Barnett splashes cash to staff – The West Australian

Now here’s some real bullshit. Barnett splashes cash to staff – The West Australian: 

Just as WA Premier Colin Barnett announces austerity measures across the public service, right down to stationery, he give political staffers (advisors) hefty pay rises.

In one instance, chief media advisor Dix Marshall jumps $84,00 to $245,000.

As far as I’m aware, all she does is swear at people.

All so hypercritical from someone who really is seen as ‘the emperor”.

Oh yes, what was Dixie’s advice on the media storm that ensued? “Say nothing”. Brilliant advice for $245,000.

Election brochures so sanitised

Strange. We don’t have a local MP, as our sitting MP John Kobelke (a great member) is retiring. Naturally he’s backed the Labour candidate, Janet Pettigrew, whose election guff arrived this week.

Her brochure is such a predictable piece of propaganda that it makes me think twice about voting for her. There’s nothing about who she actually is; just a lot of words about how many committees she’s been on.

Every photo is the same – Janet with a local resident who’s associated with some issue she’s been involved in. All a big yawn, really. 

I’m assuming all electorate material is the same. Really, what I want is to know the person. After all, it’s a week to voting and this is the first time I’ve been introduced to the candidate. 

What a waste of water, our most precious resource

WA’s Department of Water is reportedly wasting the resource it’s supposed to protect, according to today’s Sunday Times / PerthNow.

“More than half a gigalitre of water, enough to fill more than 230 Olympic-sized pools, was drawn illegally by users of the Gnangara Mound, but only $7500 in fines were issued,” the paper says.

Brilliant.

It’s about the Department, which is supposed to regulate / monitor WaterCorp. But both are useless, as are many Perth residents, who continue to water their lawns, our most precious resource, wasted on weeds.

The reason this is allowed is that WaterCorp research shows if Perth didn’t have been lawns it would be bad psychologically (WaterCorp won’t tell us that – it’s a secret). Well, we don’t water our corner block and it comes back green when the rain arrives.

WA has it priorities wrong. Sad to say the politicians here have no balls, otherwise they’d introduce watering bans, not restrictions. If you’d lived in places that have almost zero water, as I have, you’d appreciated the waste.

Colin Barnett pork barrelling

It’s blatantly obvious there’s an election in WA. Premier Colin Barnett has already resurrected the TV ads that tell everyone what a marvellous job the government is doing. Now he surpassed that by announcing a $300,000 shark tower for Cottesloe Beach, which just happens to be in his electorate. What about the other beaches in Perth?

 See:

Premier’s electorate to get shark tower – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

More lousy journalism

An example of how the WA media is so parochial and pathetic. This story is more than a week old. The PerthNow web site (and the Sunday Times newspaper – front page) decide to give it the usual parochial treatment of “Perth”. Trouble is what about the rest of the teenagers in WA? Don’t they like sending rude pictures to their friends, too? Apart from that, it’s a piss-poor story.

Teenagers embrace new secret sexting craze on smartphones | Perth Now: “”

(Via.)

Call me cynical

The WA Premier yesterday announced he would introduce a Minister for Veterans – a laudable move.

However, I suspect he has the election in mind by doing so. Veterans are a fairly sizeable group in society and have effective organisations behind them (RSL and young vets groups). Their voting patterns are likely to be Labor and LIberal. 

What better way to won them all over by having a Veterans Minister? It shows the government cares.

Needless to say, Opposition Leader Mark McGowan says he’ll do the same, should Labor be elected.

I’d hope Barnett could make a start by offering Veterans free transport, as they do in NSW. 

I’ve written to Transport, the Minister and my coal Member about this, with no luck.

Surely in a State supposedly as wealthy as WA, the government can see its way clear to provide this small benefit to Vets? Why wait until the election? SHow some interest.

However, I’m not so sure why the government has waited so long. And I’m sceptical about its motives. Wouldn’t be the first time they pork-barrelled.

ANZAC Day is for Veterans

The RSL in Western Australia has reversed its decision to allow wives and relatives of Veterans to march among Vets.

I believe this is a sound decision.

ANZAC Day was (and still is) about Veterans.

While the families (particularly wives and children) have played an enormous role in their spouse’s service, they still do not belong with units during the March.

The appropriate place is in a group towards the rear of the march: perhaps just ahead of the overseas contingents.

I am sure members of the RSL (of which I am one) would be divided on the issue. However, they could conduct a survey to find out what members want.

Meantime, the wives and family members would be all too welcome to mix with units before or after the March. Most units have reunions, which I’m sure would welcome relatives.

WA votes for sanity

WA voted “no” to daylight saving yesterday. It cost $10 million to tell most of us what we already knew: that early mornings are the best. We certainly don’t need it, as we already get “an extra 20 minutes” of sunshine, being on the far end of the western time zone. Scarborough Beach, 5.30am. Heaven.