the stupidity of taxing heavily, page-37

@Hingdog; based on its record, one thing BHP doesn't do is care about what it does with its capital. But to its credit, at least it pays its taxes.

Re those Andrews Government decision you listed:
- they started out by spending $1.2B to not build a road [ Andrews did warn voters that he would NOT proceed with a tunnel that should NEVER have been contracted out - a very bad project that fed traffic into Melbourne's CBD instead of around it and which would have greatly exacerbated congestion.

- they spent nearly $1B on airport rail only to can it - much of the rail infrastructure needed to service Melbourne Airport has already been completed. The final stretch has become controversial because the owners of Melbourne Airport want taxpayers to fund their infrastructure but without even having any say over that infrastructure. Consequently the project is delayed but not scrapped!

- they spent $600m on the Commonwealth games only to can it - the runaway inflation following American's unilateral imposition of highly disruptive global sanctions on Russia enabled horrendous levels of brazen price-gouging by businesses. Andrews stayed true to delivering promised regional infrastructure and taxpayers did indeed cop that $600 million whack to the groin for backing out as the Com Games host.

- the list goes on - the Westgate Tunnel and NE Link are game changers for Melbourne. So too new the rail hub just north of the city which will take countless thousands of large trucks off city streets.

Credit where it's due - Andrews governments will have removed about one hundred and twenty of Victoria's worst level crossings, established our biotech and medical research sectors, supercharged our tertiary education sector, transformed Melbourne's sports and entertainment precinct into the best in the World ... making Jeff's Shed look like an outback shearers' shed.