Issue 209 07 December 2015 to 14 January 2016
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Issue 209 07 December 2015 to 14 January 2016 Swimming pool at Portarlington IN THIS ISSUE Political donations Branch stacking NewMarket Reunion IBAC widens Parliament expansion, a bit Our Yarra. Our Clock. Uber Future Swanston Street toe main undisturbed Christmas Carol Sadness Union negotiations Union stands Unions planning Ice? Where? Ship at Portland Melbourne Port Sale Very hot rail lines. Black spots . About Us Affairs of State Letter from Melbourne 14 Collins Street Melbourne, 3000 Since 1994. A monthly public affairs newsletter distilling public policy and govern- Victoria, Australia ment decisions which effect business opportunities in Victoria, Australia and P 03 9654 1300 beyond. 2,000,000 words available to search digitally. F 03 9654 1165 3 Editorial 10 Local Government [email protected] www.affairs.com.au 3 State Government & Politics 10 Melbourne Letter From Melbourne is a monthly public affairs 5 Federal 11 Planning bulletin, a simple précis, distilling and interpreting 5 Agriculture 11 Sports public policy and government decisions, which affect business opportunities in Victoria and 5 Arts 12 Transport – Ports Australia. 5 Education 12 Transport – Air Written for the regular traveller, or people with 6 Energy 12 Transport – Rail meeting-filled days, it’s more about business 6 Environment & Conservation 13 Transport – Taxis, etc. opportunities than politics. 7 Events 13 Transport – Road Letter from Melbourne is independent. It’s not party political or any other political. It does not have the 7 Health 14 Welfare imprimatur of government at any level. Letter from 7 Business & Investment 14 Society Melbourne developed a federal and national coverage. This spawned Letter from Canberra 8 Industrial Relations 14 Vale (www.letterfromcanberra.com.au) four years ago. 9 Justice & Police 15 VECCI The only communication tool of its type, Letter from Melbourne keeps subscribers abreast of recent About the editor developments in the policy arena on a local, state Alistair Urquhart, BA LLB and federal level. Alistair Urquhart graduated from the Australian National Published by A.B Urquhart & Company Pty Ltd University in Canberra, in Law, History and Politics. He may even hold the record for miles rowed on Lake Burley Griffin. trading as Affairs of State. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Disclaimer: Material in this publication is general Court of Victoria, and remains a (non-practicing) member of comment and not intended as advice on any the Law Institute of Victoria. Previously, he graduated from high school in Bethesda, Maryland, and had many particular matter. Professional advice should to be opportunities to become aware of the workings of sought before action is taken. Washington D.C. Material is complied from various sources For 30 years, he listened every Sunday evening to the late Alistair Cooke and his Letter from America . Alistair’s early including newspaper articles, press releases, career was mostly in the coal industry, where he became government publications, Hansard, trade journals, involved with energy, environmental and water issues, and etc. later in the SME finance sector. The Editor and some friends in the Surf Copyright: This newsletter is copyright. No part may He found time to be involved in a range of community activities where he came to understand some of the be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a practical aspects of dealing with government and meeting retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by people across the political spectrum. He now chairs a large any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, disability employment service, including its British operations. recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission from the publisher. About the publisher Affairs of State Affairs of State respects your privacy. While we do believe that the information contained in Letter from Established in 1993, is an independent Australian public affairs firm with contemporary international connections. Affairs of State provides a matrix of professional tools to multinational businesses, professional and industry Melbourne will be useful to you, please advise us if associations, government agencies, pressure groups, NGOs and community causes in Australia and abroad. you do not wish to receive any further communications from us. The firm works with many engineering and information technology firms and other professional association and industry groups on a wide range of issues in Victoria, Canberra and overseas. Edited words in this edition: 14,994 The firm provides the following to clients: 209 editions. 2.45 million words approx. - Two monthly publications - Events at our offices and elsewhere - Charts and specialist directories Staff - Facilitation with business and legal skills Editor - Training courses Alistair Urquhart - Mentoring of senior executives [email protected] Sub Editor (since Edition 199) Josh Davis [email protected] Design Cory Zanoni [email protected] This issue designed by Mab Rahman Copy Editor Robert Stove [email protected] Subscriptions & advertising Katie Rigg [email protected] 07 December 2015 to 14 January 2016 Letter From Melbourne EDITORIAL employer of ministerial staff. Since it took office ALP And Branch-Stacking a year ago, it has added 30 new positions. The Age announced on December 12 that the Your editor had to buy some horse manure for Victorian ALP had failed in a dramatic legal bid the Garden over Christmas, which was not a At present there are 258 advisers, assistants, to close down the anti-branch-stacking long drive in whichever direction from the spin-doctors, and drivers working for the campaign of its leading reform champion. The seaside cottage, one or two dollars a bag. A Premier and for his cabinet colleagues. It costs State Supreme Court outcome allows a veteran pretty good deal. He was soon musing about the an estimated $25 million to keep all them on the party activist, Eric Dearricott , continued access state of Melbourne’s roads back in the 1890’s payroll. The revelation comes as the to the party’s membership records, so that he when, evidently, there was a big administration faces questions over its finances. can continue to pursue his anti-branch-stacking debate/discussion as to what would happen as One in five of the 236 ministerial staff works crusade. Melbourne’s City area/CBD horse use continued directly for the Premier . to grow. Perhaps with manure to reach the Those who enthusiastically greeted the win for height of a two storey building in the main The Premier claims a retinue of 30 advisers, not Dearricott as a victory for party democracy and streets. counting a director of policy, a director of transparency included none other than John parliament and strategic relations, a legal Cain , who in 1982 became Victoria’s first ALP Over Christmas coffee, someone mentioned counsel, a chief of staff, a deputy chief of staff, a Premier in 27 years (the last such Premier, a that Holden’s horse and saddlery business in media director, a media adviser, a separate victim of the party’s 1954-55 split, had been his Adelaide was well into its stride by then. Then suburban media adviser, and two assistants, as own father). ‘Whistleblowers need protection,’ we got the car, all hurried up in its delivery as a well as administrative support personnel. Cain observed. ‘The party shouldn’t be trying to result of the First World War. Rushing along the shut him up.’ Cain retired from the Premiership road, we come to the Victorian Hire-Purchase Keeping It Real? No, Keeping It Vague in 1990. Act 1958, which released a tsunami of cars onto A Herald Sun article on November 26 discussed the roads and highways as so many more an impressive show of unanimity by the major ALP Action people could now afford a car, and at the same parties in Victoria’s Parliament. They have The Victorian ALP is moving swiftly to recover time denying Flinders Street Station the role of baulked at a recent call by the State credit card and personal data it says was being the busiest pedestrian train station in the Ombudsman to clean up the procedures for unlawfully obtained from its database by a party World. political donations, and to weaken through new dissident and self-styled whistleblower, amid statutory procedures the grounds for assuming threats of criminal charges and court action, as Melbourne’s competition with Sydney for the that politicians are simply being bought. per The Australian . population growth and the citification/urbanisation (from The Bush) of the Planning Minister Richard Wynne refused to More than 200 ALP members in Victoria will Australian and Victorian population all gave reveal whether he supported or opposed the lose their party membership immediately and a Melbourne a huge boost, and the citification of plea, which Ombudsman Deborah Glass made, further 270 face similar consequences over jobs. to ban developer donations and introduce new branch-stacking breaches in the biggest transparency laws. He said that this was the membership purge in Labor history. Your Editor reckons that 15 April 2014 was the responsibility, not of himself, but of his cabinet day that Melbourne and a large number of its colleague, Special Minister of State Gavin An investigation into fraudulent membership suburbs hit quasi-gridlock for eighteen hours of Jennings . Meanwhile, the Coalition is equally also lead to two “low level” Labor operatives each day. It won’t get better for some many unenthusiastic about urgings to reform donation likely facing branch-stacking charges. years. Public transport is at overload. The rules. Geelong trains over this past Christmas period The purge comes after insiders accused groups would get about a 4. Bad on time. Bad on Political Donations associated with federal leader Bill Shorten of arrival. Bad on seat availability. As said in the Donations from property developers to political using prepaid gifts cards to pay for editorial of the last Edition, most candidates create a perception that politicians memberships.