It’s business as fuckin’ usual in NSW

They fuckin’ buried Chook fuckin’ Fowler the other fuckin’ day. Geez, what a fuckin’ great inder-fuckin’-vidual he fuckin’ was, eh. Fuckin’ Chook had three fuckin’ wives and five fuckin’ children … which perhaps argues a certain degree of carelessness.

If you’re too young to remember the 1995 Wood Royal Commission into police corruption, Graham James ‘Chook’ Fowler was the crooked Kings Cross boss cop made famous by the video – from a camera concealed under the dashboard of a car – showing the foul-mouthed detective accepting a thousand bucks from his second-in-command Trevor fuckin’ Haken. Trevor had rolled over for the commission and, to save his own hide, he secretly filmed his corrupt mates taking bribes. What did they call the standard $1000 bribe – a “drink”, was it? Trevor’s been on the witness protection program ever since.

That footage was pure gold. The stuff that makes living in this city worthwhile.

There were 500 people at the Palmdale Crematorium to see Fowler off, including a big contingent from The Entrance Tigers rugby league club, and a bunch of retired detectives, which says a lot about Sydney. They reckon the whole gang was there, including “disgraced detective” Roger Rogerson who also did time and who sung Chook’s praises. He called Haken ‘’a Judas … a drunk, a blackmailer, a thief, a wife beater.’’ Fowler he said, had wanted to be at Haken’s funeral.

But in the wash-up, Fowler succumbed to bladder cancer and crossed the finish line first.

All in all, it was a big week for colourful NSW identities.

Three days after Chook’s funeral, there was a by-election in George Richard “The Chancellor” Torbay’s parliamentary seat of Northern Tablelands. The independent resigned his parliamentary seat and the chancellorship of New England University on 20 March, a day after the Nationals had disendorsed him as their federal election candidate, and he just sort of sunk from sight. After which matters were referred to ICAC and the media was suddenly filled with stories about the largest political donation ever received in NSW, and a highly irregular visit to the cell of a mate arrested for murder. It was even alleged that colourful Labor identity Edward Moses “He Who Must Be” Obeid (OAM) had once conspired to make Torbay Premier.

And then Nicolas Frank Hugo “The Hungarian” Greiner resigned from the chairmanship of “Infrastructure NSW,” the pseudo government department created for him by Premier Barry O’Farrell. Nick’s deputy, Paul “User Pays” Broad – a courtier if ever there was one – was simultaneously shuffled off to run Snowy Hydro.

If you want to privatise something, Paul’s your man. Paul’s a real Sydney “type”, Paul is. There are about two dozen Paul Broads heading up NSW industry bodies and government departments at the moment. Big, avuncular, regular features, nice suit, exuding no-nonsense confidence and the latest private sector slogans. There’s always a place for Broads.

There’s much speculation about why “The Hungarian” jumped (or was pushed). But it’s a fair bet that the one-time premier’s business dealings probably figured in the matter. Back in March, the Federal Court, in a closely-argued judgement, awarded $21.5m damages against Greiner over a small matter of bid-rigging in the takeover of a company. Of course Nick’s appealing the judgement. Maybe his insurance company insisted on it.

The appeal is expected shortly. Premier O’Farrell’s problem is that having Greiner head up Infrastructure NSW, should he lose the appeal, would be a real political headache.

It would raise questions about the fitness of Greiner to have been appointed to an “office of profit under the Crown” as they say in the legal game. A reflection of the judgement of the government that created a special government authority just for him to determine the future of NSW. Far better that the man is gone by the time the appeal comes around.

Or maybe, Greiner’s resignation had nothing to do with that. Maybe he just left so he could concentrate on making money out of the infrastructure projects Infrastructure NSW has set up for the Big Construction boys and the Macquarie Bank.

But the really weird thing is this: Opposition Leader John Cameron “Rottweiler” Robertson is lamenting Greiner’s departure. Greiner. The mob leader who brought Thatcherism to NSW.

Yes, it’s business as usual in the First State.