Re: Road vs Rail

[Tell <tell@hate.spammers.com.au>]

mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly) wrote:
>
> Around a cool $1B to be spent on roads , mainly in rural and regional
> areas.
> Govt has admitted that revenue from petrol excise is over double what
> they estimated due to the high price of fuel,and the additional
> excise.
> In addition , the 2c /litre indexation increase in Feb , will raise
> yet another $800 M .(This is to pay for increased defence expenditure)
> Note that Labor Party is in agreement about the need for Defence
> expenditure.
> All thanks to Paul Keating for introducing indexation of fuel excise.
> Wont be long before we will be paying more in excise for fuel than
> what the fuels worth.
> Dont forget also,that the GST on fuel is on both the retail price plus
> the excise.


More money on Defence is not a bad idea.

Just a pity some of that money could not find its way
into some sorely needed rail upgrading.
Neither the coalition or labor have mentioned railways.

I did here the big fella opp leader mumbling something
about infra-structure.  Maybe another "out of the hat"
Keating style one nation rail project.?

Whoa hang on, the Feds have put taxpayers money towards
the Alice Springs to Darwin line.  (Down in croweater
land it is called the ADELAIDE to Darwin rail project.)
Never mind that the Northern Territory has been trying
to get this up alone ever since the standard gauge
Tarcoola to Alice Springs line was opened into the NT
in the latter part of 1980.

Ruling pollies on both side of the border are hanging
their re-election hats on this one.  
(can not believe that, .........right.!)

No private money in sight yet.  Some very interesting
developments up here though, will advise when more
facts come through.  Wheeling & dealing with other
Territory assets comes to mind, ......wink wink.

....Tell