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Liz from Canberra said it beautifully in a tweet yesterday: "Trying hard not to get sucked into nswpol but it's such a fetid black hole with huge gravitational pull." Too right.
NSW politics has been such a slow-motion train wreck in the past few weeks, it's hard not to watch, no matter where you live.
It's human nature to love a drama - and NSW has been delivering by the bucketload. Yesterday Trade Minister Stuart Ayres resigned after Premier Dom Perrottet admitted the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a controversial US trade post was not conducted at arm's length.
In a text to The Echidna, an MP neatly summed up the falling out: "Perrottet was only overseas with him a couple of days ago. It's like a bad marriage breakup. Trip overseas, holiday, then it falls apart." Ayres was the second NSW minister to fall in a week. Eleni Petinos, accused of bullying her staff, was the other. In the "Premier State", where memories of the last, terrible days of the Labor government 12 years ago may have faded, it's the Liberals' turn to go down the S-bend of public malfeasance.
We shouldn't be too surprised. NSW has form which goes back to early days of the colony and the Rum Corps, whose dodgy officers cornered the trade in rum and secured outrageous land grants for their trouble. What is surprising, though, is that no one in the NSW government seems to have seen the Barilaro-Ayres scandal coming. No one paused to think, "Hmm, maybe it's not a good look if a minister proposes a plum job in New York, resigns, then applies for and gets the very same job." It was never going to pass the pub test and was always going to have the smell of jobs for the boys. (Barilaro's application letter was so littered with typos and grammatical contortions, it wouldn't have made it to any shortlist in the private sector.)
The scandal's gravitational pull, as Liz put it, is understandable because NSW is the country's most populous state and a key player in the national economy. Any erosion of trust in its governance reflects poorly on the whole nation. For the flood and fire-affected people of NSW, not to mention those struggling to keep the roof over their head, trust in government is even more important. They depend on it to make the right decisions and make them quickly, free of nasty distractions like this.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will NSW ever be free of political scandal? Can any government ever be trusted not to hand out jobs for the boys (and girls)? Is the answer to get rid of the states entirely and have federal and local governments? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Labor's signature 2030 climate target will pass after Greens leader Adam Bandt revealed the party will back the legislation, despite likening it to "bringing a bucket of water to a house fire". But Mr Bandt has declared the "fight starts now" to end the oil and gas industries in Australia, saying the Greens will pull "every lever" available to block new projects during the 47th parliament.
- The relationship with Indonesia won't suffer as Australia pursues the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says. Indonesia is concerned about the use of nuclear technology and Australia's plan to get nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact.
- NSW authorities have ramped up their campaign to contain the varroa mite with 4600 hives now euthanised, more than doubling the number destroyed since last week. The massive increase in hives being euthanised comes as the number of infested premises grows.
THEY SAID IT: "Everybody gets everything handed to them. The rich inherit it. I don't mean just inheritance of money. I mean what people take for granted among the middle and upper classes, which is nepotism, the old-boy network." - Toni Morrison
YOU SAID IT: To mask or not to mask in Parliament, that was the question. Veronica was angry: "NSW had some 16,500 new cases of COVID yesterday along with more deaths. And still the behaviour of the opposition continues in this childish and selfish way. They are supposed to set an example - don't they know that they lost the election? Where is the leadership of Peter Dutton? If he cannot lead his party then how on earth does he think he could lead the country? Wake up!"
Jacqui thought the pollies should wear masks: "COVID is killing more people than ever and even more are having to face living with long COVID and long-term disability. Yes, our politicians should be setting an example, wearing masks and looking after others in the workplace. Let's not create a super spreader environment in Parliament House."
Not so for Darren, who thought The Echidna was treating people like children: "It's a simple rule: if someone has no symptoms, no need to wear a mask. If they have symptoms, stay at home." We defer to the Commonwealth chief medical officer Paul Kelly's advice to wear masks when indoors and where physical distancing is not possible.
Susan was shocked to see members of the opposition unmasked: "Don't they understand that they were voted out because we, the electorate, think are a handicap to our future?"
Phil backed the Kooyong MP Dr Monique Ryan's dressing down of the opposition: "My heart sang when Dr Ryan told the opposition to wear masks. Not enough Australians are taking simple measures like wearing masks indoors to reduce the spread of the virus."
Gregory said the maskless appearances will come back to bite the opposition: "Not only are they patently immature, they are also ignorant and downright insolent. This idiocy should keep them isolated for many election cycles."
James had a suggestion: "Maybe a 'Mask up or Shut up' sign should be on the door before they enter the chamber."
Kate's blood was boiling: "Not only are they bleeding us dry with their salaries and entitlements, to flout any sense of doing the right thing is unbelievable. I work as a registered nurse, have done for 35 years. I get paid the princely sum of $49 per hour and have to work wearing masks. It's insulting. It's out of touch. It's not right. And, yes, they are so entitled."
Hilary said it wasn't only pollies not taking COVID seriously enough: "They clearly don't understand that the aerosols we breathe out need to be filtered through an N95 mask to trap the virus. As for the opposition not wearing masks - simply stupid. Of course, we should expect our politicians to set an example and wear masks. I loved your article and especially your term 'COVID outlets' - brilliant. Now we just need an advertising campaign for masks based on that." Aw, shucks, thanks Hilary.