Re: Sale of Westrail Freight

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

"Donald R Smith" <drsmith@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
396b0e96$0$16462@motown.iinet.net.au">news:396b0e96$0$16462@motown.iinet.net.au...
> Well Dave, the tense of the parliamentary quote is all future tense and as
> you and I well know, anything can 'appen!

Not really - the only way they can delay it now is by delaying the
proclamation of the Act. If it is not proclaimed it is not yet law, once
proclaimed, it is law and must be implemented.

A perusal of the Act (only a scant perusal, I must admit) indicates that it
does not give the Minister any discretion, that the business *must* be sold.
This is political, as it gives the Minister a cop out if the Opposition
jumps up and down about the terms of the sale.

I will have to go and have a good long hard look at the Act before
commenting further though. I have it here in a PDF file if you (or anyone
else for that matter) wants a copy of it - email me if you do, make the
subject "WestRail sale" (without the quotes, it is case sensitive) and I
will email it back (automagically, hence the case sensitive part of it).

> The whole of this business has been shrouded in mystery and I firmly
> believe, all has not been revealed yet.

That is the nature of politics, is it not?

> I don't recollect any previous announcement of this proposal.  It's
standard
> practice of this government to do it all behind closed doors and then make
> us to believe that " after exhaustive investigations" an Eastern States
> concern has won the contract.

That is the typical Westralian nature, been there since 1899 (when you were
conned into joining the Commonwealth with the promise of a railway).

> Sheeeesh!, wa can't even win the contract to knock down an old silo.
> It's no use quoting Hansard to me - all the decisions are made in "Court".

Lol - love the gag, might even use it myself!

Dave