Pandemic Management bill. Health and well-being Act 2021.

[DJC]

I have contacted Dan 20 times in the last 4 months and had no response at all. None. Every other member of the upper house has at least had an assistant send me a response. A day or a week later. Nothing from the iron curtain. Nothing. Indicating a person that doesn’t listen to people who put him into power.

Do you think that ministers or the premier read all of the thousands of pieces of correspondence they receive?

I spent twenty years or so responding to correspondence sent to ministers in both LNP and ALP Governments and only a relatively small proportion were signed off by the minister.  Most were "delegated responses" that were signed off by the departmental secretary or, on the odd occasion, by myself.

Anyone who wrote twenty pieces of correspondence about an issue would be classified as a vexatious correspondent and their letters/emails were marked "no reply necessary".  I suspect that your correspondence has been marked "no reply necessary" and with good reason.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Has an infrastructure project ever come in anywhere near budget?

None of Comrade Dans have, about 25 Billion over all up when you include the Nth East Link and Westgate Tunnel....Good thing its only tax payers money and we can always dream up more ways to fine and tax the suckers some more.

From the Age Nov 21....Premier Daniel Andrews has been forced to defend his government’s approach to reporting the state’s public finances after it was savaged by an independent Parliamentary Budget Office.
In a report published , the office found the Labor government had repeatedly changed or even removed key targets on the state’s debt and deficit as the budget position worsened in the past two years.
The office says the Budget left Victorians in the dark about when the state’s massive debts might be paid off and how much the Andrews’ government’s signature “big build” infrastructure program would cost in the end.

The office also said the Budget papers were produced in a way that was “vague” and made an objective assessment of the government’s performance difficult.
Another glowing endorsement of Comrade Dans budgeting expertise......


Level Crossing Removals

Promised: $5 billion

Last Update: $8.3 billion (Victorian Auditor-General)

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $3.3 billion

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Metro Tunnel

Promised: $9 billion

Last Update: $11 billion

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $2 billion

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



East West Link

Promised: $0 to cancel

Cost: $1.3 billion to cancel it

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $1.3 billion



Victorian Heart Hospital

Promised: $150 million

Last Update: $564 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $414 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Cranbourne Line Duplication

Promised: $750 million

Parliamentary Budget Office: $1001.2m

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $251.2 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Caulfield to Dandenong conventional signalling upgrade

Promised: $360m

Last Update: $608.28m

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $248.28 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Mordialloc Freeway

Promised: $300m

Last Update: $523m

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $223 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Cranbourne Pakenham Line Upgrade

Promised: $407.1m

Last Update: $597m

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $189.9 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Hurstbridge Line Upgrade Stage 2

Promised: $530 million

Parliamentary Budget Office: $698.8 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $168.8 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital redevelopment

Promised: $201 million

Last Update: $274.6 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $73.6 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Seaford (Frankston Line) Stabling Project

Promised: $187.4 million

Last Update: $236.7 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $49.3 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Hoddle Street Upgrade

Promised: $60 million

Last Update: $108.6 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $48.6 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Plenty Road Upgrade – Stage 2

Promised: $103.4 million

Last Update: $143.4 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $40 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Casey Hospital Expansion

Promised: $106.3 million

Last Update: $139.8 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $33.5 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Yan Yean Road Upgrade

Promised: $95 million

Last Update: $126 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $31 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Ballarat Line Upgrade

Promised: $516.7 million

Last Update: $549.5 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $32.8 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Infringement Management and Services Reform Project (Fines Victoria)

Promised: $43 million and delivery December 2017

Last Update: $63.3 million and delivery June 2020

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $20.3 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Optimising Transport Network Performance – Congestion Package

Promised: $82.4 million

Last Update: $102.5 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $20.1 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Frankston Station Upgrade

Promised: $50 million

Last Update: $61.8 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $11.8 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



V/Line Fleet Maintenance

Promised: $12.5 million

Last Update: $23 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $10.5 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Hallam Road Upgrade

Promised: $45.014 million

Last Update: $53.514 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $8.5 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Huntingdale Station Carpark

Promised: $4.8 million

Last Update: $11.5 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $6.7 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld



Mount Buller Water Storage

Promised: $2.06 million

Last Update: $8.25 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $6.19 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld


Thomas Embling Hospital expansion

Promised: $19.3 million

Last Update: $23.3 million

20/21 Budget: Withheld

LAST REPORTED BLOWOUT: $4 million

CURRENT BUDGET BLOWOUT: Withheld

[LP]

That rule of thumb would apply to just about every state of federal project ever!

[Mantis]

Very interesting DJC. You obviously feel my opinion has no place with a politician that doesn’t share the same view as me. Just as you are a supporter of the Dan Andrews government and see his “no response “ as being fine in conducting his work. Yet my first email asked for some advice on the Pandemic Bill, as I wasn’t sure what it was about. I had a response from a secretary on his behalf giving me links and some information. I was instructed by the email to contact the office with any further inquiries and concerns, but to be aware that with the number of mail sent, it was not possible to reply in quick fashion. Once I sent the next mail claiming I had concerns about the bill and begged them to reconsider, there has been no response since.

I did the same to all cross bench members with a please tell me more and what is your opinion? They gave me a response and links to learn more. When negativity was sent from me second time by mail, they backed why they think it might be in the best of interests comparing to previous bills. More transparency etc. Not yet certain how they will vote. Some were already in a position to oppose the new bill and stated why. Still instructing me to mail or call anytime with other issues, but to be patient as a return response may take some time.

Matthew Guy returned his email a week later with the same brief and links. I sent further emails stating why we should look for options to make amendments to the bill by Dan. He claimed this as an option but thought removing it completely was the best option at the moment. He rang me a week later to have a chat about my feelings to his response and if there were other items to bring up in parliament before this year ends. I was at work and listened to my voicemail to hear his message left. I couldn’t call back at work so I rang his office to leave a message that I will email him other infrastructure issues, and issues where the state and federal governments don’t have a way to unify, and set ways to standardise covid restrictions. We are not a group of countries trapped on one island in the south. We are one country divided and need to have some standards that help us work together. That was last week, so I don’t expect an instant response back.

Office from Dan Andrews has no response to any calls or emails. Even the original, please help me understand what this legislation is about and what does it mean to the people of Victoria? Nothing. Which looking at the other members of parliament tells me, Dan doesn’t give a flying f@ck about anyone DJC. He is open to advice. He isn’t interested in hearing your opinion, which is mine. Not your opinion. You agree with him by what I see. Nothing wrong with that. His office shouldn’t stand by a theory that he serves the community and is open to be contacted and help his people. He isn’t. Turn the phone off. Shut the computer down. You are full of sh1t Dan. You are not there to be with us when you don’t listen to us. We are not in this thing together. You are a first class liar. A piece of scum that has no position running any state. When you don’t tell fibs, you conceal the truth or facts. Which is even worse than telling stories that make you a liar.

The other members gave some response back eventually. So who do I trust? Very few because I don’t believe they will tell me all the truth I need to hear. At least they hear me enough to engage conversation. I have the emails from the MP’s and phone messages. I must be talking sh1t though. How did I fluke getting responses from members of upper house parliament? None from Dan Andrews members at all. Not even with an please explain? I must be an idiot so let us just leave it to that result. I am old, stupid and everything I experience is me being an anti-vaxxer, or against the current Premier. Unfortunately we can’t vote the current government out before November 2022. Nearly an entire year away. Dan will never get my vote ever again. Never. I would do a better job and I wouldn’t even know where to start. How about honestly and integrity. Is that something that would work. Not in politics as what I have seen.

[capcom]

None of Comrade Dans have, about 25 Billion over all up when you include the Nth East Link and Westgate Tunnel....Good thing its only tax payers money and we can always dream up more ways to fine and tax the suckers some more.

From the Age Nov 21....Premier Daniel Andrews has been forced to defend his government’s approach to reporting the state’s public finances after it was savaged by an independent Parliamentary Budget Office.
In a report published , the office found the Labor government had repeatedly changed or even removed key targets on the state’s debt and deficit as the budget position worsened in the past two years.
The office says the Budget left Victorians in the dark about when the state’s massive debts might be paid off and how much the Andrews’ government’s signature “big build” infrastructure program would cost in the end.

The office also said the Budget papers were produced in a way that was “vague” and made an objective assessment of the government’s performance difficult.
Another glowing endorsement of Comrade Dans budgeting expertise......

Nothing like facts, is there [member=57]ElwoodBlues1[/member] ... but no, he's doing a fine job ... for the suckers blind to the mess

[capcom]

Another great email [member=98]Mantis[/member]  ;D

[LP]

One Premier closes hundreds of mental health beds, making the health budget look good, another has to pay to put them back to care for people and free up hundreds of hospital beds.

What people often think is good depends on a perspective!

Rarely is it as simple as a subtotal.

Vote in a clown to remove an idiot, God bless democracy.

[Lods]

Vote in a clown to remove an idiot, God bless democracy.

It works for the USA.

[DJC]

It’s hard to find budgets for infrastructure projects commissioned by the Victorian LNP governments because it’s a very long time since they built anything.  However, this article about the Baillieu Government’s approach to project budget transparency is interesting:

VICTORIAN taxpayers will be left in the dark over the cost of high-profile infrastructure projects such as an east-west road link under a sweeping overhaul of the state's tendering regime quietly announced by the Baillieu government.

A statement on the Victorian economy released by Premier Ted Baillieu just days before Christmas reveals the government will ''no longer disclose'' the cost of major projects when they are announced.

The public will effectively be denied information on the estimated cost of major projects for months, potentially years, until business contracts have been finalised.

The new rules are designed to introduce a fresh layer of competition into the tendering process because rival companies competing for major projects would not be able to calibrate their bids against the government's cost estimates.

''This will improve the competitive tension in the tender process and encourage more active price competition between bidders,'' the statement said.

But the rules have sparked concern taxpayers will have even less ability to scrutinise spending on major projects, which are shielded by commercial-in-confidence provisions.

Opposition scrutiny-of-government spokesman Martin Pakula accused Mr Baillieu of attempting to convince Victorians he could deliver major projects on budget ''by never telling us what the initial budget is''.

''I would expect the new Auditor-General would take a very dim view of this assault on transparency when the position is filled,'' Mr Pakula said.

Treasurer Kim Wells said publicly disclosing the project budget had the potential to limit competition by giving potential bidders ''a reasonable indication of the government's estimate of construction costs''.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victo...2cpsw.html

Note the timing of the announcement!

[Baggers]

Vote in a clown to remove an idiot, God bless democracy.

Amen.

"Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly... and for the same reason."
(Falsely attributed to Mark Twain).