State Election 2010

[Aidan]

Hooligan, I hope you realise that by doing that, you don't have any right to complain about government. Voting is you opportunity to make a difference - if you waste it, then you don't get to whinge.

No, everyone still gets to whinge - it's part of the right to free speech.

You may say you lose the right for your complaints to be taken seriously, but unfortunately we don't seem to have that right even if we do vote.

But Hooligan, please vote! A protest vote will do - in fact it's preferable, as the minor parties need all the encouragement they can get.

BTW Shuz, the voting system in SA elections is exactly the same as that in federal elections.

[Hooligan]

I was being sarcastic.....

[Wayno]

Whomever ends up winning, the 2010-14 governing party is likely to have lots of extra cash to fund sexy things (roads, rails, stadium, schools, prisons, health infrastructure, etc), unless they blow it of course.

Many additional mines (gold, iron ore, coal, uranium, copper, zircon, blah) will be operating by 2010-12. Not only will these mines generate immediate income via royalties & employment taxes, but they will also increase our State Govts ability to borrow (at cheaper rates than we can obtain today) - all while keeping our AAA rating.

2014-2018 should even be better - assuming ODX expansion is completed. If you think Rann is spending lots of cash leading up to this election, wait for the 2014 pre-election spend - should be quite impressive!!

[rhino]

Many additional mines (gold, iron ore, coal, uranium, copper, zircon, blah) will be operating by 2010-12.

Where is the blah mine and who is the operator?

[Wayno]

Many additional mines (gold, iron ore, coal, uranium, copper, zircon, blah) will be operating by 2010-12.

Where is the blah mine and who is the operator?

Blah is non-ferrous anti-matter found exclusivley in SA (as opposed to the low-quality ferrous anti-matter found elsewhere - hardly worth not existing at all). It is found in small quantites in between crevices made of Etc & E.g. The main use of Blah is to facilitate in the production of Thingo's and Dooda's - very valuable indeed!

There's a few Blah mining operators in SA. The main one being Whatsisname.

[rhino]

I'm buying some shares tomorrow!

[stumpjumper]

To return to the general topic of State Architect - it would be nice to return to a single office for delivering major projects.

We used to have the variously named Public Buildings Department/SACON/Asset Management Division. Now we have DTEI - Department of Transport Energy and Infrastructure which oversees Major Projects Division in each Ministry.

So the Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse has its own Major Projects Division which is delivering the new mental health facilities. The MHSA MPD has its own managers, supply officers etc.

The duplications are incredible, and should a project cut across two or more departments the result is an almost impenetrable wall of bureaucracy with lines of responsibility and reporting snaking around so that getting approval for anything takes days of sending and receiving emails which often countermand each other or make new requirements or require conflicting procedures developed by each independent agency, to the extent that a lot of service contractors like myself are driven to distraction trying to achieve the smallest progress in a project. Invariably, what happens is that someone ultimately approves a short cut or a fudge which makes a joke of the entire bureaucratic structure the departments have set up.

If you don't believe me, visit the Major Projects office of a government department. Whether or not they're building anything, there'll be ceaseless activity - endless meetings generating report after report which generate even more meetings. It really is that bad.

A former SACON employee now at MHSA told me that he thought it now took twice as long at twice the cost with twice the people to procure a building. I compared costs for my last finished product - a commercial building - and found that our costs were about half across the board. The MHSA Major Projects Division would never win an open tender.

Still, the taxpayer picks up the tab, so who give a rat's ar*se.

[stumpjumper]

Pretty untidy stuff for a Premier.

A discreet, private affair in some distant bedroom is one thing, but (alleged) goings on in the Premier's office and cars in the Park Lands...

I couldn't say whether it will cost Rann anything or not. It's interesting watching him still trying to control the media:

"I will respond on Monday afternoon..."

I wonder if the press pack will turn on its master?

[AtD]

I'm sure you're rubbing your hands with glee but I would say the only people who'd care wouldn't vote ALP anyway. Who's the leader of the opposition again?

[adam73837]

A post.

[adam73837]

Just quickly, for all my beloved post critics out there, I personally know people that suffer from depression and I do hope Foley undergoes a quick recovery.

[peas_and_corn]

Negative attention only works if there's positive attention to the alternative. It will have no appreciable effect on the upcoming election.

[Wayno]

I suspect the Libs will use the next few weeks to full effect. Rann is on his back-foot and it'll be more difficult for him to play his normal game of political deflection. Interesting times...

[crawf]

This could end his political career.

Interesting times ahead for the SA Government

[Hooligan]

How dare someone have sex with someone they are not married to!!!!!

Rann is going to spend an eternity in the fiery pits of hell now!!!!