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May 30, 2005
When I was in the global city of Sydney a week or so ago I noticed how much cleaner the post Olympics city was when compared to the pre-Olympics one. The dynamic of expansion and growth was everywhere, yet the city continues to rely on private car transport rather than light rail. So more congestion and worsening smog. It is becoming more like LA as train services have been cut in the past year and around 76 per cent of Sydney commuters travel to work by car.
Sydney is a city rich in private wealth but poor in public amenities. Poor means public squalor if one thinks of infrastructure and public health services.
Nick Moir, photograph
Since the mid-1990s there has been an aversion to public debt and the emphasis of state treasuries has been to reduce government debt and decrease public sector investment in infrastructure. Budget surpluses and low government debt was the neo-liberal mantra.
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