arrogant waste

Broken record time. Again. I am going back to an issue I have hammered this week. And it concerns the Federal Government’s new and radical Industrial Relations laws. They haven’t been passed yet but the Howard Government has, understandably, taken a pasting for its “drunken sailor” spending on television and radio and four-page advertisements in major newspapers. Four-page colour specials are coming up in country papers. Some, I’m told with circulations of less  that 500.

This is Noddyland. All of this is taxpayers’ money. It could be as much as 100 million dollars. Think about it. One hundred million dollars. On 3AW yesterday I was talking to the Ten Network’s chief political correspondent, Paul Bongiorno. He revealed the government had printed 60,000 brochures to sell their new legislation which is not yet law.  And then they pulped them. What the hell did that cost?

Yesterday, on radio, I talked about “focus groups” around the country being paid $200 each to look at mock-up brochures. A talkback caller – backed up to me yesterday by a friend in the industry --  told me that the going rate was $50. This is waste with a  capital W.

And it gets worse. I received yet another revealing e-mail overnight. It was prompted by yesterday’s programme. And it said:

“Dear Derryn,

I have been listening this afternoon and feel compelled to write.  A friend of mine has picked up work this week through a temp agency.  He is working as the Team Leader for a call centre employing about 50 people.  This call centre is one of many in Australia and is set up to receive the overflow from the Canberra call centre regarding the Governments IR campaign.  The call operators were given some basic training and have a workbook to go by.  My friend’s role as Team Leader is to assist the operators give the correct information and organise their breaks!

He started work on Sunday and was paid $46 per hour from 1pm until 10pm.  He has worked the last few days from 3pm -10pm.  The most calls they have received in any 7 hour shift is 3!!  That is 3 calls between 50 people.  The phone operators are paid about $18 per hour and most sit there and read books or study.  What a waste of my money!”

What the hell is going on here? Has this government lost its marbles? Are they panicking that their message is not getting across? And on that basis they will spend millions of dollars of YOUR money to get their message across.

Yesterday Prime Minister Howard trotted out his new appointment as head of the new Fair Pay commission. To replace the Industrial Relations Commission.  I am not saying that is a bad thing. But you trot out a new chairman of an outfit that has not been embodied in law?

This IS Noddyland. And it makes me think that they are rattled. A Sky News poll yesterday showed that about 70% of people thought the new Industrial Relations laws were bad.  That’s a shocker. Because some of what Prime Minister Howard has proposed to break the power of the unions is good. Positive. And good for the economy. Good for small business. It will decrease union muscle.

But, increasingly, despite their squandering of millions of dollars, I don’t think these guys could sell heaters to Eskimos.

This is wanton spending of your money. Wanton spending of millions and millions of YOUR dollars. And, in my mind, it is an arrogant disgrace.

Friday, October  14, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005