Jeff Kennett: Mounting debt and crime will end Jacinta Allan’s leadership

The Allan government — possibly the worst in Australia’s history — must reduce its own expenditure and stop blaming the public for its failures. But even such a dramatic about face won’t save the Premier’s leadership.

Well, I am surprised Premier Jacinta Allan did not accept my advice last week to do unto herself what she did to Police Commissioner Shane Patton and resign!

Well, not really, but as Gough Whitlam said of John Kerr, “God may well save the Queen, but nothing will save the Governor-General”.

For nothing will save Jacinta Allan.

It is just a matter of time. The premiership, leadership, is not for her.

Several examples.

The handling of the police force over the past year or so has been totally inept.

She and the government have shown no respect or understanding of the needs of police to perform their jobs in the public interest.

Failing to listen to the police commissioner created the environment that led to the police union conducting the ballot that gave the Premier the excuse to sack the Commissioner to divert blame and attention away from government failings on law and order.

That she did not communicate her decision not to reappoint Mr Patton to Mr Patton personally was simply bad manners.

Secondly, all of our major projects are continuing to be experiencing cost blowouts of billions of dollars, well beyond the state’s capacity to afford, except by massive increasing borrowings that themselves generate massive interest payments.

No one in the government has the commercial experience to deal with and manage the infrastructure projects.

Jeff Kennett said nothing can now save Jacinta Allan’s leadership. Picture: Valeriu Campan

They simply allow all parties delivering the projects to make variation claims that the government accedes to without challenge.

Thirdly, the government has totally failed to act in any way to convince the public that it understands the fear and facts about our increasing crime rate.

So many of these crimes are conducted by young people whose lives were disrupted because of two years of lockdowns by Mr Andrews during Covid. No attendance at school, no continuing education, no discipline, and now proving their independence through crime, knowing that the state has no process to ensure they pay consequences for their activities.

Now as the cost of the public service has blown out by $3bn in one year, low and behold the Premier’s response is to what? Set up another inquiry! To do what – establish waste, duplication of functions among back of house public servants? What in God’s name are the Premier and her ministers doing?

They employed those they now seek to retrench. Have they not got the capacity to identify waste and duplication of roles in their departments?

Clearly not, or they don’t want the responsibility for retrenching public sector union employees.

This has been the trouble with this government for years. Bright ideas lead to things like the Suburban Rail Loop, with no business plan, no controls in place. Appoint a former minister without experience to chair the project. Massively increase the size and cost of the public sector. Allow crime on our streets and in homes to grow without action to address such criminal activity.

The Premier has appointed Helen Silver to do the work that she will not do. Ms Silver has served premiers of both sides of politics, so we give her the opportunity to do the task she has been given.

Ms Allan and her Treasurer Jaclyn Symes must begin slashing the government’s expenditure. Picture: Ian Currie

Her appointment only proves the state government is headless. No one with authority, no one setting the example.

If the Premier was serious, she could have reduced her personal staff by half. Reduced the size of the Department of Premier and Cabinet by half, immediately. What has she demanded of her ministers by the example she has set? Clearly nothing!

The interesting fact is the country is at near full employment. Any of those who might be retrenched from the public service have every opportunity to gain employment in the private sector if they wish.

But no, an inquiry to do what the Premier and the ministers should be doing, the inquiry’s interim reports maybe in time for the May budget, the final report by June, and only then might any retrenchments start.

The combination of the Andrews-Allan leadership has created possibly the worst government in Australia’s history.

It is a fact, with 20 months before the next state election, that they have created the worst financial legacy for future generations of any previous government, and the social ramifications are, sadly, enormous.

Final word: the state Treasurer Jaclyn Symes, who is totally out of her depth, last week threatened that she has not ruled out new taxes or increasing taxes and charges in the May budget.

Let me say, given what the government has already imposed on families and businesses, if there are any more increases or new taxes, people and businesses will leave the state in droves.

The government must reduce its own expenditure and stop blaming the public for its failures.