The Gillard Government

[MrBurns]

Having travelled on these fast trains in other parts of the world I love the idea of this....however, I do wonder if it is practical/cost effective for us here in Australia, I have heard that it isn't - and would people really opt for three hours in a train when they can fly to Sydney from Melbourne in one hour? The previous state government here put in a fast train from Melbourne to Bendigo and it cost a fortune and only cut a few minutes off the trip and if it gets to hot they have to slow it down anyway so debatable whether it was worth the cost.

I agree I don't think we have the population to support it and with airlines flying cheaper as time goes on ...well ???

And frankly I don't trust the Govt's here to do this right, everything they do is half arsed, I don't think I want to be in a train at 300kph built to Australian standards

 

[Miss Hale]

And frankly I don't trust the Govt's here to do this right, everything they do is half arsed, I don't think I want to be in a train at 300kph built to Australian standards

That goes without saying , not sure I'd even trust a Coalition government to effectively implement it, governments are inherently inefficient at these sort of things (IMO). If the idea had any real legs you can bet some business entepreneur would be doing it, they're not so that sends warning signals to me that it could be a giant white elephant.

 

[MrBurns]

That goes without saying , not sure I'd even trust a Coalition government to effectively implement it, governments are inherently inefficient at these sort of things (IMO). If the idea had any real legs you can bet some business entepreneur would be doing it, they're not so that sends warning signals to me that it could be a giant white elephant.

Agree, doesn't matter, Lib or Labor you wouldn't get me into anything like that built here.
I'm still worried about the Westgate Bridge going again........it just doesn't feel right, too high too much traffic, moving slowly at that height ???

 

[drsmith]

February's employment statistics turned out to be a ballistic trajectory.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...-month-from-54pc/story-e6frg926-1226618103858

 

[drsmith]

Having travelled on these fast trains in other parts of the world I love the idea of this....however, I do wonder if it is practical/cost effective for us here in Australia, I have heard that it isn't - and would people really opt for three hours in a train when they can fly to Sydney from Melbourne in one hour? The previous state government here put in a fast train from Melbourne to Bendigo and it cost a fortune and only cut a few minutes off the trip and if it gets to hot they have to slow it down anyway so debatable whether it was worth the cost.

As part of their agreement with the Greens, Labor agreed to investigate a fast train along the eastern seaboard. Beyond that, I doubt they are serious and have perhaps raised it as a distraction. In highlighting the huge expense in light of our present budget difficulties, I don't think they're chasing specific public support for it.

Of interest in The Australian's article was the small video segment on the fast train service between Rome and Naples. The combined populations of the broader metro areas of these two cities is about 8 million and the distance is 226km (Google maps). A lot less than the distance between our population centres of similar size.

 

[Calliope]

That goes without saying , not sure I'd even trust a Coalition government to effectively implement it, governments are inherently inefficient at these sort of things (IMO). If the idea had any real legs you can bet some business entepreneur would be doing it, they're not so that sends warning signals to me that it could be a giant white elephant.

Yes another NBN. Labor makes the pitch on the basis that anything with the description "high-speed" attached to it will be attractive to voters. In Queensland our priorities point North, not South. If we need to spend money on transport, a high speed flood-proof Bruce Highway is our first priority.

BACWARDS to the future! The government is looking at 19th century technology in a bid to improve inter-capital travel in Australia, with a feasibility study revealing a high-speed train link along our eastern coast would cost $114 billion.

This may be the least feasible feasibility study ever conducted in our nation's history. Consider the almost inconceivable complexity and difficulty of constructing a high-speed rail line from Melbourne, through Sydney and on to Brisbane. Such a work would rival the scale of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

The potential political battles over the zoning of land for this project, across three states and myriad councils, don't bear thinking about.

Also, there are environmental issues. One rare frog could stop this idea before the first metre of track is laid.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...for-dimwit-ideas/story-e6frezz0-1226617676145

 

[Julia]

In Queensland our priorities point North, not South. If we need to spend money on transport, a high speed flood-proof Bruce Highway is our first priority.

So true. There's probably limited awareness outside of Qld re how many towns are cut off for days any time there is heavy rain = no food in the shops, just as one effect.

How about Labor just getting one single project completed, on time, on budget, and without massive stuff-ups, before they start engaging in more grandiose ideas!

 

[drsmith]

Fifty-year-old Mr Albanese on Thursday released a study into a high-speed rail network that could cost up to $114 billion and take until 2058 to complete.
-----------------------
Fares between the capital city hubs would mirror prices for air travel, prompting Mr Albanese to say passengers should not expect $20 tickets between Sydney and Melbourne.

What about with pensioner discounts ?

It would require 144km of tunnels, including 67km under Sydney. "It's certainly a cracker of a tunnel," Mr Albanese said of the Sydney route.
-----------------------
Mr Albanese said the report was not a funding proposal and there would be no provision in the May 14 federal budget for the project.

Thank goodness. There's already a cracker of a hole in the budget.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1755182/High-speed-rail-could-be-viable-Albanese

 

[medicowallet]

How about Labor just getting one single project completed, on time, on budget, and without massive stuff-ups, before they start engaging in more grandiose ideas!

If they would have delivered half of their promises well, I don't think the Liberals would have stood a chance. I hope a future government realises this too.

MW

 

[noco]

So true. There's probably limited awareness outside of Qld re how many towns are cut off for days any time there is heavy rain = no food in the shops, just as one effect.

How about Labor just getting one single project completed, on time, on budget, and without massive stuff-ups, before they start engaging in more grandiose ideas!

Julia, it is the normal tactics of this inept Green/Labor government to keep diverting the minds of voters away from the real issues of their stuff ups.

 

[drsmith]

Will Wayne Swan raid the RBA again, against the Governor's wishes ?

The Reserve Bank projects it will have $550 million available for distribution in the 12 months to June 30, a year after it was forced to hand the government almost half its earnings against Governor Glenn Stevens’s wishes, documents show.

Mr Stevens urged Treasurer Wayne Swan to forego a dividend from the RBA for the year to June 2012 to allow the governor to rebuild a buffer drained by the high currency.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/let-us-keep-dividend-rba-urged-swan-20130411-2hnw5.html

 

[drsmith]

How about Labor just getting one single project completed, on time, on budget, and without massive stuff-ups, before they start engaging in more grandiose ideas!

This one from the outset is not even expected to run at a profit.

The HSR program and the majority of its individual stages are expected to produce only a small positive financial return on investment. Governments would be required to fund the majority of the upfront capital costs.

If HSR passenger projections were met at the fare levels proposed, the HSR system, once operational, could generate sufficient fare revenue and other revenue to meet operating costs without ongoing public subsidy.

Without ongoing public subsidy ??

Never mind all the capital that would have gone into building it.

Commercial airlines don't make much money either, but they at least aren't on the public purse for their capex.

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/rail/trains/high_speed/index.aspx

 

[JTLP]

What about with pensioner discounts ?



Thank goodness. There's already a cracker of a hole in the budget.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1755182/High-speed-rail-could-be-viable-Albanese

I'm failing to see the point if costs were to rival airline tickets? Wouldn't you save the time and fly?

 

[drsmith]

I'm failing to see the point if costs were to rival airline tickets? Wouldn't you save the time and fly?

Not according to the predictions,

It predicted that by 2065, the train could poach 40 per cent of inter-city air travel and 60 per cent of regional air travel, with an average of 83.6 million passengers a year expected to use it.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/highspeed-rail-link-would-be-viable-20130410-2hlqa.html

If the Greens have their way, airline tickets won't be an option for the comrade class,

High Speed rail is a nation building project that will transform how we move around the country and will be central to the shift to a clean economy.

http://adam-bandt.greensmps.org.au/portfolios/high-speed-rail

 

[Calliope]

No doubt, this is a misogynist dog. But he knows a rodent when he sees one.
http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/

 

[sptrawler]

Wow now we have the minority government support group throwing up the theatrics.

Don't you love how they posture and pose, to try and distance themselves from the result they orchestrated.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/16692097/woodside-shelve-gas-hub-project/

These are the same dumb @rse union, that spent heaps of dollars to get rid of Barnett, who was the only one fighting for their jobs.

How can they keep writing this rubbish unabated, do they think everyone else lives in a vacuum?

It just shows the demise of Labor, the demise of the unions and more immediately the end of the greens.

Epitomises conflict of interest, they got what they wanted and everyones a loser.

 

[Aussiejeff]

I think JuLiar wants to create a Legacy To Remember With Fondness. Whether the Fast Train ever eventuates, one thing is for sure. She will claim in her Memoirs that the whole dream was really set in motion under HER watch and HER watch alone.

Stand by for more Grandiose Schemes to be announced by the Labor Rabble before Retributio.....errr.....Election Day rolls around.

 

[sptrawler]

I think JuLiar wants to create a Legacy To Remember With Fondness. Whether the Fast Train ever eventuates, one thing is for sure. She will claim in her Memoirs that the whole dream was really set in motion under HER watch and HER watch alone.

Stand by for more Grandiose Schemes to be announced by the Labor Rabble before Retributio.....errr.....Election Day rolls around.

Yep, spot on endless crap, as they sit on the balcony watching the sun set over Sydnet harbour.

They just think we can't see it.

 

[sptrawler]

Wow now we have the minority government support group throwing up the theatrics.

Don't you love how they posture and pose, to try and distance themselves from the result they orchestrated.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/16692097/woodside-shelve-gas-hub-project/

These are the same dumb @rse union, that spent heaps of dollars to get rid of Barnett, who was the only one fighting for their jobs.

How can they keep writing this rubbish unabated, do they think everyone else lives in a vacuum?

It just shows the demise of Labor, the demise of the unions and more immediately the end of the greens.

Epitomises conflict of interest, they got what they wanted and everyones a loser.

IMO this is the dumbest bunch of losers that ever walked on Australian soil.

 

[drsmith]

This will be interesting to keep an eye on,

http://www.finance.gov.au/publicati...ancial-statements/2013/mfs-february-2013.html

It looks like revenue picked up in Feb relative to expenses reducing the underlying cash debt to $23.6bn.

Relative to MYEFO though, both the fiscal and underlying cash balances are still deteriorating.