It was almost something out of the X-Files. A mysterious report that didn’t exist Tuesday but miraculously came into existence a few days later. The report in question is the one into the Cronulla riots. And the Scully at the center of this mysterious report is not Dana Scully but Carl Scully, NSW Minister for Police.
From NSW Parliament Hansard on October 17th:
Mr PETER DEBNAM: I direct my question to the Minister for Police. It has been 10 months since the Cronulla riots and revenge attacks, and the public have a right to know why they suffered one of the worst breakdowns of law and order in New South Wales. Given that the police report was completed at least six weeks ago, will the Minister explain why he is trying desperately to delay and bury the report?
Mr CARL SCULLY: Perhaps Opposition members can give me a copy of that report and I will consider its contents. They know that the report process has not yet been completed so they have invented a story where none exists. It sounds good—Watergate, Nixon, cover-up and conspiracies. It all makes for good copy.
The rest of the story is quite simple. A few days later it was revealed that the report did indeed exist and Scully was forced to back down and the report was released. Scully started to dissemble and called the report “deficient.” This attracted the ire of the report’s author Norm Hazzard.
Over the weekend Scully decided to apologize.
“On reflection I should have been clearer in the language I used. I regret that,” Mr Scully told reporters yesterday.
Peter Debnam, the hapless NSW Opposition Leader has called Scully’s apology insincere. And he may be right. Scully has a wonderful track record as this bit in today’s Sun Herald reveals:
October 1998: Millennium trains ordered but not delivered on time.
December 1999: Glenbrook train crash: seven killed.
July 2001: Family dog Belle chauffeured in his car to friend’s house.
February 2002: Cross City Tunnel contract signed.
January 2003: Waterfall train crash: seven people killed.
October 2003: Controversial Lane Cove Tunnel contract signed.
November 2005: Announces $2 billion desalination plant.
December 2005: Caught by Cronulla Beach race riot and retaliation attacks.
September 2006: Breaches protocols by bringing Taser stun gun into Parliament.
It is a remarkable record of incompetency (Obviously some incidents were out of Scully’s control. However it is his handling of such incidents that is the issue). If not for factional pressures and matching incompetency by the NSW opposition, Scully would be long gone.
The NSW state election is on March 24th next year. Debnam, whose reputation has been harmed by the savage NSW Liberal preselection battles could be turning it around. The Liberals have put forward changes to limit the problem of branch stacking. However Debnam needs to offer something more than shrill Laura Norder soundbites which is what this stint as opposition leader mainly consists of. For example, Debnam’s recent claim that NSW police aren’t ready for APEC or his classic promise for dawn raids on March 25th 2007 in relation to the Cronulla riots.
Hobson’s choice really. As a voter do you want more of an incompetent and arrogant government or an opposition that doesn’t promise any better? Still the run up to the election will be interesting. Will Iemma’s governmental arrogance lead them astray or will the Libs continue their bungling, inept ways? My money is on both.
It’ll be a race to the bottom. The winner will be the one who manages to get on Alan Jones’ show the most, if Chris Masters is to be believed.
It is what I fear most Phil, an election fought via 2GB. That and on election day finding there is no-one worth voting for.
I’m a firm believer that pollies do best when they know that the electorate swings. Even when it’s “my guys” in government, they’re still not wholeheartedly “my guys” enough, ever, that I won’t give them a kick up the bum when they’ve been in power too long and got encrusted with arrogance.
Despite the woeful performance and disturbing rhetoric of the NSW Liberals, I think the electorate is gearing up for a switch from Labor, although the questio is whether they will be willing to do it until/unless the Libs are out of power federally first.
My inner city electorate has voted for more Greens federally and municipally, too. That will certainly translate into upper house votes, and maybe lower house as well.
But he brings some sparkle to the job, you have to admit that.
Scully is an incompetent liar in an incompetent Government thus I will vote for an incompetent opposition like I did in 1996!
You might be right about the Upper House, tigtog, but for the Greens this election lower house seats are going to be one bridge too far.
They’ve just picked the wrong candidates in their only winnable seats, and their best chance at knocking off a Labor incumbent (Sandra Nori) was mercifully given the tap on the shoulder by her colleagues.
Amanda, if you mean by ‘sparkle’ ‘total raving 24-carat lunacy from another dimension’, then I agree, Sparkles brings it in spades.
Yep, Amanda takes out “Comment of teh Day”