Justifying bonus decision another rail fail by board
THE fact that the Queensland Rail board ticked off millions of dollars in bonuses for senior managers despite their failure to restore full services to our network highlights how much of a mess the organisation is in, writes The Editor.
Opinion
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IT’S almost impossible to imagine what the seven members of the Queensland Rail board were thinking when they sat down last Friday and ticked off on $3.6 million in bonuses for the organisation’s senior managers.
After, QR remains deep in controversy and shame because of the failure to restore full service to the rail network, justify salaries of up to $755,000 for executives and the still unanswered questioned about the $4.4 billion rollout of new trains which began under the LNP government almost five years ago.
With one of the biggest events of the year approaching for inner Brisbane, the spectacular Riverfire which marks the finish of the Brisbane Festival, QR couldn’t guarantee services — a completely unacceptable situation.
Instead of getting to the bottom of what was wrong and asking hard questions, the QR board met to approve hefty bonuses of up 15 per cent for 384 senior staff.
This bonus round would have seen these executives take home an average of $9300 — an exclusive hand-out which only went to the higher echelons of the organisation cutting drivers and guards out completely and was kept secret from the state government.
When senior ministers in the Palaszczuk Government learnt of these juicy payments, Treasurer Jackie Trad and Transport Minister Mark Bailey stepped in and put a stop to it.
The ministers should be congratulated for seeing just how unacceptable these bonuses were and for acting so swiftly.
It was clearly a no-brainer that this could not be justified at a time when full services have not been restored on the network.
The completely inexplicable aspect of this is just how the board could have ticked off on these proposed payments in the first place.
It gives the public a clear insight into why QR is in such a mess and why the whole operation stumbles from one disaster or mistake to another.
It would be a good idea for the board to reflect on this episode and consider just how wrong their decision was and try to get an understanding of how they could be so blind to common sense and community expectations.
It’s not as though chairman Phillip Strachan and his six fellow board members are not without managerial experience and, in a couple of cases, specific knowledge of the rail transport sector.
They should have known better and we can only hope they do learn from this.
Of course, this latest tin-eared example of QR behaviour comes after The Courier-Mail revealed the top eight executives in the organisation were last year paid a total of $3.37 million including chief executive Nick Easy sitting on a package of $755,000 a year, with a base pay rate of $666,000, well in excess of what Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Prime Minister Scott Morrison take home.
These very poor optics for QR are being revealed as the probe into the troubled rollout of the $4.4 billion new trains gets under way with politicians from the LNP — which signed off on the original contract — and Labor being quizzed as well as senior QR executives and contractors who have provided the infrastructure, some of which has been judged unfit for purpose.
It has been more than two years since the QR network was hit with the original “rail fail” when services just didn’t happen when scheduled, drivers often didn’t turn up to work without notice or proper explanation and commuters were left waiting or having to crowd into unsuitable bus alternatives. Despite everything that’s been said and done, the lessons appear not to have been learned and mistakes are being repeated. Perhaps some financial penalties for the overpaid executives might focus their attention.
RULING A WIN FOR COMMUNITY
FEW names in recent Queensland criminal history evoke as much horror and fear as Robert John Fardon.
The now ageing serial rapist was imprisoned in the late 1980s after being convicted of rape, sodomy and assault, including the sexual assault of a
12-year-old girl at gunpoint.
Due to be released from prison in 2003, the Queensland government won an appeal and he was kept in jail until 2006.
He then had a series of breaches of the terms of his supervision order and was back in prison. However, soon after being released, he committed further rapes on the Gold Coast.
A lengthy legal battle saw Fardon released under a new supervision order in 2014.
His freedom was set to be granted in August, but the Government again appealed this likely move.
On Wednesday the Court of Appeal granted the State Government’s application, ruling there was “a serious danger to the community” that, without supervision, Fardon would offend again.
Queensland’s Solicitor-General Peter Dunning QC said because of features in Fardon’s personality, he had not been cured of the crimes he had continued to commit for 30 years.
That he was now near 70 years old and had a psychiatric assessment suggesting he posed a “reduced risk” did not convince three judges.
This decision is a victory for common sense and demonstrates it is always better to err on the side of caution when dealing with proven serious sex offenders and predators.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath was right to launch this appeal, and the court’s decision reflects both that and highlights the shortcomings in the original decision by Justice David Jackson.
Fardon’s crimes condemn him to at the very least restricted freedom.
His victims and their families deserve to know he will not be roaming freely in the streets where they live.
The community needs be protected from violent, predatory creatures like Fardon. He has forfeited any right to expect freedom, and the Queensland legal system has upheld that fundamental protection for the people.
Responsibility for election comment is taken by Sam Weir, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us
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