Reporting on world events from a Bairnsdale Conservative perspective.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Fifty Billion Dollar Fantasy of Iemma
THE Iemma Government's $50 billion solution to Sydney's transport crisis is a dilapidated century-old hand-cut tunnel designed by a man born in 1867. === Luckily, this money, which seems to be given away, is not being done so corruptly. We think.
Rail future is 90-year-old tunnel By Steve Gee and Joe Hildebrand THE Iemma Government's solution to Sydney's transport crisis is a dilapidated century-old tunnel designed by a man born in 1867.
As public cynicism about the Government's ability to deliver on its promises reached flashpoint yesterday, Premier Morris Iemma turned to a tunnel 20m below St James station as the cornerstone of the $50 billion metro rail project.
The tunnel was cut by hand as part of Dr John Bradfield's transport vision for Sydney over 90 years ago but fell victim to the belt-tightening of the Great Depression.
Built between 1915 and 1918 and originally earmarked to link the city to the southeast, the tunnel is set to become a hub of the overdue north west metro line - although it's still not known if it is structurally viable.
A day after unveiling his vision for a Euro-style northwest metro as part of a $50 billion network, Mr Iemma yesterday tried to restore flagging public confidence in his Government's ability to deliver on transport infrastructure.
Under the plan, the Government wants to transform inactive rail tunnels into the foundation for northwest metro.
But despite leading media through the site, Mr Iemma admitted the old tunnel may not be viable.
Engineers were set to begin a year-long examination to determine if it is fit for renovation.
The Premier conceded an alternative tunnel may have to be built below the site if it was deemed unsuitable.
The concession came as the Government told weary residents of the northwest that the project would be given priority under a critical infrastructure declaration - setting in stone its construction after 10 years of promises. But the public still remains deeply sceptical.
A Daily Telegraph Online poll yesterday found 85 per cent of respondents said they did not believe the rail project would be built, instead saying the Government was "all talk and absolutely no action".
Mr Iemma yesterday denied his Government's record would scare off private investors.
"There has been no shortage of interest, I'd say excitement, in the private sector, wanting to at least test their propositions in being involved in this sort of infrastructure," he said.
"John Bradfield's vision saw additional tunnels built under Sydney but in some ways his dream was never realised," Mr Iemma said.
"What I'm about, is to finish the first project of that dream . . . to link the past to the city's journey, and to restart the journey of Bradfield's metro," Mr Iemma said. "Our metro plans will begin here under St James linking Sydney's transport past with its exciting future."
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said Mr Iemma's immediate vision for public transport would leave 900,000 commuters with second-class travel.
He said while those in the northwest would enjoy first class metro travel, it was cold comfort for residents elsewhere in Sydney, who would be stuck with existing overcrowded, slow CityRail services.
The first metro train would run in Sydney in 2015, operating between Castle Hill and Epping, with the entire line to be functional two years later.
Bribes 'way of life' at Railcorp, ICAC told By Paul Carter PAYING bribes and giving kickbacks is the way to get ahead for any small subcontractor wanting the big jobs from the NSW rail authority, an inquiry has been told.
PAYING bribes and giving kickbacks is the way to get ahead for any small subcontractor wanting the big jobs from the NSW rail authority, an inquiry has been told. Excavation subcontractor Domenic Murdocca told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) today that between May 2005 and November 2006, he paid RailCorp civil engineer Guy Hetman $106,000 in bribes for work.
Mr Murdocca also laid a new driveway and turf at Mr Hetman's Sydney home without charge - work valued at almost $8,000 - in September 2005.
Catering in this way to corrupt RailCorp officers was "common practice", Mr Murdocca told the inquiry.
Mr Murdocca said Mr Hetman told him: "'Leave it with me. The way you get things is you do this for me. I need money to get you work'.
"He used to ring me and say I want this amount by this date."
The arrangement ended after Mr Hetman "got the shits" about not getting enough money in bribes, Mr Murdocca told the inquiry.
Mr Hetman admitted to ICAC on Monday that he received more than $106,000 in kickbacks for funnelling work to Mr Murdocca's company.
Mr Hetman was sacked from RailCorp yesterday.
Mr Murdocca told the inquiry he knew paying the bribes was wrong but he did not report it because he feared being blacklisted.
"To protect my livelihood, working, you've got to do what you've got to do," he said.
"I did pay him. The thing is, I did it for a reason.
"I did what I had to do to survive in this world."
Mr Murdocca's admission that he paid the bribes directly to Mr Hetman contradicted his earlier evidence and could lead to charges of lying under oath to ICAC.
But while the former close friends admit to the bribes, they have made no admissions about $1.1 million worth of work which is also the subject of investigations.
The ICAC alleges the work was either never done, charged at grossly inflated prices, or corruptly awarded.
It is the fifth separate ICAC probe into different RailCorp scams, which have ripped off taxpayers to the tune of more than $7 million.
The ICAC expects to examine at least one more RailCorp scam as part of its investigations.
Chris Ronalds, the counsel assisting ICAC in these hearings, has said the RailCorp scams have thrived under a culture of "ignorance, denial and cover-up".
"This acceptance of corrupt conduct is a demonstration of the culture within RailCorp that goes to the heart of this inquiry," she said in her opening address on Monday.
The man in charge of RailCorp while many of these scams flourished, chief executive Vince Graham, earlier this month announced he was quitting the $483,000-a-year post.
Mr Graham leaves RailCorp after five years in the top job before starting as CEO of the state-owned power retailer, Integral Energy, on April 7.
ICAC Commissioner Jerrold Cripps is expected to make a final report on RailCorp corruption later this year.
Rail future is 90-year-old tunnel
ReplyDeleteBy Steve Gee and Joe Hildebrand
THE Iemma Government's solution to Sydney's transport crisis is a dilapidated century-old tunnel designed by a man born in 1867.
As public cynicism about the Government's ability to deliver on its promises reached flashpoint yesterday, Premier Morris Iemma turned to a tunnel 20m below St James station as the cornerstone of the $50 billion metro rail project.
The tunnel was cut by hand as part of Dr John Bradfield's transport vision for Sydney over 90 years ago but fell victim to the belt-tightening of the Great Depression.
Built between 1915 and 1918 and originally earmarked to link the city to the southeast, the tunnel is set to become a hub of the overdue north west metro line - although it's still not known if it is structurally viable.
A day after unveiling his vision for a Euro-style northwest metro as part of a $50 billion network, Mr Iemma yesterday tried to restore flagging public confidence in his Government's ability to deliver on transport infrastructure.
Under the plan, the Government wants to transform inactive rail tunnels into the foundation for northwest metro.
But despite leading media through the site, Mr Iemma admitted the old tunnel may not be viable.
Engineers were set to begin a year-long examination to determine if it is fit for renovation.
The Premier conceded an alternative tunnel may have to be built below the site if it was deemed unsuitable.
The concession came as the Government told weary residents of the northwest that the project would be given priority under a critical infrastructure declaration - setting in stone its construction after 10 years of promises. But the public still remains deeply sceptical.
A Daily Telegraph Online poll yesterday found 85 per cent of respondents said they did not believe the rail project would be built, instead saying the Government was "all talk and absolutely no action".
Mr Iemma yesterday denied his Government's record would scare off private investors.
"There has been no shortage of interest, I'd say excitement, in the private sector, wanting to at least test their propositions in being involved in this sort of infrastructure," he said.
"John Bradfield's vision saw additional tunnels built under Sydney but in some ways his dream was never realised," Mr Iemma said.
"What I'm about, is to finish the first project of that dream . . . to link the past to the city's journey, and to restart the journey of Bradfield's metro," Mr Iemma said. "Our metro plans will begin here under St James linking Sydney's transport past with its exciting future."
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said Mr Iemma's immediate vision for public transport would leave 900,000 commuters with second-class travel.
He said while those in the northwest would enjoy first class metro travel, it was cold comfort for residents elsewhere in Sydney, who would be stuck with existing overcrowded, slow CityRail services.
The first metro train would run in Sydney in 2015, operating between Castle Hill and Epping, with the entire line to be functional two years later.
Bribes 'way of life' at Railcorp, ICAC told
ReplyDeleteBy Paul Carter
PAYING bribes and giving kickbacks is the way to get ahead for any small subcontractor wanting the big jobs from the NSW rail authority, an inquiry has been told.
PAYING bribes and giving kickbacks is the way to get ahead for any small subcontractor wanting the big jobs from the NSW rail authority, an inquiry has been told.
Excavation subcontractor Domenic Murdocca told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) today that between May 2005 and November 2006, he paid RailCorp civil engineer Guy Hetman $106,000 in bribes for work.
Mr Murdocca also laid a new driveway and turf at Mr Hetman's Sydney home without charge - work valued at almost $8,000 - in September 2005.
Catering in this way to corrupt RailCorp officers was "common practice", Mr Murdocca told the inquiry.
Mr Murdocca said Mr Hetman told him: "'Leave it with me. The way you get things is you do this for me. I need money to get you work'.
"He used to ring me and say I want this amount by this date."
The arrangement ended after Mr Hetman "got the shits" about not getting enough money in bribes, Mr Murdocca told the inquiry.
Mr Hetman admitted to ICAC on Monday that he received more than $106,000 in kickbacks for funnelling work to Mr Murdocca's company.
Mr Hetman was sacked from RailCorp yesterday.
Mr Murdocca told the inquiry he knew paying the bribes was wrong but he did not report it because he feared being blacklisted.
"To protect my livelihood, working, you've got to do what you've got to do," he said.
"I did pay him. The thing is, I did it for a reason.
"I did what I had to do to survive in this world."
Mr Murdocca's admission that he paid the bribes directly to Mr Hetman contradicted his earlier evidence and could lead to charges of lying under oath to ICAC.
But while the former close friends admit to the bribes, they have made no admissions about $1.1 million worth of work which is also the subject of investigations.
The ICAC alleges the work was either never done, charged at grossly inflated prices, or corruptly awarded.
It is the fifth separate ICAC probe into different RailCorp scams, which have ripped off taxpayers to the tune of more than $7 million.
The ICAC expects to examine at least one more RailCorp scam as part of its investigations.
Chris Ronalds, the counsel assisting ICAC in these hearings, has said the RailCorp scams have thrived under a culture of "ignorance, denial and cover-up".
"This acceptance of corrupt conduct is a demonstration of the culture within RailCorp that goes to the heart of this inquiry," she said in her opening address on Monday.
The man in charge of RailCorp while many of these scams flourished, chief executive Vince Graham, earlier this month announced he was quitting the $483,000-a-year post.
Mr Graham leaves RailCorp after five years in the top job before starting as CEO of the state-owned power retailer, Integral Energy, on April 7.
ICAC Commissioner Jerrold Cripps is expected to make a final report on RailCorp corruption later this year.