Re: Labor win etc...

["< Tell >" <telljb@OZozemail.com.au>]

"Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au> wrote:
>
> I'm beginning to get worried, you and I are starting to agree on things<g>.

Next time I make Victoria, a beer will be in order.
We have a lot to talk about.
 
> I agree, it was Labor that sold off the first power station, it was the
> start of the rot, never the less Kennett Sold the house to clear the
> mortgage, now we are renting what we once owned, I don't think in the long
> run that makes for good financial management. Kirner took over from Cain so
> its unfair to blame her, I believe that the Liberals wouldn't have done much
> better under the economic conditions of the late 80's early 90's, one of the
> good points that many forget about the Labor days was the money they poured
> into the railways in Victoria, Victoria had the best non Urban Passenger
> Service in Australia during this period, also the newest equipment ("N"
> Class cars were ordered by the previous Liberal Govt) but the Loco fleet and
> infrastructure were upgraded by the Labor party as were the Sprinters and
> the 4D set.

Yes, Kirner was shoved in after the rot had well and
truly set in.   But, when the public servants super
scheme was about to be "borrowed" on to get out of
trouble, I would say, _Its Time_  ;)
 
> I guess we could go on to-ing and fro-ing for ever, but now its time for
> Labor to show what they can do, my regret is that it can 6 months to late to
> save the railways.

Let us hope for something constructive that will help
to get some of that ever increasing freight off the
roads and back onto rail.
 
> PS. As a point of interest and nothing to do with this subject, that recent
> rail accident in England, (Southern region not the Paddington disaster) was
> on Connex Rail, which is owned by Vivendi the same company that owns
> Hillside.

Just proves, we need an organisation on the federal
level like ARTC who are treading a mine field at
present, to put some sense and authority into how rail
will run for the years to come.  If this fails, we are
in real trouble.

The Railways of Australia (ROA) had an opportunity to
make the "national" rail system work, some good things
were achieved, but it ultimately failed.
It was not their fault, but the lesson is there.
 
----Terry Burton
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