Re: National Rail Corp

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <7rc60r$1cfr$1@otis.netspace.net.au> "Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au> writes:
>From: "Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>
>Subject: Re: National Rail Corp
>Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 09:59:57 +1000


>< Tell > <telljb@OZozemail.com.au> wrote in message
>37f68f47.3003839@news.ozemail.com.au">news:37f68f47.3003839@news.ozemail.com.au...
>> mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly) wrote:
>> >
>> > The sale is still on , delayed up until now by having to get the
>agreement of
>> > all the shareholders, but I beleive there is still some dispute about
>who will
>> > be allowed to bid , in that the NSW and Vic Govts dont want other Govt
>bidders.
>> > I understand that Qrail were going to be a bidder.
>> > Toll Rail is also interested.
>> > The sale is supposed to be completed by the end of this year.
>>
>>
>> A couple of years ago the Liberal Feds were all for the
>> sale of NRC to private operators, after all it was
>> Keating and the Labor Party who started this anyhow,
>> including the former Labor government of Victoria, who
>> floated their then latest SEC Vic power station off
>> overseas, all of this conveniently forgotten by the ALP
>> front rowers out there.  Short memories this bunch.
>>
>> It would be a disaster if either NSW, Queensland and or
>> Western Australia wind up owning National Rail.!!
>>
>> ----Terry Burton

>Why????????????????

>I've got a good memory, it was you liberal front rowers that refused to back
>AN back in 1975 because it was a Labor idea.

>Had AN been truly a national system the Labor governments might not have
>needed to set up NRC.

>Had the Liberals adopted the Whitlam's UPT concept back in 1974 we might not
>be stuck with some of the problems (like the 4D) we have now???

>"Liberal" Party.  In any other field than politics they would be charged
>with misrepresentation of a product. They are Conservatives, so why do they
>hide behind the name Liberal???

>Bob.


Its a bit interesting that the outcome of the Whitlam offer in 1975 , for the 
Feds to take over the States Rail systems was not exactly what the Feds wanted.
The aim of the offer was to get NSW,VIC and WA to hand over their bits of the 
Network , but the offer had to be made to all.
The fact that SA and TAS accepted the offer wasnt really what was wanted and 
indeed when Fraser came to power,he tried to renege on the whole deal.
The sad history of efforts to bring about a truly National Rail system is 
detailed in a couple of very good books which used to be available at the 
Railfan shop in Melb.
They are "The Long Haul", a history of Australian National from 1978 to 1988 
and "Railroading at its wildest" by Ron Fitch , ex SAR Commissioner.
The sum outcome of the whole mess is squarely the fault of intransigant State 
Govts, with some lesser blame to laid at the hands of the Feds for their 
feeble efforts to fix the problem.
Whilst Im not a fan of either of the major political parties, I beleive that 
the only chance for Rail reform will occur when we have a situation of a 
Liberal federal Govt and all Liberal State govts.
The reasons for this are that the State Labor parties , simply because of 
their ideology will never support the handover of State owned Railways to the 
feds,even if we have a Federal Labor party in power,and State Liberal Govts 
will never offer to hand over their Railways to a federal Labor Govt.
Indeed this happened back in the later years of the Bolte Govt in Victoria
when Bolte offered to hand over  all of Vline to the Gorton Liberal federal 
Govt.
The Feds decined the offer.
After Hamer succeded Bolte and Whitlam succeeded Gorton, the same offer 
was made and refused , this time by the State.
If we get a situation of all Liberal Fed and State Govts then there is a fair 
chance to get a bit more privatization of Rail and hopefully the private 
owners wont stand for the stupid sort of regulatory crap that the State 
regulators are trying to impose and will heavy the Govts for reform.
Whilst this isnt a good way to achieve the desired outcome , a bit of 
cooperation would be a lot better, Im afraid its the only way.

MD