Freight Transport Efficiency

Morning and welcome today. The Finance Minister on the OECD's ideas for our economy. David Kirk from the Rugby Union on his new president, his new CEO and a loss, or was it? Tim McCaddy after eight, Simon Marks in the States and Murray Olds in Australia. We're into a Friday morning. Welcome to Why Now, Sean? Eh? Why Now, Sean? I had COVID vibes yesterday when I read Sean Sweeney's Thinking About the CRL. COVID vibes because during that period I cannot tell you how many people I know and regularly dealt with, people in the media, people from business who said one thing about the government and their handling of lockdowns and the economy and they did that in private and something completely different in public. So Sean, having left the CRL to head to Ireland, now having left Ireland but has stopped. Stop by long enough to tell us we don't scope or price major projects that well. Well, who knew? The CRL at well over $5 billion is a gargantuan waste of money. I mean, yes, it will improve things and on paper it makes sense because it joins up some rail lines so you can go round and round and round. But like most things in life, convenience or improvement or efficiency comes at a cost. What's a terrific idea at $50 is a waste at $200. And for something that started out at about $2 and will come in at about $6. As in billion, the CRL has reached the stage where no one really wants to accept responsibility anymore for the price and delays because it got so embarrassing a long time ago and tipped over into that, well, let's just make the most of it and hope it works. It won't, of course, not to the extent they dreamed because what they dream of is New York or London and we've never been that, never will be. Anyway, part of where Sean is right is ideology blinds common sense. Too many people want to say. And before you know it everything is a combination of delayed and expensive. And yes, the fast-track RMA reform will help, less legal action will help, fewer opportunities for review will help, and God forbid cross-party support would help as well. But what would also help is some backbone, people who say what they believe whether it gets them attention or into trouble or not. There are too many pussies in places of influence, basically, too many spineless scaredy cats who want the job or the title or the reputation or the pay packet and just grin and bear it or defend it or lie about it. Little babble nonsensical rubbish instead of being honest. As much as I appreciate Sean telling it like it is and he's right, and possibly someone in charge might take notice, oh the irony of Bishop yesterday launching a review, what I would appreciate more was the same commentary before he filed the resignation letter and scarpered.