Re: April Digest - congrats Max Michell

["Andrew Honan" <ahonan@zipworld.com.au>]

"Maurie Daly" <mauried@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
3ade15df.980651@can-news.tpg.com.au">news:3ade15df.980651@can-news.tpg.com.au...
> On Wed, 18 Apr 2001 07:58:31 GMT, "Dave Proctor"
> <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote:
>
> >"Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au> wrote in message
> >3add11fa@nap-ns1.netconnect.net.au">news:3add11fa@nap-ns1.netconnect.net.au...
> >
> >> The jurisdiction comes over interstate traffic and could be used to
fund
> >> interstate railways if the feds wanted to, like they already fund to
the
> >> billions to interstate roads.
> >
> >No dispute that the constitution does allow for it to happen (I have
argued
> >this here many times before). The problem is that the states do not
operate
> >an almost monopoly along the roads, they are free to all and sundry,
which
> >is why the feds are prepared to fund it.
> >
> >State governments in Australia are not prepared to hand over the rail
system
> >to the feds and renounce all control over it, but nor are they prepared
to
> >adequately fund them either. One should really ask why they want to keep
> >them if they aren't prepared to fund them appropriately. It seems like
they
> >want to hold onto them as some sort of vestige of self-control (we all
know
> >how the current HCA is removing more and more states rights in favour of
the
> >Commonwealth).
> >
> >Dave
> >
> >
> Im not convinced that the only model is to hand the whole show over to
> the Feds ,(as everyone else seems to beleive) .
> Whats really needed is major rail reform , which doesnt also mean
> federal control.
> What is needed is a single common set of rules which all the Railways
> (irrespective of who owns them ) , operate by.
> Given that there is a trend now by each State Govt to privatise parts
> of its Rail network maybe its possible to head in the direction of the
> US rail model.
> In this case the only role of the Feds would be to set national
> standards, which all rail operators ,either State owned or privately
> leased would operate by.
> No one can convince me that having separate rules and differant access
> regimes and differant safeworking in every state is a good thing for
> the country.
>
> How about this as a starter.
> 1/ The NSW suburban rail network (ie Maitland / Lithgow / Goulburn) be
> handed back in its entirety to Cityrail, to be run as a vertically
> integrated rail network.
> Cityrail in turn must agree to implement a certified publicly
> accessable track access regime .
> The Feds must agree to build a dedicated goods route thru the suburban
> area.
>

Agreed

> 2/ The parts of the National Network in NSW (as defined by the AROU)
> be LEASED to ARTC .
> ARTC must agree to spend a certain amount of its total income over the
> next 5 years fixing up the worst bits of the NSW country network.
> The Feds must agree to privatise ARTC .(This is rumoured to happen
> anyway after the NRC sale is completed.)

Agreed, but must be followed very quickly with the $1.5B from the feds,
otherwise will there be much income to spend on fixing NSW track??

> All the States are permitted as a consortium to bid for ARTC as is
> anyone else.

What would motivate them??? Why would they do it?

> The ACCC is given the power to make determinations regarding anti
> competetive within the Rail industry.

Yep, agreed..

>
> 3/ The sale of Freightcorp be modified to include a 50 year lease on
> all the NSW track not defined as being either Cityrails or the leased
> ARTC track.
> (This would increase the sale price of Freightcorp.).

No. what would happen to lines that do not have 'market pull' i.e.
countrylink services.
I agreed for a lease on the bulk freight lines (designated?), but there are
some regional operators that need track infrastructure support.
>

> Eventually we will end up primarily with either a privately owned
> national rail network , or a State owned national rail network .
> Either way it gets awat from the current problem of each State simply
> wanting to play trains in its own state and not caring at all about
> the National good.
>
> If and when the above is achieved , then the Feds inject 1.2 billion
> into upgrading and improving the worst bits of the Eastern Coast Rail
> Network.(They have indicated they will do this , provided that a
> single network operator for the national network exists.)
>

Need a national land transport planning body, a communications standards
group and safety inspectorate / accident board (a la McInerney)

>
> Comments
> MD
>

 AH.