After the level of corruption and incompetence demonstrated by the Perrottet Government, Labor's chances of a state election victory should be more obvious, writes investigations editor Ross Jones.
BY NOW, NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns should be holding Premier Dominic Perrottet in an inescapable half-nelson, cheek squashed firmly into the turnbuckle, crowd baying for more, mercy the only way out for a humbled opponent.
But he doesn't. Not even close.
Instead, his opponent now stands on the top rope, in a perfect position to execute a "diving hurricanrana", a move which causes its proponents to suffer long-term knee injuries - but at this stage of the game, who cares?
Wheel out the family! Make anti-pokie noises! Look devout! Hide Jean-Claude! Take a big advance on the Murdoch favours!
These are just some component parts of the hurricanrana. Worry about paying for the knee operations later.
Liberal Party's shady operating dogs NSW Election
When it comes to going for the political kill, NSW Labor is simply inept.
It should've had Perrottet on toast back in 2020 but Labor, then led by the hapless Jodi McKay and terrified by Gladys Berejiklian, showed why it has been out of power for so long.
Formed in 2015 by "poles and wires" Mike Baird, icare is a public financial corporation and is the sole workers' compensation insurer in NSW. Its board and CEO are appointed by the NSW Treasurer. That gives the NSW Treasurer a lot of control.
The icare debacle should be enough to make NSW voters turn against Dominic Perrottet at the polls this Saturday (Image supplied)
According to law expert Peter Little:
The icare website states:
Things apparently started well.
The New South Wales paleo-progressive Premier Perrottet
In 2018, three years into the project, then-CEO John Nagle wrote:
But under the surface, things were not so rosy.
After Perrottet became NSW Treasurer in January 2017, the icare wheels developed a bad case of the corrupt/incompetent wobbles.
Perrottet's Wikipedia page says:
These aren't just numbers, these are NSW workers injured, physically or mentally, while doing their jobs. Their lives turned upside down, all suffering pain, many facing the ends of their lives as they knew it.
EXCLUSIVE: Extent of Perrottet family's alleged shady links exposed
And who oversaw this debacle?
The Sydney Morning Herald reported:
One of the biggest snouts was Perrottet himself who exploited his captive insurer for personal political gain.
In 2020, it was revealed two of Perrottet's ministerial staff were on the icare payroll.
One of these, American Ed Yap, had been working for various U.S. Republican senators before joining Perrottet at the expense of injured NSW workers:
Media's censorship of major issue in pre-election NSW appalling
As reported in The Mandarin:
Nigel Freitas, the Treasurer's chief of staff, handily fell on his sword:
This is what engaging Right-wing American political operatives off-the-books is called these days.
There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, most of it a muddy, turgid slop. Communities destroyed, ministers resigning, the cloud that is Gladys Berejiklian, the welcomed seeping ingress of Right-wing Christians, the "women problem" - pages could be filled with this NSW Government's malfeasance and incompetence.
Sportsbet has Labor as a shoo-in but experience says a lot of political punters should stick to the track.
According to The Poll Bludger:
Icare alone should do for Opus Dei.
Less than a week before the Election, things aren't clear. Against this Government, they should be crystal.
Ross Jones is IA investigations editor and the author of 'Ashbygate: The Plot to Destroy Australia's Speaker'. Follow Ross on Twitter @rpzjones_fin.
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