Comments on: Kosky: Minister for Passing the Buck http://treadly.net/2007/04/12/kosky-minister-for-passing-the-buck/ Work is just something I do between bike rides Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:01:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Treadly and Me http://treadly.net/2007/04/12/kosky-minister-for-passing-the-buck/comment-page-1/#comment-691 Treadly and Me Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:27:21 +0000 http://treadly.thingoid.com/?p=315#comment-691 <p>Well, I'm not quite so optimistic. I don't think it's a pendulum as much as a lead balloon.</p> <p>However there is ongoing and strident pressure to fix things, not least from <a href="http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/people/staff/meesp.html" rel="nofollow">Dr Paul Mees</a> of Melbourne Uni (your own academic stomping ground I believe Lis?)—indeed around this time last year I <a href="/2006/04/10/public-transport-failed-experiment/" rel="nofollow">mentioned a report</a> that he authored with a few other boffins about the failure of privatised public transport in Melbourne. And he regularly gets column inches in the papers, but he does seem to be a pretty lonely voice.</p> <p>My hope is that Kosky's disinterest and ineptitude will bring some of these issues into focus and some real public debate about ongoing private ownership of public transport will take place. Given the parlous state of the current operations it would be an absolute disgrace if the existing contracts were renewed without adequate review.</p> Well, I’m not quite so optimistic. I don’t think it’s a pendulum as much as a lead balloon.

However there is ongoing and strident pressure to fix things, not least from Dr Paul Mees of Melbourne Uni (your own academic stomping ground I believe Lis?)—indeed around this time last year I mentioned a report that he authored with a few other boffins about the failure of privatised public transport in Melbourne. And he regularly gets column inches in the papers, but he does seem to be a pretty lonely voice.

My hope is that Kosky’s disinterest and ineptitude will bring some of these issues into focus and some real public debate about ongoing private ownership of public transport will take place. Given the parlous state of the current operations it would be an absolute disgrace if the existing contracts were renewed without adequate review.

]]> By: Crowlie http://treadly.net/2007/04/12/kosky-minister-for-passing-the-buck/comment-page-1/#comment-690 Crowlie Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:22:25 +0000 http://treadly.thingoid.com/?p=315#comment-690 <p>Yeah, well, this kind of thing will happen when public infrastructure is sold off to profit making multi-nationals. There was a time when "capitalism" included Government management of such things as utilities, telecoms and public transport in order to provide a stable base from which the community and business could operate. These days such things are demonised as "communism" in the face of bloodthirsty free-market economics. I derive some consolation from the suggestion that the pendulum will inevitably swing back to some semblance of rationality at some stage.</p> Yeah, well, this kind of thing will happen when public infrastructure is sold off to profit making multi-nationals. There was a time when “capitalism” included Government management of such things as utilities, telecoms and public transport in order to provide a stable base from which the community and business could operate. These days such things are demonised as “communism” in the face of bloodthirsty free-market economics. I derive some consolation from the suggestion that the pendulum will inevitably swing back to some semblance of rationality at some stage.

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