Bring back Napoleon Bonaparte . That was the message in an email from a normally sober Darwin businessman who clearly wanted to have a therapeutic “rant” about the NT Government, bureaucrats, non-sticking car registration stickers , the new Smith Street walkway -just for starters.
He was particularly outraged by the Alice Springs building company collapse which has left tradesmen, suppliers and home owners in the lurch . Because of the government’s failure to act on warnings, he said home owners left with partly built structures were not protected by builders indemnity because successive NT governments for some 30 years had failed to make it compulsory .
By contrast, he said, it had been revealed at the inquiry into the Timor Sea Oil well blow out that the NT Department of Resources – in a mere half an hour - had given approval for a pressure cap rather than a cement plug in the well, thereby probably contributing to the West Atlas oil rig fire and 10 weeks of pollution.
SIHIP really wound him up. His comments came just before the announced sacking of Earth Connect from the deeply troubled program.He said it was a case of bureaucrats and others going mad with a fistful of dollars. In his 40 years in the Territory there had always been problems with housing in Aboriginal communities and small towns. Why , he asked, had not the bureaucrats or political masters of the day thought outside of the square for once and bought 50 or 100 transportable homes and put them in communities to ease the immediate problems and then build the permanent homes.
The transportables could then be relocated to the next community requiring assistance. Instead of this, consortiums were growing rich and providing very little. Sure, houses would be built under the present scheme , but at a rate so slow that by the time they were finished the housing problems would have grown exponentially.
The current crop of political leaders appeared to have no business acumen and few leadership skills, he continued. They seemed content to let a moribund public service call the shots and do nothing.
He was particularly outraged by the Alice Springs building company collapse which has left tradesmen, suppliers and home owners in the lurch . Because of the government’s failure to act on warnings, he said home owners left with partly built structures were not protected by builders indemnity because successive NT governments for some 30 years had failed to make it compulsory .
By contrast, he said, it had been revealed at the inquiry into the Timor Sea Oil well blow out that the NT Department of Resources – in a mere half an hour - had given approval for a pressure cap rather than a cement plug in the well, thereby probably contributing to the West Atlas oil rig fire and 10 weeks of pollution.
SIHIP really wound him up. His comments came just before the announced sacking of Earth Connect from the deeply troubled program.He said it was a case of bureaucrats and others going mad with a fistful of dollars. In his 40 years in the Territory there had always been problems with housing in Aboriginal communities and small towns. Why , he asked, had not the bureaucrats or political masters of the day thought outside of the square for once and bought 50 or 100 transportable homes and put them in communities to ease the immediate problems and then build the permanent homes.
The transportables could then be relocated to the next community requiring assistance. Instead of this, consortiums were growing rich and providing very little. Sure, houses would be built under the present scheme , but at a rate so slow that by the time they were finished the housing problems would have grown exponentially.
The current crop of political leaders appeared to have no business acumen and few leadership skills, he continued. They seemed content to let a moribund public service call the shots and do nothing.
Surprisingly, this longtime ALP supporter said the Territory needed another Paul Everingham (CLP) who had a vision and went for it. Former NT Chief Minister, Paul ”Porky” Everingham , was nicknamed “ Little Napoleon” by critics , hence our opening sentence, and took a strong hold on government. Once told by public servants that a certain project could not be done, Everingham is said to have told the bureaucrats they could sign resignation notices on the way out . This unexpected cannonade by our Little Corporal immediately resulted in a can do response.
Whether or not Napoleon could knock this outfit into shape is hard to tell. There are ominous signs of an uprising in Bastille territory : peasants, as usual , are restless south of the Berrimah Line and Spotlight reports sales of wool have skyrocketed because many warty crones have taken up knitting .
Whether or not Napoleon could knock this outfit into shape is hard to tell. There are ominous signs of an uprising in Bastille territory : peasants, as usual , are restless south of the Berrimah Line and Spotlight reports sales of wool have skyrocketed because many warty crones have taken up knitting .
