The Guardian 10 August, 2005
NSW's longest serving Premier: Bob Carr
NSW Premier Bob Carr announced his retirement from politics last week, having recently
earned the title of "NSW's longest serving Premier". The policies Mr Carr's Labor
government pursued during his 10 years were almost indistinguishable from those of the
Coalition government which preceded it: the wholesale extinguishing of workers rights;
constant battles waged against the state's nurses and teachers; racism-fuelled law and
order policies; the privatisation of public services, land, and utilities; environmental
destruction on a mammoth scale; and the accompanying stench of corruption that was
carried into Parliament House along with the millions of dollars in corporate donations.
So long, Mr Carr, and thanks for all the memories:
Guardian June 27, 2001
How the Government is gutting workers' compensation
The NSW Labor Government is trying to ram through Parliament radical legislation which will
seriously damage the rights of injured workers. The government has reneged on its deal with the
NSW Labor Council, with the current version of the Workers' Compensation Legislation
Amendment Bill 2001 almost the same as the first version which Industrial Relations Minister Della
Bosca sprang on the Upper House on March 27 without any warning or consultation.
July 4, 2001
Victims of medical negligence lose common law rights
Last week, amidst all the furore of the Workers' Compensation Bill, the NSW State Labor
Government quietly slipped through another Bill removing many of the common law rights of
victims of medical negligence.
November 24, 1999
New NSW electoral laws: Attack on democracy
On November 10, the NSW Legislative Council (Upper House) passed legislation making it virtually
impossible for small political parties to stand candidates in their own name in the Upper House.
The Bill, which amends the Elections Act, introduces steep fees to register political parties and
nominate candidates, and more than triples the minimum number of members a political party must
have to be registered.
November 20, 2002
Dictatorial powers: Carr Government's terror laws
Under cover of anti-terrorism, the NSW Carr Government has rushed through Parliament laws that
attack fundamental civil liberties and democratic rights. Under the Terrorism (Police Powers) Bill
police only have to have "reasonable grounds" to suspect a terrorist attack to pre-emptively detain
and search suspects without a warrant.
August 4, 2004
NSW corporate rent-a-cop scheme
The Carr Government dropped a bombshell recently with the announcement that from now on
businesses will be able to hire police from the Department as de facto security guards. The
restrictions that used to prevent corporations hiring police for these functions were lifted the week
before last with the gazetting of amendments to policing laws.
May 15, 2002
State of corruption
New laws in NSW allow police officers with sniffer dogs to patrol train carriages throughout
Sydney's metropolitan rail network. They will range as far as the trains running to Nowra and
Newcastle, with plans to extend their patrols to other train services. These new police powers have
been joined on the books by new legislation passed last week that dumps the fundamental legal
right of the assumption of innocence.
June 18, 2003
"Political cover-up" of corruption allegations
There is no end to the NSW Government's determination to curtail and eliminate democratic rights
and institutions and public accountability. Not satisfied with passing Australia's most draconian
"terror" laws, the Carr Labor Government has decided to wipe the position of Inspector-General of
Prisons. The abolition of the office comes as the Inspector-General was to give evidence before a
corruption Inquiry.
October 13, 2004
Bob Carr and NSW Labor: Arrogance and a certain stench
Orange Grove! The name conjures up images of hundreds of retail workers and small business
owners thrown out of work by the NSW government's decision to close a cut-price Sydney retail
complex, apparently at the behest of the retail giant, Westfields.
December 15, 2004
The great Redfern land grab
There has surely never been an Australian Government more blatantly aligned with corporate
developers than the NSW Carr Government. As the year draws to a close the people of the inner-
Sydney suburb of Redfern are still reeling from the shock announcement that the government plans
to completely rebuild much of the suburb. To do this they would sweep aside all normal legal and
ethical constraints, override the wishes of local residents, and ignore the heritage significance of
Redfern, one of the oldest suburbs in Australia.
October 6, 2004
Fox on the rampage again
Four years after the Carr Government virtually gave away the immensely valuable old Sydney
Showground site at Moore Park to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Studios, corporate interests are planning
to profit from inappropriate development of the site.
June 18, 2003
Quarantine Station sell-out
The NSW Carr Government has announced its decision to lease off Sydney's spectacular and
historic former North Head Quarantine Station at the entry to Sydney Harbour. The Government
wants to lease most of the site and its largely 19th century buildings to the British-based firm of
Mawlands Hotels.
March 3, 2004
Carr backflips on GM crops
Last year the NSW Premier Bob Carr promised a moratorium on the commercial release of
genetically modified crops, a calculated move to calm down fears of the unknown consequences of
using GM food. Now there is to be the planting of canola as early as April this year that involves
thousands of hectares of genetically modified plants.
December 10, 2003
Carr Government passes Auburn rubbish dump law
Despite widespread public opposition the NSW Government has passed special legislation to
overrule a Court decision and enforce construction of a huge new garbage facility at Clyde, in
Sydney's Auburn local government area. The new law overturns a "thumbs-down" ruling from the
NSW Land and Environment Court, which found that the new facility would have major adverse
impacts on local residents.
May 15, 2002
DOCS: scandalous government neglect
The NSW Government has come under fire in a damning report saying it is failing to protect
neglected and abused children. Unionists working for the Department of Community Services
(DOCS) say the report vindicates their claim that they are understaffed and under
stress.
August 18, 2004
Carr sends disabled to "the Dark Ages"
The NSW Government has announced sweeping cutbacks to the support program provided to
young adults with disabilities who want opportunities for adult training, learning and
support.
November 29, 2000
Airport link stink
The privately-run airport rail link in Sydney has been shown up as a debacle that will cost the
people of NSW hundreds of millions of dollars. Revelations of secretive contractual arrangements
with government are surfacing almost on a daily basis and are yet more proof that the provision of
vital public services on a for-profit basis simply does not work.
August 4, 2004
Sydney rail service suffers savage cuts
Sydney commuters have had their weekend rail services cut by 50 percent. The NSW Carr
Government has attempted to justify the appalling new timetable with the statement that the drivers
freed up from working on the weekend would be transferred to weekday peak-hour
services.
It certainly hasn't worked.
30 March, 2005
Newcastle: residents meet over rail closure
On Saturday March 19, around 500 people attended a meeting at the Newcastle Town Hall. This
open forum was called by Newcastle Save Our Rail committee president Joan Dawson in response
to plans to close railway track and four railway stations in Newcastle.
July 7, 2004
NSW electricity: Privatisation by attrition
The Carr Government is at it again. Seven years ago they tried to privatise the NSW electricity
system but were defeated by an angry union movement. They now want to achieve the same thing
by "nibbling around the edges", i.e. by reducing their involvement in the trading of electricity and
selling off most of the billing operations. After that they would only retain a small billing service and
the actual generation of power as a government-owned operation.
August 18, 2004
Support NSW cleaners
NSW cleaners — members of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers' Union (LHMU) —
are furious that a Labor Government is putting their job security at risk. Cleaners who work in local
schools, on TAFE campuses, in police stations and MPs' electorate offices are campaigning to stop
the Carr Government introducing its 2005 plans which attack nearly 7000 low-wage workers'
jobs.
August 25, 1999
TAFE teachers to strike
TAFE teachers in NSW will strike for 24 hours on Tuesday August 31 against a $67 million
reduction in TAFE funding and plans to retrench more than 630 teaching and support staff. The
cuts and loss of staff are part of an ongoing process of casualisation and privatisation of TAFE by
the State Labor Government.
November 17, 1999
Teachers strike in NSW
NSW public school teachers will take strike action this Thursday, November 18, calling on the Carr
Labor Government to withdraw an award application which would wipe teachers' hard-won pay and
conditions. Adding insult to injury, the Government expects teachers to accept its offer of a wage
increase that will be below the inflation rate.
May 26, 2004
NSW teachers strike after government interference
Teachers walked out of schools across NSW last week as Premier Bob Carr was accused of
"contempt" and "blatant political interference" by trying to intimidate the Industrial Relations
Commission (IRC). The allegations flew after the State Government successfully moved to re-open
a wage case that finished six months ago.
December 11, 2002
Insidious public-private "partnership" for public schools
The NSW Carr Labor Government has announced that a private consortium, by the name of Axiom
Education, will finance, build, own and maintain nine new public schools in a 30-year contract.
During the 30-year contract, the state (taxpayers) will pay the consortium rental for the use of the
schools.
November 20, 2002
No New Year cheer for Illawarra TAFE students
The Illawarra Institute of TAFE is in crisis. Funding for training workers in essential Community
Services is being slashed. Workers in nursing, child care, welfare, youth, alcohol and drug
addiction, aged care and a range of other health and recreation areas are affected by the cuts
which take effect from February, 2003
July 18, 2001
NSW fire fighters disaffiliate from Labor
Last month, at a series of mass meetings, full-time fire fighters employed by the NSW Government
voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from the Australian Labor Party. The Fire Brigade Employees
Union (FBEU) has a membership of 6000. The disaffiliation is targeted at the State Premier and will
remain effective "for as long as Bob Carr remains Premier in NSW".
20 April, 2005
Public health: there's no fix without nurses
Lamingtons were the order of the day as the NSW Pensioners Association held a cake stall in front
of Parliament House to raise money to fund a decent pay rise for the state's nurses.