Jeff Kennett: We need a plan to revive our state, and then we need action
It is now less than two weeks until Victoria’s state of emergency ends and it’s time to set out a simple set of principles to get the state moving again, including appointing a qualified person to lead the task, writes Jeff Kennett.
Opinion
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I am sorry that again this column deals with the COVID-19 environment in which all Victorians are living. But it is real life in real time.
First, like everyone, I am relieved the number of people contracting the virus is dropping. That said, there will be future spikes in the daily numbers for the State to manage.
And second, I am saddened by the number of our senior citizens who are dying prematurely. The tragedy of their deaths is heartbreaking for their loved ones unable to be by their sides and for family and friends unable to pay their respects at funerals.
It is now less than two weeks until this State of Emergency ends on September 13.
Sadly, any extension will continue to put Victoria at odds with the rest of Australia.
Just the fact that we continue in such a state will have devastating consequences on investment in Victoria and in particular any chance of our universities attracting international students here in any numbers before 2022.
Devastating for our universities, devastating for Victoria given international students contribute to the state economy through their tuition, accommodation and other living costs such as food and entertainment.
International students should again be one of the Victoria’s major export earners.
Premier Daniel Andrews has indicated his government was giving thought to how we would emerge from the current social and economic lockdown we are enduring. That is good, because people need to start preparing now.
The state government also represented it was going to spend $18 billion over the next two years to kickstart the economy. There was also an indication a large portion of those funds would be allocated to major infrastructure projects.
My first question is where is this $18 billion coming from?
Is it part of the $24 billion the Victorian Government recently sought the authority to borrow, or is it an additional $18 billion?
If the latter, that will see Victoria’s debt hit about $100 billion within two years.
That is your debt and my debt.
The politicians who have given rise to this eye-watering level of debt, about $16,660 for every Victorian and rising with interest payments, will have left the scene when the debt tsunami breaks over the state in the years to come.
Right now, however, I want to suggest, that the quickest way to stimulate Victoria’s economy, will not be led from the top, but by giving citizens and businesses the opportunity to fly again.
In short, with the right settings our economy will best jump back into life from a people-led recovery. To re-enforce the point, not by large new infrastructure projects, which while an important sector and large employer, are fundamentally city based. The best expenditure by the government would be on smaller projects throughout Victoria.
A thousand projects, rather than a few. For instance, a major infrastructure project will not help our restaurants, our coffee shops, our retailers, our tourism venues.
We need to identify “shovel ready” projects and distribute the money to those projects quickly so they can employ local tradesmen and women to get on with the task of building throughout the state.
If we are going to let a thousand projects bloom, we need to conduct a military style exercise.
The Aide-Memoire for Regimental Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (1971) has three basic core principles: Situation, Mission and Execution.
We need a simple set of principles to get Victoria moving again. With due respect to the ministers today, they do not have that training, and I suspect are all exhausted by what they are trying to manage now.
The Premier should appoint a fresh, qualified person to lead the task. Answerable to the Premier and the Treasurer. We should be advertising now for those “shovel ready” projects. Many project ideas are no doubt already sitting in various government departments. Those should be collated in one office under those overseeing the exercise.
The government can advertise for other “shovel-ready” projects which have approvals and permits to proceed.
No sector or industry in Victoria should be prevented from applying for assistance. Community, the arts, education, environmental, business, country and city improvements and sport to name a few.
There needs to be a sense of urgency and the deliverables need to be apparent to the public not just talked about by politicians.
I have great confidence when the muzzle is taken off, Victorians will rush back to our former lives – shopping, dining out, entertainment and sport.
It will be in part self-generated by removing as many restrictions as safely possible. For instance, I have not read that this virus spreads more at night than during the day, so why a curfew?
Grandparents should again be allowed to visit family to assist with childminding, we must re-open the construction industry, and allow restaurants and bars open to as many patrons as possible with social distancing and hygiene measures.
We need to get citizens back into the city, to work and shop, and give our coffee shops and laneways the green light to re-open.
There are two keys to our future success: allowing thousands of small businesses to re-open, and have the government spend $18 billion throughout the state on smaller projects to kickstart the economies of all communities.
Yes, we need a plan, and then urgently, we need action.
It is time we get going.
Have a busy day.
Jeff Kennett is former premier of Victoria