Politics and Infrastructure, Italian Style
So we have governments in Australia trying to make political capital out of any proposals on infrastructure. Have we ever considered how other governments travel when it comes to delivering on infrastructure. Well let’s try Italy.
There’s a story in the New York Times that will make you appreciate how lucky we are in Australia. To quote:
Everyone knows that Italy is constantly in the news for the wrong reasons when it comes to how they spend their money. This op-ed in the New York Times by Corriere della Sera journalist Beppe Severgnini focuses on tourism.
The Italian Tourist Board spends an astounding 98 percent of its budget on salaries, with basically nothing left for its actual job of tourism promotion. Until recently the Campania regional authority had a palatial New York residence on Fifth Avenue.
Metaponto, in the Basilicata region east of Naples, has a five-track, marble-clad rail station, paid for by $25 million in European Union funds. But the last train out is an 8:21 a.m. express to Rome. If you want to go anywhere else, you have to take a bus.
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Paul Costigan, 19 April 2014