"It has a sniff of pork to it,"

The SMH reports on Clover's $350 million spending spree. She can't spend it fast enough rewarding her loyal village voters. Meanwhile the CBD where ALL the wealth was created does not get its share reinvested. Cracked and uneven bitumen paths still represent the majority of CBD footpaths. Roads continue to show signs of advanced wear and tear. Key pedestrian and commuter links wait for yet another study as do the retailers as they beg for more marketing resources. Most CBD parks are in desperate need of some TLC. The state of the Pitt Street Mall with cracked and damaged paving is an embarrassment. And finally the homeless and not so homeless lie in doorways and block footpaths begging for cash as if we are in the 3rd world.

Catharine Munro Urban Affairs Editor March 29, 2007

TAYLOR SQUARE, Sydney's meeting point for drunks, drag queens and office workers, is in town planners' sights for yet another makeover.
The City of Sydney has the Oxford Street nightclub hub on its list for refurbishment as part of its substantial $350 million program that started three years ago and will continue for the next four years.
Planners are yet to decide how they will do it, but they want to combat public fears about safety on the square, which is presided over by the historic Supreme Court building but ruled by nightclubs and pubs.
They are considering it as a new spot for jazz performances and offering busking licences, as well as installing more public art. They also want to build a cafe above a disused toilet outside the Supreme Court to encourage people to enjoy the open space.
"It's been dead space for some time ... It's meant to be a community meeting place, a place to gather," the council's general manager of special projects, Steve O'Brien, told the Herald.
But that is easier said than done, says Cr Tony Pooley, who presided over a major renovation of Taylor Square as mayor of South Sydney Council before it joined the City of Sydney three years ago. He spent $5.25 million for a water feature and terraced grass on the so-called Gilligan's Island side of the square, which opened in 2003. He believes the plan failed because Taylor Square is just too busy.
"We had this idea that people ... might break out the paper and have a bit of coffee," Cr Pooley said. The high-speed traffic on Oxford Street and the number of pedestrians made it impossible for people to take in the atmosphere, he said.
The $350 million budget will be spent on sites across the City of Sydney, which runs from Redfern to Rushcutters Bay and up to Glebe, following the amalgamation with South Sydney and parts of Leichhardt.
Following a 12-month community survey, the council plans to start spending what the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, argues were excessive cash reserves accumulated through past underspending on facilities and infrastructure.
"These are concept plans at this stage," said Cr Moore.
But a Liberal councillor, Shayne Mallard, said the spending should be spread over a longer period of time.

"It has a sniff of pork to it," Cr Mallard said.