The Turtle House

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Queensland Flood Cost

The Federal Govt will cover 75% of the total costs related to the Queensland floods. That's the role of the Federal Government, and it delivers. Meanwhile the Qld Govt keeps massively over estimating the cost, and calling out for donations; and it will collect as much money as it can from good donor-folk and control-release it so that it's not being 'ripped off' whereas in truth, and as usual, the Qld Govt is doing the ripping, and storing most away to support itself and a few friends later on. Money is power. The rain and the tears don't change a thing.

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Queensland Government

The main concern regarding the Queensland Floods is that the event was forseeable and only very minor infrastructural improvements have occurred since 1974.
The Queensland Government, of all the State and Territory Governments in Australia, is probably best known for never investing in the safety of its people in any real way. It's as if there is a very strong mindset within Government and the Departments to NOT invest.
Even now, the main push of the Government is to seek donations and support from the Federal Government and good minded people rtaher than use any of the $1.2billion it has on hand specifically for disaster relief.
The Queensland Govt on the other hand was happy to invest $250 million in burying CO2 emissions from the coal industry even though this idea doesn't work and has been abandoned. It was poorly researched but did support the coal industry for a few years pretending there was something really good about coal in a time of public outcry regarding pollution global warming etc. So, the investment served its publicity purpose, but was a total disservice to the Qld people. There are quite a few similar and recent failures of Government in Qld...but these are not well-intentioned errors, but rather strong support for various international companies, the price being paid by the people in terms of tax, and loss of life and property eventuating from the Govt's unwillingness to invest in good infrastructure in a State well known for its wild weather and tremendous droughts and floods.
At the same time it is a Government of massive incompetence where all problems are dealt with by protecting higher officials within the organisation itself rather than renovating the system that keeps delivering poor services; so the Govt actually can't learn, can't investigate its own weaknesses. It supports a bullying silence rather than enquiry.
Imagine a Government that spends hundreds of millions on a payroll system for its employees; a system that was not trialled effectively, and doesnt actually work. The outcome: the need to spend hundreds of millions to fix the problem and the only way to find the money to do so, is to discontinue the employment of large numbers of people the payroll system was put in place to actually pay. That's the Queensland Government. No one is to blame. the Chiefs are well protected, and the people suffer through a level of incompetence and indeed bullying that is quite remarkable and would be offensive in a Developing Nation, let alone in something that purports to be part of a First World Nation.
The first thing the Qld Govt did, in regards to the recent and ongoing flooding, was to launch publicity campaigns seeking funds rather than quickly using held monies to deal with the situation. They are still doing this now. I'm sure they will release some funds in the run up to the next election with an expensive publicity campaign noting the stoic brave Queensland people facing up to natural adversity, the great tragedy and loss, and the reliability of the empathetic, compassionate Government at the same time. This is what they always do where in fact the Government and its Department Heads are really best seen as maintaining malevolent negligence in regards to the needs of the people for decades. Recent flood events just add to the long-term mishandling of an economy and the real distain for the society itself.
As for the Australian Government, it's recent capitulation the the Mining Companies (who don't want to have to pay any tax at all), means Australia continues on its lessening revenue path towards a degrading of social infrastructure on the national level; with the only beneficiaries being Boards of Directors in England and the USA, and the Australian Government Ministers themselves.
It is a remarkable situation in which a weak Government, so scared of taxing the super-profits of mining companies at all, allows its own 'governance' role in the economy and in the society to weaken further to a point where all services, all infrastructure, all social planning must be cut back for the long, long term. The benefit? The current weak Government stays in power for maybe two years but only by being more powerless each day and only by leaving the nation's future in the hands of foreign businessmen.
It indicates a Government bereft of policy and of social responsibility not leading at all but rather hiding, only to emerge from time to time and saying 'Oh things will be tough for everyone for awhile; the economy is collapsing in terms of our ability to provide hospitals, schools, pensions and infrastructure well into the next decade, but the mining companies, we are pleased to say, are doing extremely well...and beyond their wildest dreams of avarice.'