the government another 6-12 months before things are switched to a "war footing".

I can tell you there are a lot of people in the Labor Party worried about the upcoming NSW election. Carr is looking like a dictator, and not a very effective one at that.

LW.

[igor]

So they should be. Bad bad publicity lately. Schools, hospitals and trains are up the shit creek, i almost thought the entire state labour government was going to resign.