Labor gets slaughtered in NSW

[Peter McMahon]

The really important thing about this event is the central role of
sustainability issues. The basic problem was that the Labor Govt was
unable to meet basic infrastructural needs in transport and energy.
The growing failure of Sydney's road and rail systems and the plan to
privatise NSW electricity supply were key issues. One underlying
problem is that in an age of neo-liberal ideology governments simply
cannot get enough funding for such large scale projects through
taxation of borrowing.
We can contrast Labor's fall with the return to popularity of Anna
Bligh in Queensland who effectively led the response to the
devastating floods in that state. Leadership in times of crisis will
become increasingly important as the effects of global warming -
floods, drought, fires and sea levels rises - kick in.