Why even write this expose' , when you apologise for the criminal culprits at the end!

A bullet would not be wasted on them!

This whole country top to bottom is "Yes Minister" on steroids!

Jacque Lambie is right to describe our political class as children. But with a child there is some excuse!

Dan

Dan. I don't apologise for the culprits. The rural lessees were not at fault. In a democracy they are entitled to lobby for their interests.

The politians are the real culprits because they are supposed to protect the greater interests of all citizens. Instead they sold off public assets for next to nothing.

Thanks Bren.

It was an intriguing article, none the less. It all seemed to fall into an anti climax heap at the end. Maybe that's an expression of your frustration.

The incompetence of politicians is breathtaking. So what short sighted thinking drove these outcomes?

Dan

The disappointing thing about this entire episode is the public apathy. No journalists or public figures tave taken the politicians responsible to account. It was clearly known that a huge windfall was being conferred on rural lessees at taxpayers expense, yet the ripoff went ahead with minimal dissent. There should have been outrage, and heads should have rolled.

I think the public actually expects governments to waste money, which is why taxpayers don't react. Once money and resources are in public hands, people no longer view them as their own. Politicians definitely have a different standard of governance for public money compared with their own.

A further issue is that all this has taken place at a time when the ACT Government stands accused by a former Chief Minister of charging monopoly prices for housing blocks, thereby ripping-off homebuyers.

Bren, is there any word on the transactions, negotiations, or those involved.
I'm especially interested in which govt members benefited financially by this deal.
I know they go to great lengths these days, to hide the money trails, but knowing how these scumbags operate, they are only in politics for the money, and I don't mean the huge amounts (to us) they get as pay, which to them is just a token amount to make them look charitable and community conscious.
They would have you believe they do it out of regard for the people and not for personal gains.
Yeah, right!

ALTRAV
There is no evidence that corruption was involved. It was simply a pork barrel. I suspect that some politicians did not realise the full extent of what they were giving away but key ministers of several successive governments (advised by the bureaucracy)must have known.