Re: No speedrail, Badgerys creek or Kurnell

[mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly)]

On Wed, 13 Dec 2000 00:08:48 GMT, dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David
Bromage) wrote:

>David Bennetts (davibenn@ozemail.com.au) wrote:
>
>> "David Bromage" <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
>> SMyZ5.10$Le6.699@news0.optus.net.au">news:SMyZ5.10$Le6.699@news0.optus.net.au...
>> > Santosh Bhat (santosh@student.unsw.edu.au) wrote:
>> > > Just heard on ABC Radio at midnight the following:
>> >
>> > > Badgery's Creek to have no development for a further 4 years;
>> > > BAnkstwon airport to increase regional services;
>> > > Possible future Airport outside Sydney connected by High Speed Rail.
>> > > The Kurnell expansion scrapped; and
>> > > Sydney - Canberra VFT scrapped in favour of a more extensive Eastern
>> > > Seaboard network.
>> >
>> > The ultimate non-decision.
>
>> Yup - our politicians have about as much vision as Mr Magoo!
>
>And about as much logic as a fly trying to get out a closed window.
>
>If they baulked at the cost of Sydney - Canberra, the numbers involved in
>building Melbourne - Brisbane in one shot will cause their heads to explode.
>
>Cheers
>David


Whilst I agree that the current breed of politicians have about as
much foresight as a beetle in a matchbox, its worth remembering that
historically railways in this country have always been a State
responsibility.
Just about all the railways in this country were State built.
The only Federal involvement was the TAR and the CAR and this was 
from my reading of the historical background quite reluctant.
There are no precedents at all for large scale private sector rail
projects that require federal involvement.
The Iron Ore railways in WA which can be equated as being large scale 
private railways were built purely with agreements between the mining
companies and the State Govt of WA, minimal Federal Govt being
involved.
In short , I suspect that the Feds simply dont know what to do, and
their advisers dont know what to do either,so the safest approach is
to do nothing.
Unlike the building of the TAR , which was essential for the
development of the State of WA, there inst an essential reason to have
a VFT,nor is there an essential reason to have any large scale rail
infrastructure developments , with the exception of AP to darwin which
is a legislated requirement, albeit on a non legislated time frame.

If there are to be any large scale private rail projects built, the
Feds should come out and state their position on tax concessions,
federal financing etc ,otherwise nothing will happen.
Foreign investors simply wont invest in Aus rail projects because of
the uncertainty caused by Federal Govt indecision.

MD