In dealing with Inpex , the NT Government would be wise to heed the words of that famous moose shooter , Sarah Palin , candidate for the US Vice President’s job, who stated Alaska was sick and tired of being given the run around by oil and gas companies.
Frankly, the idea of issuing a list of 120 movers and shakers in the NT this year seems absurd when so many sections of the NT regime have been found wanting , sluggish, incompetent and possibly criminally negligent . Examine a short list -SIHIP, health shortcomings, coronial findings of hospital mishandling patients , a critical education report , overloaded child careworkers , failure to reduce the grog outlets in Alice , the supershires apology , building approvals which go against the regulations , etcetera, etcetera.
Key sections are under review, the Commonwealth is keeping a beady eye on departments and some inepts are becoming twitchy and look, fearfully, over their shoulders , wondering if their dream run is about to end.
A businessman recently said there is a kind of paralysis gripping people in high office because of the relentless searchlight focused on the performance of so many aspects of the NT Government. This fear made it difficult to get a firm decision out of people. One day there was a deal, the next there was a change of plans, a delay, uncertainty about what to do .
Swanning about town are individuals with grand titles and incomes , perks and other fringe benefits , who are , plainly , not doing their job properly. It is a fact that in several key areas of government the staff live in despairing cynicism that anything will change. They see a government so weakened that it is scared to say boo to its own shadow. Recently, a known difficult , bombastic head in a vital public area, paid tribute to a number of staff who had departed. This caused wry smiles as they left because they had had enough of him. Replacing them will be costly and difficult .
Other public servants fed up with their senior officers and “ the system”, which does not work , are looking for an out. One pompous fellow who has built up an empire of mates has been heard say his establishment is there to waste government money.
Another mugwump, obviously out of his depth ,driving personnel to distraction, struts about like a field marshall. Contributing to this unsatisfactory situation is that the ministers with portfolio responsibility for these people appear not to have a strong hand on the tiller. Their advisers , often graduates of “ the sytem” themselves , seem not to have the grit needed to help their minister to get on top of the situation. The commercial business world is not exempt from criticism as some of the enterprises are “rough as guts” and gung ho in work practices, of particular concern for the safety of young apprentices .
