Chairman Dan

[onetrack]

Zempilas is a former radio and TV jock who got elected as Mayor of the Perth City Council, and who's got bugger-all idea about economic management.

He's lived inside a sheltered workshop for the privileged all his life, earning more money in a week, than normal people earn in a year.

 

These "public personalities" are all about media image, getting their face into everything, and turning themselves into a "brand name" whereby they command hundreds of thousands in income just for sticking their face on something.

 

The blokes an economic dill, I wouldn't let him play with more than $100 in Monopoly Money, and the City of Perth isn't exactly flush with funds, after the whole council was suspended in 2018 for financial mismanagement, poor governance and for being generally dysfunctional.

 

It was reported back then, it would take at least 3 years to get the PCC back on track, and they're still struggling to meet all the THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY improvement recommendations, made by the Govt Inquiry into the PCC, which lasted for 2 years.

 

Zempilas is going exactly opposite to an earlier statement today by Premier Roger Cook, that the W.A. Govt could see no advantage in holding the Games, and they were not going to invest any money into doing so.

Of course, if the Games had a huge Aboriginal slant, I'm sure the W.A. Govt would rush to finance it with billions.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-11/city-of-perth-report-finds-systemic-failures-poor-leadership/12544684

 

https://www.governmentnews.com.au/gn-chats-with-a-ceo-michelle-reynolds-perth-city-council/

 

 

 

[old man emu]

I'm going to congratulate Chairman Dan for making that decision. It's not that I'm against Sport, but it simply makes sense to me that when money is tight, what one has should be spent on the essentials, which you all have identified. What sensible household spends its money on luxuries and goes cold, hungry and unhoused because there is not enough left to provide the essentials?

 

Poor Dan seems to be walking along the sharp edge of a razor. If he OK'd the Games, the Opposition would pillory him for wasting taxpayers' money. If he vetoes the Games, the Opposition would pillory him for denying the people modern facilities and the profits from the increase in tourism.

[nomadpete]

5 hours ago, willedoo said:

I wish our government had the courage to do the same and can the Olympics. We have people on three year waiting lists for essential operations, people with jobs having to live in their cars and a lot of people struggling to find a GP who will take new patients. With all this, we are spending billions of taxpayer dollars on sporting stadiums and games infrastructure - and for what? - a state government vanity project so they can big note themselves. The sensible thing would be to cancel the games and direct all the money to Queensland Health.

Oh. Qld?

For a moment I thought that you were talking about  Tasmania!

[red750]

If it's going to cost that much, who made the initial assessment? How could they be so far wrong? 

 

He's still going ahead with providing the sporting infrastructure promised to regional areas, with stadiums for a major function like the Commonwealth Games, for local crowds. And they will still build the competitor village, which will ease the accommodation shortage in Ballarat. On the old cattle saleyards, with lots of toxic soil.

 

Seems the way to get everyone on this forum to agree on anything is for me to post something opposing it.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

Why oh why I ask, can a govt not agree to a "cut-price games" where the games CEO was given a budget and compelled to stay within it?

[Bruce Tuncks]

Here's how I would do the compelling....  The FIRST going over the budget would come from the CEO's own money.

I bet this has never been tried.

[Marty_d]

These things are always a huge waste of money. I heard the lamest comment from some bloke on the radio bemoaning that upcoming young athletes wouldn't get to further their career at elite level. WTF?  Is their career worth billions? How about we further the careers of thousands of teachers, nurses and age carers first - careers that actually matter?

[spacesailor]

" always a waste of money " .

This ' voice referendum ' IS this biggest waste of money , especially at this time

Of monetary strife . $ 336.6 millions  are to be spent on ' apartheid ' , for what good will it do for the Poor of both ' Australian '  black or coloured people. 

spacesailor

 

 

[facthunter]

The Victorian  idea was to give something to the regions to promote them, but the  venues would never be filled after the event. To keep it in Melbourne would be far cheaper. Cancelling it is just commonsense. Houses will be useful, but not big Ovals and stands.. Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

On 18/07/2023 at 11:24 AM, Bruce Tuncks said:

Here's how I would do the compelling....  The FIRST going over the budget would come from the CEO's own money.

I bet this has never been tried.

Only for small business owner/CEOs...

[Jerry_Atrick]

Over here, there's hardly been a mention of it, except a couple of papers have said Birmingham would be ideal. I was listening to a BBC 5 Live morning radio show called Wake Up to Money, and everyone agreed with what he did, on the assumption the cost blowout is true, of course. So, over here, not much controversy.

I don’t think it will affect Melbourne/Vic as the self-proclaimed capital of Aussie sports. Melbournians will flock to the MCG to watch the Tiddliwinks world championship in their droves if it were put on.

Not using existing facilities apparently is a non-starter as they are already booked up more or less. And of course, we can put the sportspeople in hotels, but where would the spectators from around the world stay?

And, let’s not forget.. sport these days is more entertainment as far as the governing bodies are concerned. IOC, Commonwealth Games, FIFA. AFL, NRL – they are about making money, and for the international games, based on countries picking up the costs.

But, I do agree that this is humiliating for DA, on a few fronts. First – how can the cost estimates be so wildly inaccurate? We are talking about a three – four-fold increase and interest rates/inflation on the surface does not account for it. So either, he is over-egging it, or someone failed miserably aty their homework.

Secondly, does it show the government takes some large decisions on a whim? The Commonwealth Games couldn’t find a host, so this gives the impression that DA just said, “Stuff it, we will do it”. What was the planning that went into it? The cause was noble, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions as they say. But worse, what else does he and his government do on a whim?

Thirdly – is the debt burden more of an issue than the government is letting on? Because of the lack of transparency and some vague claims of seemingly impossible to believe cost blowouts, there is scepticism of whether the cost blowout is real. The reality may be that unless the games pay for themselves, the additional debt for a frivolous feel good exercise may be too much to bear (or is it bare – I will refer to the Grammar Policeman on today’s beat – or is it beet)?

 

But, in the end, I would agree he has made the right decision. On a wider note, I don’t understand why the press pillories pollies for back-tracing when they have got something wrong. Go ahead with it and you are criminal; back track and you are ridiculed… Strange obsession that one is.

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

I will refer to the Grammar Policeman on today’s beat

Move along. Nothing to see here.

[red750]

The Daniel Andrews flow-on effect. Based on Andrew's pull-out of the Commonwealth Games, Canada has decided to do the same for the 2030 games.

 

Pity his father didn't pull out in tiime.

[facthunter]

It's a good decision and the Games People have trouble finding ANYONE who will be in it,.  Who says it's BASED on the Andrews decision?  Canada would make their own assessment. Does Trudeau go to the People and say "we're out because Australia decided as they have"?  Thats not how things work. No one else wanted it when we stepped up. Your last line doesn't  qualify as worthy of comment .  Nev

[red750]

"We believe the recent decision by the Victorian government to withdraw from the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a significant factor in Alberta's decision, as well as an over-dependence on taxpayers' support for the planning and delivery of the Games," a statement from Commonwealth Sport Canada said.

 

[octave]

2 minutes ago, red750 said:

"We believe the recent decision by the Victorian government to withdraw from the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a significant factor in Alberta's decision, as well as an over-dependence on taxpayers' support for the planning and delivery of the Games," a statement from Commonwealth Sport Canada said.

 

It is surely irrelevant.  We do not have a duty to go through something that does not financially stack up in order to prevent other countries from making similar decisions.  I do certainly think questions should be asked about the soundness of the original decision to host.   

[red750]

OK. Let's dump the Olympic Games, F1 Grand Prix, State of Origin, AFL Grand Final,Avalon Air Show and anything else that gives so many millions excitement and pleasure. Back to work you lot! If it's not turning a profit, it's not worth doing.

[facthunter]

Red, that's a persons "Belief" followed by reasons which also applied here. Victoria under many governments has tried to have Melbourne on the Map even at a loss sometimes. Governments are also expected to act responsibly with money being spent and never more than NOW.  Nev

[red750]

Oops, forgot the Australian Open.

[nomadpete]

1 minute ago, red750 said:

Back to work you lot! If it's not turning a profit, it's not worth doing.

Perhaps, if we can't afford a particular luxury, we shouldn't spend on it. Perhaps it is wiser to spend on hospitals, etc, instead.

[facthunter]

Each one will have different circumstances and priorities and it's a bit extreme to want an ALL or NOTHING approach. Making  GOOD decisions is what is expected of governments.   Nev

[octave]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

F1 Grand Prix, State of Origin, AFL Grand Final,Avalon Air Show

 

1 hour ago, red750 said:

Oops, forgot the Australian Open.

 

I am not necessarily against these events being hosted in Melbourne.  There is a big difference though. The events you mention (other than the Olympics) utilize existing infrastructure.   My problem is with rebuilding new arenas, courts, and fields, etc, when these things already exist.  The economic case does not stack up.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I'm with Octave here. And, I still don't understand why the games can't be given to a grumpy old man who has to work within a fixed budget. Most of the contributers to this site would be fine.

Maybe, in an act of madness, Victoria agreed that hosting the games meant giving away financial control to some committee of foreigners?

[facthunter]

I think the basic aim was to create some activity in areas other than Melbourne, but  it was then apparent that a lot of that Infrastructure would be underutilised subsequently so was not an optimal investment in the circumstances. It's well known the Commonwealth Games are a bit moribund , evidenced by the lack of People wanting to sponsor them lately. It's possible they may end up permanently in the UK..  Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

There are some sports which clearly don't need a commonwealth games....  Swimming, for example, has the world championships. Soccer, cricket and a lot of others.

I reckon the best thing that happened in South Australia was when the Elizabeth Aquadome was built to deliberately exclude top-line sports and therefore make the thing available to ordinary folk. ( Make no mistake here... elite sports practice excludes the public for weeks at a time ) . So far, they have not fallen too much for woke nonsense, like the idea of excluding men so that moslem women can please their god or their menfolk, better.

So maybe we should be supportive of Dan's move .