-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 17 October 2017 4:27 PM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: snippets, Mon.16.10.17

Attached

171016M Melbourne 'Herald Sun': all with tdu.
- letters, energy.
- taxi prices.
- electricity prices.
- Adani.

171016M Metro Twitter:
- Start a Heart Day-ss. Where?
- Z3.147 & other Zs.

Roderick.

Melbourne Express: Monday, October 16, 2017. [This seems to be a standard
controlled descent, always done as fast as possible. Forget about the
language].
This fantastic silent film taken from the front of a tram in Melbourne in
1910 shows what our city looked like more than 100 years ago.
The closure of two coal-fired power stations and a lack of competition is
behind the reason for skyrocketing electricity costs.
A new ACCC report has found households are under "unacceptable pressure"
with many Australians struggling to absorb price increases [read the full
report here].
7.54 A car has collided with a tram in Coburg at the intersection of Bell
and Nicholson streets.
Nicholson Street is closed outbound at Harding Street. Route 1 trams are
also impacted.
Traffic is bad in the area and police are on the scene.
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-express-monday-october-16-2017-2017101
5-gz1gjv.html>

October 16 2017 More than 120 Victorian electricity and gas connections cut
off every day . with tdu.
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/more-than-100-victorian-electricity-and-gas-conn
ections-cut-off-every-day-20171016-gz1pgw.html>

October 16 2017 GST rejig would 'dud' Victoria out of $972m for teachers,
nurses, Pallas claims .
Victoria will be "dudded" out of enough money to pay for 9300 teachers or
7700 police officers if the Commonwealth pushes ahead with proposed changes
to the nation's GST carve-up, the state government says.
The $972 million that would be lost each year could also pay for 100 e-class
trams, or 150 VLocity train carriages.
An interim report into the GST carve-up proposes reform of the distribution
system for the money raised by the tax which would see Victoria lose an
extra 6c out of every dollar of GST revenue collected in the state.
More videos Commission warns GST dividing system broken.
A new report threatens to reignite the political brawl over the GST by
calling for urgent changes to the way revenue is divided between the states
and territories. Vision courtesy Seven News.
The estimates supplied to federal Treasurer Scott Morrison, who is
reportedly keen to push ahead with reform, have Victoria's GST payout
falling from 93¢ of every dollar collected to 87¢, equating to a loss of
about $972 million for Victoria.
But in response to the state government's concerns, Mr Morrison's office
stressed that the commission's suggestion were only at the proposal stage
and that no final decision on reform had been made.
Tim Pallas says the Commonwealth needs to help Victoria build the
infrastructure it requires.
The state's Department of Treasury and Finance has analysed what the loss of
the money would mean for state services that affect the lives of Victorians..
In the health portfolio, $972 million would pay for about 8700 nurses,
66,000 radiotherapy treatments, 62,000 hip replacements, 65,000 knee
replacements or 8000 liver transplants, according to the Treasury analysis.
In education, the money could fund 9300 teachers, about 70 new primary
schools or 30 new high schools.
State Treasurer Tim Pallas says Victoria already has legitimate complaints
about the present system, arguing the state was short changed to the tune of
$6 billion on national infrastructure funding.
Mr Pallas also says Victoria receives only about 10 per cent of Australia's
infrastructure spending, despite having 25 per cent of the nation's
population.
He says the state missed out on about $420 million in GST revenue after its
population growth exceeded official expectations between 2011 and 2016.
"The Turnbull Government is already dudding Victoria on infrastructure
funding, and we won't let them short-change Victorians on GST as well," Mr
Pallas told Fairfax Media.
"We're building the roads, rail and schools Victoria needs as it grows, and
it's time for the Turnbull Government to help us rather than using Victoria
as budgetary ballast.
"Victoria continues to lead the charge on tax reform, abolishing stamp duty
for first home buyers, reducing payroll tax for regional businesses, and
introducing a stamp duty surcharge on residential real estate for foreign
buyers. "
In response to Mr Pallas's comments, Mr Morrison's office said that no
reform model had been decided upon and that the scenarios envisaged in the
Productivity Commission report were for "illustrative purposes only".
A spokesman also there would be more consultation between the Commonwealth
and the states and territories before a final report is presented to the
Treasurer by January 31.
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/gst-rejig-would-dud-victoria-out-of-972m-for-tea
chers-nurses-pallas-claims-20171014-gz0z1p.html>

October 16 2017 Senate crossbench looms as government's only path to energy
policy deal . with tdu.
<www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/senate-crossbench-looms-a
s-governments-only-path-to-energy-policy-deal-20171016-gz1p9a.html>

October 16 2017 Tony Abbott launches warning shot on climate policy . with
tdu.
<www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-launches-warn
ing-shot-on-climate-policy-20171016-gz1m6z.html>

October 16 2017 Cost of Green scheme must be 'proportionate' to the benefit
they deliver: Scott Morrison . with tdu.
<www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/cost-of-green-scheme-must
-be-proportionate-to-the-benefit-they-deliver-scott-morrison-20171015-gz1i79
..html>

October 16 2017 Network costs the main driver of electricity prices,
consumer watchdog finds . with tdu.
159 comments
<www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/network-costs-the-main-dr
iver-of-electricity-prices-consumer-watchdog-finds-20171015-gz17m3.html>