Sydney Ferry documentation does enormous damage to Government’s capacity to do business with private sector

13 April 2010

The Sydney Business Chamber said the "comparator" released by Transport Minister David Campbell into the Government‟s handling of ferry privatisation raised serious questions about the Government‟s capacity to interact with business.

"The comparator, promised by Transport Minister David Campbell last year, and released yesterday, simply does not pass the test of being a credible document of government," said Patricia Forsythe, Executive Director of Sydney Business Chamber.

"To release a one page report for what is effectively a $600 million decision brings no honour or credibility to the Government. This is a "back of an envelope" comparator and not a serious government document. To put it bluntly, this is shoddy.

"The Government invited the private sector to bid and companies spent millions of dollars participating in a process they thought was fair and just. It has not been and to release such poor documentation in response simply makes a mockery of the process.

"Given other legal actions between the Government and the Cross City Tunnel, and the dozens of partners who signed contracts over the CBD Metro, the Transport Ministry is fast losing credibility as an organisation business is willing to do business with.

"The business community can have no confidence that they will get a fair and honest appraisal when they tender for a NSW Government contract.

"The Department of Transport and Infrastructure has done itself immense harm with the release of such a document yesterday. Even from this inadequate „back of an envelope‟ comparator, it is clear the worst performing party won the contract to provide ferry services in Sydney.

"Sydney businesses, commuters and eventually, the Government itself will rue this decision."