Re: Privatised Government?

[telljb@ozemail.com.au (< Tell >)]

p.edwards@its.unimelb.edu.au (Paul Edwards) wrote:
>
>Even so, part of the corporatization procedure (which seems to come before
>privatization) means that the plates seem to get changed. There don't
>appear to be any hard and fast rules on this though. There are still
>several Yarra Valley Water vehicles with red plates (and they were
>corporatized, what, three years ago?), and I notice now that marked police
>cars have got the O and P series "standard" number plates on them.
>
>Anyone know how this stuff works?


Not sure how it works your end, but where I am and
other parts of Australia, corporatisation of government
departments is indeed the first step towards
privatisation.  There is a neat little smoke and
mirrors trick to it as well, and it goes like this.

The government would like to privatise a certain
department because it is all the go, and besides the
economic rationalists say so.  Problem is, there could
be a backlash, so you do it by stealth.

First you "reorganise" the department to make it more
efficient, not a bad idea in itself, BUT guess what
that usually means, less jobs for the workers, thicker
pay packets for the supervisors, who are placed on a
performance package.
Then they set an impossible target of savings required
per year.  When these targets are not met for a whole
host of reasons outside of the employees control, they
then say, ...........well, sorry folks it looks like
privatisation is the only thing we have left to meet
the required savings and efficiencys.

OK, the above might appear a bit simplistic, but don't
laugh, it is basically how they are doing it.
  
----Terry Burton
Alice Springs NT