Federal Election 2007

[ozbob]

The next election for the House of Representatives must be held on or before Saturday 19 January 2008.

It will probably be in November 2007, although any time up to January 19th 2008 is a possiblity.

This thread will be for posting railway/public transport policies of the various candidates for the forthcoming federal election.

Representatives of any political party, or independent candidates, are welcome to send information or links for posting on our forum to Admin Rail Back On Track to admin@backontrack.org  If it relates to rail and/or public transport initiatives and policy it will be considered for posting.

RAIL Back On Track has no particular political affiliations and treats all such material on its merits.
Please note our terms of service here --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?board=9.0

Best wishes,

Admin
RAIL Back On Track

[ozbob]

The following message has been sent to all political parties:

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My name is Robert Dow and I am the administrator of a web based community organisation - RAIL Back On Track.
Our web site is located at http://backontrack.org
Our group is concerned with the promotion of rail as the environmentally sustainable transport solution for Australia.  We also are advocates for commuters and public transport.

With the federal election soon to be held we are very interested in what your rail and public transport policy will be.
We have a forum on our message board at --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=130.msg262#msg262  where we will be highlighting appropriate policy and links of all parties and independent candidates as appropriate.

Please forward us any information that relates to rail and public transport policy and it we will post on the message board.  Policy statements, documents, links etc. are all acceptable.

Thank you.

Best wishes

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

The Australian Democrats have replied to our correspondence.  Thank you!

Here is their Policy on Land Transport.  Pleased to note that rail figures prominently.

http://www.democrats.org.au/docs/ActionPlans/Transport_LandTransport_2007.pdf


Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

Please find below links to The Greens' transport policies (as at 24/9/07).

http://greens.org.au/about/policy/policy.php?policy_id=51 (Australian Greens Sustainable Planning and Transport policies)

http://qld.greens.org.au/media-releases/greens-launch-gold-coast-light-rail-network/ (Gold Coast Light Rail Network initiative)

http://qld.greens.org.au/media-releases/north-west-light-rail-proposal-launched/ (North-West Brisbane Light Rail Network initiative)

Thanks to the Greens for providing links to their policies and support for rail, light and heavy.

Regards
Ozbob

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Added Oct 5

Local, State and Federal Greens launch visionary light rail plan for Brisbane

Details click here!

Looks good.

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Added 20 Oct

Road pork-barrelling should go to public transport

17 October 2007 - The promised billions from Labor and the Coalition for Queensland roads is short-sighted and would be better spent improving and expanding public transport, said the Greens today.

?Instead of building new roads and tunnels first then tacking on some public transport later, government should provide the sustainable option to people first to encourage positive transport habits,? said Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, Larissa Waters.

?Fourteen per cent of Australia?s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector, so it is time to change the tradition that the federal government only funds roads.

?If public transport was cheap and reliable, it might alleviate the need for new roads or tunnels.

?The Greens support funding to improve road safety. But funding new roads before supplying public transport is muddleheaded.

?This is an equity issue. As the price of petrol continues to soar, people in the outer suburbs of Brisbane and in rural areas will be paying more and more to get around. It is government?s responsibility to provide those people with cheap and sustainable public transport options.

?Brisbane public transport needs an overhaul. We need a light rail system like the Greens proposed in September, and more buses on routes that people use.

?Rural and regional areas crying out for public transport, and in many areas it is virtually non-existent. The federal government has to pick up its act on give these people sustainable, affordable options.

?In the Senate, I will fight for federal funding for public transport throughout Queensland,? concluded Ms Waters.

For more information:

Larissa Waters

Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland

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Greens push for high speed rail network

NSW Senator Kerry Nettle says the Federal Government should re-direct some of its transport funding into rail investment including a high speed train line between Sydney and Melbourne, via Canberra. That they prioritise rail above road and we can together use our transport system to provide us with solutions to meeting climate change.

--> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/05/2082019.htm

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Prioritising funding for fast mass transit
From http://greens.org.au/senatormilne#post_1194572686

Melbourne, Friday 8 November 2007  Australian Greens Climate and Energy Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, and Greens Candidate for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, today announced the Greens' Roads to Rails policy which would turn around Australia's transport strategy, prioritising funding for mass transit over more road funding.

Senator Milne said "In a world where climate change, oil depletion and traffic congestion are swiftly coming to a crunch, with global oil prices hitting $100 a barrel, it is absolutely vital that we move urgently to turn around Australia's transport strategy from a focus on roads to a focus on fast, efficient mass transit.

"Both the old parties are completely failing to face up to this challenge. If it's not enough that they talk of reducing greenhouse emissions while opening new coal mines, they also wring their hands about $100 a barrel oil prices while throwing billions of dollars at new roads.

"The Greens are rising to the challenge, proposing a raft of policies to move Australia to less polluting and oil-reliant alternatives. Earlier in the campaign, we announced our alternative fuels targets and our Better Cars policies to make Australia's cars much more fuel efficient.

"Today, with Roads to Rails, we are calling for a fundamental shift in thinking with our transport strategy ? that we should see greater funding for fast, efficient mass transit and for rail and shipping freight than for roads and private transport. From 2009-14, we would see 25% of the $22.3 billion AusLink 2 transport funding allocated to mass transit, lifting to above 50% beyond 2014. Only then will Government priorities begin reflect the need to deal with climate change, oil depletion and congestion."

Mr Bandt said "Roads to Rails would see the Commonwealth Government, with matching State and Territory funding, supporting projects like a train line along the Eastern Freeway and out to East Doncaster in Melbourne. The State Government's proposed multi-billion dollar East-West tunnel under Melbourne will only increase greenhouse emissions at a time when they must be reduced. The Doncaster rail option makes much more sense because most of the traffic comes into town and does not need to cross it.

"In the Sydney area, it could see Federal funding helping to make the long-promised Strathfield-Hornsby rail link a reality and fund mass transit busways in Western Sydney.

"These projects will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions and increase energy security.

Senator Milne said "The Howard Government has let Australia down badly by trusting the analysis of its disgraced forecaster, ABARE, that oil prices will always remain around $40 a barrel. Their refusal to accept the geopolitics of oil, and the reality that oil prices will keep trending upwards thanks to oil depletion, will hit every Australian in the hip pocket.

"No government can claim to be a good economic manager while ignoring this issue and running up an ever increasing trade deficit on oil, which the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association projects will reach $20 bn a year within ten years.

"The Government and Opposition are promoting policies that will make the problem worse by locking us in to more roads, artificially cheaper fuel and even more polluting alternatives like coal-to-liquids. Only with the Greens in balance of power in the Senate will we see Australia preparing to oil proof Australia."

Click link below for full PDF of policy initiative

http://greens.org.au/election/downloads0/greens_1194572686.pdf

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[ozbob]

Liberal Party have advised that the Policies from the 2004 Election are the most current published
policies. The Policies for the up coming Election will be released in the lead up to and during the forth coming election.

2004 Policies may be found here --> http://www.liberal.org.au/?action=2004_policy

Thanks.

Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

Response received from the National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party.  Thanks!

Policies and media releases on rail and public transport are available
on the ALP website.  I have attached some links below.

http://www.alp.org.au/policy/index.php#roads_&_transport

http://www.alp.org.au/download/2007_national_platform.pdf

Media Releases
http://www.alp.org.au/media/index.php?task=search&keywords=Transport&name=&pt=
http://www.alp.org.au/media/index.php?task=search&keywords=rail&name=&pt=

[ozbob]

Nationals  Transport policies can be found here:

http://www.nationals.org.au/About/Policies/transport/default.asp

[ozbob]

Media Release 4 November 2007

Australia: Road funding ?pork barrels? fail to impress

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport has said that the latest round of road funding ?pork barrels? are yet a further demonstration of all that is wrong with Australian politics, and fails to impress.

Robert Dow said:

?The Prime Minister is announcing massive road funding ?pork barrels? in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane today.  Rail transportation gets a small mention in NSW and Victoria but still nothing in Queensland.?

?Funding guarantees for public transport and rural railways is what is needed.?

?All states are struggling with public transport and road transport crises of various degrees.  Do we just get more of the same?  Will Federal Labor just ?me too? these ?non-core? promises once again?  Or will there be some true vision??

?It is sad to watch these last minute desperate attempts to buy votes and so condemning Australians to even more chronic road congestion and second rate public transport systems.  As fuel price increases and oil shortages start to bite, and the true environmental cost of road transport starts to really impact, it will be a disaster for most Australians unless environmentally sustainable transport options are put in place now.?

?Massive spending promises at election time are no guarantee at all.  A sustained long term program removed from desperate attempts to buy votes is the vision that Australia demands.  The party that does that will be true champion of the Australian people.?

Contact:

Robert  Dow

Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track
http://backontrack.org

[johnnigh]

Editorial headline: Sydney's problems pile up and up
The editorial tells of the chaos of the CBD, congested cars and buses, pedestrians overwhelming crossings, etc....
"To alter (Sydney's CBD's awful access problems) will take improvements in rail transport, which, by going underground, will take some burden from streets and street-level services. Yet rail developments of all types - heavy rail, light rail or metro rail - appear to be beyond the State Government, as its recent prevarications and changes of mind over needed suburban and cross-city projects show. Here, the missing piece of the planning jigsaw becomes apparent: the Federal Government. Only Canberra has the wherewithal to effect change on the scale needed. It is alarming, then, that neither of the two main parties has set out a cities policy worth the name. Climate change and population growth are setting the agenda: whoever wins next weekend will have their attention turned to the problem of our cities, like it or not."

This is the first time I've seen anyone of real influence writing that the Federal govt should be taking a role, as it did last during the Hawke and Keating years, with Brian Howe's ministerial weight behind the Better Cities program, abandoned by our miserable little mate, soon to be man of the past.

Sadly, the Rudd-wagon has no space for cities, with transport and regional affairs (a real National Party pork-barrel of a ministry) held by one of the weakest shadow ministers, M. Ferguson, gently sleeping on in expectation of becoming the Minister for Something Easy.

I've little hope for anything new coming of a Rudd ministry, but who knows whether i'll be surprised?

[ozbob]

Media Release 17 November 2007

Australia: Federal Funding Fizzers ? Ramp up rail!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport has called for massive funding for environmentally sustainable transport solutions for the entire nation, namely railways.

Robert Dow said:

?Australia's cities are struggling with backlogs of infrastructure investment ignored for the last decade. Foremost of these is investment in urban passenger rail.

?The Sydney Morning Herald highlighted this problem in its lead editorial on Friday 16th November.

?RAIL Back On Track calls for Federal intervention to fund the massive investments needed to prevent our cities from grinding to a halt.

?No major party has any plans for supporting urban investment of any kind, except roads. The last time the Australian Government funded urban railways was during the Better Cities era of Minister Brian Howe, during the Hawke government.

?The Howard government has refused to fund urban rail or any other sustainable urban infrastructure. The regions represented by the National Party have been pork-barrelled in many ways, but not for the infrastructure needed in regional towns.

?Rudd has 'me-tooed' his way around urban issues, and has failed to promise urban rail development funds, even though he has promised lots of money for extravagant road projects and even more extravagant desalination plants, probably the worst public policy decisions that could be made.

?Most Australians live in metropolitan cities. They are getting tired of congestion in these cities and also realise that more roads don't solve anything. Massive public transport and rail investment is urgently required for cities and country. Only the Federal Government has the money to do it.

?Metropolitan voters will remember who neglected their cities!? said Robert Dow spokesman for RAIL Back On Track.

Contact:

Robert  Dow

Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track
http://backontrack.org

[johnnigh]

Letter submitted to Kevin07 this morning:

I am very disappointed that Labor policy no longer has any equivalent of the Better Cities program that was last seen in the Keating years.

From 1972, when Tom Uren ran the Dept of Urban and Regional Development to Brian Howe's ministry, Labor offered the 80% of Australians the support of Australian govt leadership. Now that the Australian govt has the funds, and the borrowing capacity, the major urban issue of public transport has fallen off your agenda, despite this being the fundamental problem causing house prices in the well-served inner suburbs to rocket, while new land releases languish - because state and local govts are incapable of providing the urban rail infrastructure required to make them viable.

Instead, working families are sentenced to using more and more cars for longer and longer journeys to work and schools, or to be locked into outer urban ghettos with infrequent and inconvenient private bus services their only access to the services they need.

Is it any wonder that the outer suburbs of our cities are turning so quickly into slums?

[ozbob]

The only parties to address sustainable transport for the future in a meaningful way during the campaign were the Greens and Democrats.

A massive investment is needed in our public transport particularly rail, and an upgraded national railway network.  Rail is the sustainable solution for the future.

There is a real chance the Greens could increase their representation in the Senate, if that occurs it might be a good thing for transport commonsense in the future.

Regards
Ozbob