According to The Peter Principle,
employees within an organisation will advance to their highest level of
competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they
are incompetent.

But is there now a new political version – the
Peter Garrett Principle? The one which says that most MPs never rock
the boat no matter how much they rocked before.

Many of his Kingsford Smith electors say Garrett has failed his first test at dealing with a contentious local issue, the massive expansion of Port Botany. Garrett has commented on the matter with a media release that’s more white bread than Buttercup Bakeries Super Soft:

Any expansion of Port Botany needs to take into account the
potential impact on the environment during its construction and
operation.

As stated previously, I accept the need for
additional port facilities in NSW, but I am not in favour of any
expansion which could seriously affect the environmental quality of
Botany Bay or result in major increases in traffic and noise for local
residents.

Increased rail access to the site, in conjunction
with a dedicated road link from the new terminal directly to the heavy
truck route on Foreshore Road, may provide some traffic relief for
residents.

Yada yada yada. Pollietalk. If someone of
Garrett’s status isn’t prepared to be tougher on Macquarie Street, what
hope do the punters have?