Last I checked, WA was a net recipient of Commonwealth funding since Federation
It’s only since the mining boom that they’ve been paying the east coast back, and after the stuff’s all dug up you’ll no doubt go back to sucking on our teat
Politics & Government Was Canberra a mistake?
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It’s only since the mining boom that they’ve been paying the east coast back, and after the stuff’s all dug up you’ll no doubt go back to sucking on our teat
A big part of the problem is that the public service used to be decentralised and have a lot of people delivering services and products which gave them knowledge and experience to inform decision making. However it has continued to centralise in Canberra (drawing on a much smaller talent pool) and focus on managerial positions who deliver nothing.
The problems have been made worse by the fact that so little of this are carefully planned outcomes but are the result of self centred decision making by career focussed execs. As an example, there was an organisation led by a Band 2 position in Melbourne for 40 years that was responsible for delivering logistics support all around Australia (except for Canberra that didn't need it). A new Band 2 was appointed amd before arriving sent an email to staff saying he would work in Canberra part time to maintain close contact with his peers and bosses, within weeks it was essentially full-time, then as positions became vacant he moved them to Canberra (often at a higher level with a more generic duty statement to try attract Canberra staff), within a year a tipping point was reached and he advised all 300 jobs would move to Canberra and the hundreds of experienced loggies in Melbourne were declared excess (after being discouraged from moving to Canberra) and a whole new much more expensive workforce that would struggle to recognise a truck or warehouse was being employed in Canberra. The result services plummeted, costs sky rocketed and contractors get away with murder.
Even when the hopelessly weak Senator Payne directed one of her departments to shrink its Canberra workforce and grow/exploit its regional workforce, the opposite occurred with Canberra staff in that Dept growing significantly with regional jobs being harvested for savings.
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The problems have been made worse by the fact that so little of this are carefully planned outcomes but are the result of self centred decision making by career focussed execs. As an example, there was an organisation led by a Band 2 position in Melbourne for 40 years that was responsible for delivering logistics support all around Australia (except for Canberra that didn't need it). A new Band 2 was appointed amd before arriving sent an email to staff saying he would work in Canberra part time to maintain close contact with his peers and bosses, within weeks it was essentially full-time, then as positions became vacant he moved them to Canberra (often at a higher level with a more generic duty statement to try attract Canberra staff), within a year a tipping point was reached and he advised all 300 jobs would move to Canberra and the hundreds of experienced loggies in Melbourne were declared excess (after being discouraged from moving to Canberra) and a whole new much more expensive workforce that would struggle to recognise a truck or warehouse was being employed in Canberra. The result services plummeted, costs sky rocketed and contractors get away with murder.
Even when the hopelessly weak Senator Payne directed one of her departments to shrink its Canberra workforce and grow/exploit its regional workforce, the opposite occurred with Canberra staff in that Dept growing significantly with regional jobs being harvested for savings.
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It was a joke but since you bring up that old chestnut. The Commonwealth's protectionist trade policies meant WA was locked into buying overpriced east coast goods. It cost the state shitloads.
You'd be a lot poorer without us.
Could you imagine the Sh*tshow for the last 120 years if one of the other cities was the capital. With a bunch of states it was probably the best idea to create a new city in its own area. It stated off good, but a couple wars and depression hurt the building of the city. so it set it back. Can understand peoples hate for it if you lived here back in the 80s or 90s, pretty drab place.
It also suffers from the fact that the pollies work here. 'Canberra made this decision that decision', people who don't live here automatically have negative vibes towards the place. Its also very Australian to crap on other places. Tasmania, Adelaide, etc alwasy get given crap.
Come 2023, (I live in Canberra) and it's a great place to live. I lived for a few years in Brisbane, everyone told me I'd stay there forever it great. Nope I my opinion it's one of the worst cities in Australia. I'm closer to the beach at Batemans Bay (time wise) than getting to the Gold Coast from Brisbane. Guest its everyone's opinion on what they like.
I love the 4 seasons, gets cold in winter, but nothing a jacket can't fix. Melbourne and Hobart are pretty cold too, meh what's a couple of degrees. I think Brisbane was hotter in summer than Canberra.
Anyways let everyone dislike the place, means less people to deal with haha
It also suffers from the fact that the pollies work here. 'Canberra made this decision that decision', people who don't live here automatically have negative vibes towards the place. Its also very Australian to crap on other places. Tasmania, Adelaide, etc alwasy get given crap.
Come 2023, (I live in Canberra) and it's a great place to live. I lived for a few years in Brisbane, everyone told me I'd stay there forever it great. Nope I my opinion it's one of the worst cities in Australia. I'm closer to the beach at Batemans Bay (time wise) than getting to the Gold Coast from Brisbane. Guest its everyone's opinion on what they like.
I love the 4 seasons, gets cold in winter, but nothing a jacket can't fix. Melbourne and Hobart are pretty cold too, meh what's a couple of degrees. I think Brisbane was hotter in summer than Canberra.
Anyways let everyone dislike the place, means less people to deal with haha
No.
Monumentally inspirational and insanely beautiful while simultaneously, being unerringly drab and monolithically lethargic.
Our only truly planned city, only hamstrung by our own petty, but completely human inadequacies.
If you're a tourist and all you are looking for is the same night-life, shopping and coffee available any and everywhere, then you could be as boring as you would say Canberra is.
If you're young, and you live there, you can easily despise it and dream of escape, and I wouldn't judge you harshly because it's atmosphere can be immensely claustrophobic.
For families, it's a great place until the kids are in their teens and get restless.
But if you can give yourself the time to absorb what Canberra can offer you, it can fill your head and heart with wonder.
Some of the greatest tourist attractions in the world: The Botanic Gardens, the Arboretum, the National Library, Questacon, the National Art Gallery with its incredible sculpture garden, the Carillon, I think I have missed a few but those ones have stayed with me.
Hire a bike, pack a picnic and take your time to meander around the lake.
Yeah, it's not Sydney or Melbourne, but it's unique and we can be proud of it.
Monumentally inspirational and insanely beautiful while simultaneously, being unerringly drab and monolithically lethargic.
Our only truly planned city, only hamstrung by our own petty, but completely human inadequacies.
If you're a tourist and all you are looking for is the same night-life, shopping and coffee available any and everywhere, then you could be as boring as you would say Canberra is.
If you're young, and you live there, you can easily despise it and dream of escape, and I wouldn't judge you harshly because it's atmosphere can be immensely claustrophobic.
For families, it's a great place until the kids are in their teens and get restless.
But if you can give yourself the time to absorb what Canberra can offer you, it can fill your head and heart with wonder.
Some of the greatest tourist attractions in the world: The Botanic Gardens, the Arboretum, the National Library, Questacon, the National Art Gallery with its incredible sculpture garden, the Carillon, I think I have missed a few but those ones have stayed with me.
Hire a bike, pack a picnic and take your time to meander around the lake.
Yeah, it's not Sydney or Melbourne, but it's unique and we can be proud of it.
How do you miss the War Memorial?
rocker_oz33
TheBrownDog
Embarrassing oversight.
rocker_oz33
TheBrownDog
I thought he was being sarcastic listing those bunch of non events as great tourist attractions whereas the War memorial is actually something someone might visit.
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rocker_oz33
TheBrownDog
Canberra seems abit out of the way.
At least you can do a bunch of towns on the NSW coast ..
At least you can do a bunch of towns on the NSW coast ..
Have you visited those non events ?
Yes I have the misfortune of having had my job move from the regions to Canberra.
Questacon is good for kids.
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Fair enough. I loved visiting all of those. National Library was the quiet pinnacle.
Everyone has different tastes and for some people it would be great.
I thought your summary above about tourist, family and young people's perceptions were pretty spot on. I spent a few years as a kid (and my siblings have raised families here) and the school system, sporting facilities, shops were great for raising a family till the kids get restless although some of that has diminished with the growing crime problem, loss of sporting clubs (national problem) and the violence in schools (just need to avoid the public system particularly in Tuggeranong).
Whilst I hate the work (leadership) culture in Canberra and it can be boring, it is better than the over populated cesspit of Melbourne and Sydney that have been destroyed by excessive immigration (not the source of the people but the overall numbers). Horrible to say as a Victorian, but Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra are all better than Melbourne and Sydney these days for liveability.
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