[LINK] Economics makes the world go round

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

<quote>
ABC
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/nat/newsnat-10feb2000-23.htm

Moore defensive on taxpayer-funded share advice

The Defence Minister, John Moore, has rejected allegations that he used
taxpayers' money for personal share market advice.

The allegations were raised during a Senate Committee hearing yesterday,
the Opposition wanting to know why the Government paid $15,000 for Mr Moore
to be briefed by Deutsche Bank and the ANZ.

The Minister says he has done nothing wrong.

"I asked the department for advice, they could notprovide it [so] they went
out to get it," he said.

"I have no doubt [the] same advice flows to finance and a number of other
ministers and I think they all should take good advice in economics because
economics makes Australia prosperous and creates jobs in this
country."
</quote>

Huh? 
... economics makes Australia prosperous ...

I do not question Mr Moore's right to get independent advice on anything
and I am not suggesting that he has done anything wrong. But if he believes
that "economics makes Australia prosperous", then one of his advisers
should set him straight.

There is a report in Today's Canberra Times (I can't find a trace of it in
the CT or other papers) where Senators Ray and Faulkner questioned the
government on its use of political advisers and consultants. The government
is boasting about how it is using fewer of them than the opposition did.

It reminds me of anorexia nervosia. Gotta spend less, gotta get smaller.
Look what it did to Karen Carpenter.

BTW, the Employment National story is an interesting one. EN were supposed
to outsource their IT with DETYA - until DETYA ran rings around OASITO and
killed that particular initiative. Little known fact #435 - EN ended up
outsourcing their IT anyway, with no industry development hooks and without
the pain of a formal OASITO led RFT process. If EN went under, it would be
an interesting case study in government style contract termination.
Technically, the price paid by EN for its already used IT services would
have to be adjusted up in the light of lower than expected total usage ie
the discount for quantity would now not apply.

-- 
Two wrongs do not make a right, but three lefts do.
-- unknown

Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
brd@dynamite.com.au