After experiencing seven years of lacklustre administration, the public desire to see the government actually do something is almost tangible.
This sentiment at least partly explains the warm welcome for the announcement by chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying that he was setting at zero next year's quota for mainland women not married to Hong Kong men to give birth here. The statement came just as the outgoing Tsang administration was getting ready to announce a quota for next year in the region of 20,000-25,000 - a reduction from this year, but a number that still carried with it substantial implications for future demand on resources.
So Leung's decision was popular both for its substance and for the fact that, well, it was an actual decision, as opposed to another episode of indecision.
The desire of Leung and his preparatory team to press on must be very strong. But the plan to create four new minister-level positions - a new secretary for culture, an additional secretary to take on part of the schedule for commerce and economic development, plus senior deputies under the chief secretary and financial secretary - deserves very careful consideration.
It would be tempting to try to get the positions created before July 1 so that the team can get down to work right away. It is a temptation that Leung, and the head of his preparatory office Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, would do well to resist.
There are two reasons for this. The first is practical: such an attempt would require an exceptional effort by the outgoing team (which might not be forthcoming) and rapid consideration and approval by an outgoing legislature (which would probably not be forthcoming). In other words, it might well fail.
The second is more to do with governance. It is important to make decisions rather than duck them, and to get them right rather than wrong. But it is also important to bring the public along by setting out the full justification for a proposal and making sure those arguments stand up to scrutiny.