Edgar Adams' Editorial

Well we have a new Federal Governement and I hope we all take note of Kevin Rudd's victory speech in which he said that his Government would rule for "all Australians".
That's good because in the past, Labor Governments have never ruled for small business (not that the Howard Government did that much!) and in NSW they have been positively anti small business.
The big question now is how much will the new Government wind back WorkChoices?
Issues such as unfair dismissal, union right of entry and the extent to which employers will be able to negotiate twith their own workforce are all up for grabs.
And then there is the issue of Occupational Health & Safety. Will the NSW Della Bosca model be used as the basis for a national uniform OHS system?
Amd then ther is the construction industry. Anyone about to build a factory or a house or even fit out a new office can expect increased costs and delays. This government will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the ACTU.
So, having to endure alnmost a year of electioneering and wondering where we will all end up, we will haeve to wait and see the extent to which the unions wield this enormous power which the electorate has handed them. I suspect it won't be too long!

As for the Central Coast, the Labor Party was always going to get the seats of Robertson and Dobell back sooner or later. THat they have been Liberal seats for the past eleven years has been as aberration. We just have to accept that.
Whether our two new Federal Members really have any interest in the Central Coast remains to be seen. Now that we have a Labor State Government and Labor Federal Government the childish tit-for-tat arguments that have been going on for years, to our detriment, should be over.
Perhaps we ay be entering a new dawn where both Government work together for the good of our Region.

Last month Gosford Greens Councillor Terri Latella proposed development of a fast train link between the Coast and Sydney.
Who's she kidding? Fast trains need straight tracks!
Can anyone believe that The Greens would allow trees to be cut down, frogs and wombats be disturbed in building a straighter track?
We will never ever get a fast train while we have a state government beholden to The Greens. Bob Carr simply lied to us all in 1998.
What we do need is a fast ferry service from Gosford, Woy Woy and Ettalong to Sydney.
It's possible, and with private capital could be in operation within a couple of years.
All we need is a Government committed to the idea.

Finally, may I wish all our readers, subscribers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
As we head in our 18th year of publication may I say thank you to all those who have supported us over the years and continue to give us that support.

Our next issue will be February 2008 and we will be featuring the Hunter Region and the opportunities that is offers business on the Central Coast.

Edgar Adams
Editor

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