Forwarded

From: Roderick Smith rnveditor@...>
Sent: Saturday, 9 January 2021, 06:19:07 pm AEDT
Subject: Wed.30.9.20 daily digest, lost by yahoomail

Roderick

"190311M-'WAToday'-train.safety-c.jpg"
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"200930W-'BrisbaneTimes'-GoBetweenBridge-ss.jpg" [with Merivale Bridge; with ATN]
 "200930W-'BrisbaneTimes'-VictoriaBridge-busway-ss.jpg" [with ATN]

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"200930W-'SMH'-Pilliga.gas-a.jpg" [all four with ATN]
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Wed.30.9.20 Metro Twitter
Buses replace trains on sections of the Upfield line until the last train of Sun 15 Nov (level-crossing works at Coburg and Moreland).
4.45 Buses are replacing trains between Frankston and Stony Point (a train fault). Journey extend by ~40min.
- 6.30 & 8.00 unchanged.
The curfew has now been lifted, so if you work night shift, or you’re just a late-night person, you can get some evening exercise in. Remember that the 5km limit still applies, and stay safe.  All train, tram and bus services in Melbourne continue to run to a reduced timetable after 21.00 each day. PTV is working to restore the normal timetable over the next few weeks.
9.45 Train services will resume between Frankston and Stony Point after an earlier train fault.
Buses replace trains Newport - Werribee from 19.25 until the last train (works).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 until last train (works).

'I burst into tears': The untold toll of trespassing on Perth's tracks March 11, 2019.
The faces and noises are hard for railcar driver George Pisani to erase from his memory.
The noise of a person making contact with a speeding train is a sound "you'll never forget", he explains.
"I wish I had a hard drive," Mr Pisani says, as he points to his head. "And I could just wipe it."
Clinton Fernandez (left) and George Pisani.Credit:Cameron Myles
A railcar driver with the PTA for more than two decades, Mr Pisani – like many of his colleagues – has experienced many "near misses", incidents in which people almost collided with his train.
But in the most serious and tragic of cases, people have been struck and killed.
Some cases are the result of people trying to self-harm.
But others are totally avoidable, had the person not been trespassing on the tracks, or going around boom-gates which were closed.
In many instances the speed and weight of the train is just too great for people to survive the impact.
“The last one (collision) that I had, I just lost it I was in tears”
George Pisani
"I remember putting my hand on the dash, and I actually burst into tears ... I'd had enough."
The man Mr Pisani's train hit this particular day did survive.
He had walked into the path of the oncoming train near Queens Park station by navigating around some closed boom-gates.
'His face hit the window'
"There was another guy who nearly came through my window," Mr Pisani said of another case, which turned out to be fatal.
"I think about that every day. I still see his face [because] his face hit the window.
"All I can do is hit the emergency brake and it's in the hands of God then."
In an interview with WAtoday, Mr Pisani and Perth transit line supervisor Clinton Fernandez spoke of the tragic consequences of trespassing on train tracks and near level crossings.
Jonathan Beninca, a man run over by a train in 1999, also told WAtoday about the potentially fatal results of trespassing in and around railway tracks.
The three men hope that by speaking out they can get through to those who engage in such risky behaviour and expose the psychological trauma the incidents have on so many people, from PTA staff to members of the public.
George Pisani and Clinton Fernandez. have seen their fair share of near miss cases.Credit:Cameron Myles
Mr Fernandez, who has been in the job 11 years, is tasked with dispatching transit officers to scenes when people have been hit by a train.
It is a horrendous job.
"A lot of people get affected," Mr Fernandez said. "I've attended about three or four incidents."
Mr Fernandez said he and his staff often spoke to young people on train platforms who got 'kicks' from pretending to jump or fall into the path of an oncoming train.
"Whenever we speak to these people, it's just a joke for them," he said.
"If you talk to them properly you can get compliance [but] it is getting difficult now; because before it used to be alcohol [related], but now it is alcohol and drugs."
New figures released by the PTA show there were more than 860 incidents – including near-miss and trespass-related cases – on Perth's railway crossings and train tracks last year.
The figures show there were 869 such incidents last year at level crossings, train tracks and other train property.
There were 85 cases in 2018 of a near miss with a person at a level crossing and a further 13 near-miss cases with a car.
And there were a further 285 cases of a person illegally being on a level crossing and a further 486 incidents deemed trespassing on train property or trespassing close to train tracks.
'It can ruin your career'
Mr Pisani said he knew of some colleagues who had not been able to return to work after a near miss or a fatality because of the psychological impact it had on them.
"One of my friends never came back," he said. "It can ruin your career ... but you learn to deal with it as best you can.
"When you hear of an incident on the track ... it brings you back."
'All it is going to take is just a few moments'
At the age of 19 Jonathan Beninca was run over by a train in Sydney after falling unconscious on railway tracks after a night of drinking.
Jonathan Beninca lost a leg, an arm and two fingers on his hand.Credit:PTA
He'd been throwing rocks at a stationary train as he walked along the train-line, when one of the rocks re-bounded off it and knocked him out cold.
A train which later came along severed a leg, an arm and two fingers on his other hand.
He spent three months in hospital.
For the past 15 years Mr Beninca has been telling his powerful and personal story to teenagers across the country in an effort to highlight what can happen when one engages in anti-social behaviour around train stations.
He will visit Perth later this month, where he will speak to hundreds of school children.
"People become complacent, especially around the train tracks," he said.
"All it is going to take is just a few moments and minutes of our time to stop and wait and cross safely.
"I'd prefer to be 15 minutes late than have the police knock on the door and tell my family I've passed away because I couldn't wait a few minutes."
PTA spokesman David Hynes said the agency was going to great lengths to reduce the chances of incidents like near misses happening in the first place.
"While the safety and security of anyone who interacts with our system is of utmost importance to the PTA there is an expectation that people take some responsibility for their own safety," he said.
"Public transport has many built-in safety features and we go to great lengths to reduce the chance of a serious incident."
Rail Tram and Bus Union PTA branch secretary Joshua Dekuyer said near misses had wide-ranging short and long-term impacts for drivers and transit officers.
"Especially as every incident can be so different and always traumatic," he said.
"Where transit officers have the benefit of mental preparation, drivers have the worse situation with unexpected and direct involvement.
"It is important that people stay off the tracks; it's not worth it."
If you are experiencing mental health issues, contact LifeLine WA on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, or the MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978.
<www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/i-burst-into-tears-the-untold-toll-of-trespassing-on-perth-s-tracks-20190307-p512ec.html>

As it happened: Victoria records 13 COVID-19 cases as ADF leave Qld border before reopening to northern NSW regions; Australian death toll jumps to 886. Mary Ward and Pallavi Singhal September 30, 2020
* 21.20 Summary:
- Victoria recorded 13 new cases and four deaths on Wednesday, as Western Australia scrapped hotel quarantine requirements for Victorians entering the state.
- NSW has recorded no new local cases on Wednesday, with four testing positive in hotel quarantine. The mystery case identified in western Sydney last week has possibly been linked to a hospital outbreak.
- Younger Australians will be offered new incentives to work on farms picking fruit and vegetables as part of a budget package that aims to boost farm production to $100 billion within a decade and fill a hole left by foreign workers during the pandemic.
- Western Australia has called for tighter rules around foreign ships as it deals with a coronavirus cluster on an iron ore bulk carrier off the coast of the Pilbara.
- There have been 33.4 million coronavirus cases worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally, and the global death rate has passed 1 million.
- Victoria recorded 13 new cases and four deaths on Wednesday.
- NSW recorded its fifth consecutive day without community transmission of COVID-19.
- Singapore announced that it will unilaterally lift border restrictions for Australian travellers from October 8. However, the Australian Government's ban on travel out of Australia without a special exemption remains in place.
- Less than one-third of Victoria's new cases are linked to known outbreaks. The state's Premier Daniel Andrews says having a low proportion of cases with an unknown source is key to the further lifting of restrictions.
- Genomic sequencing has revealed about a dozen infectious Ruby Princess passengers boarded a Qantas flight to Perth hours after disembarking the ship. Twenty-nine of the flight's passengers later tested positive for COVID-19.
* 20.54 Singapore has announced that it will lift border restrictions for travellers from Australia, excluding those from Victoria, from October 8.
* 10.36 Multiple exposures at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre. Rachael Dexter
There have been numerous COVID-19 exposures in the past week at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne's south-east, according to the state's Department of Health.
DHHS has just released high-risk warnings for anyone who spent time at either Coles, The Butcher Club or the Fresh Food Precinct at Chadstone between Wednesday and Saturday last week (between 6am and 6pm).
The other new addition to the list today is Woolworths in Ashwood on September 26.
Anyone who visited any of the locations at the times listed in the table above should be vigilant for any signs of COVID-19, and get tested immediately if they appear.
* 9.46 'Three to six months' of medical supplies on hand amid port dispute The chief executive of Australia's leading medicine industry body has confirmed some medical supplies headed for Australia are being delayed due to an industrial dispute but has dampened down fears of critical shortages.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the Maritime Union of Australia over its current industrial action with Patrick Terminals at major ports across the country yesterday calling it a "campaign of extortion against the Australian people".
But the union disputes that medical supplies have been affected by the stand-off which is stopping container ships from unloading cargo at major ports.
RELATED ARTICLE Patrick CEO Michael Jovicic, overlooking Port Botany, says a union dispute is delaying containers. Retailers warn of Christmas shortages as docks dispute drives container backlog
* 9.22 Australians have accepted masks, restrictions and fines. Americans have not Anna Patty. Australians and Americans trust medical experts more than their elected officials, but Australians are far more supportive of their political leaders and COVID-19 restrictions, including fines for breaches and wearing masks.
The research from the University of Sydney and Latrobe University in Melbourne has found there is far less partisan division in Australian support for fines if restrictions are breached and for making it compulsory to wear masks, particularly in Victoria. Labor and Coalition voters in Australia were also more likely to trust their state and federal political leaders from both sides of politics.
The survey found that 83 per cent of Coalition voters and 85 per cent of Labor voters supported fines for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. When it came to making masks compulsory, 59 per cent of Coalition voters and 69 per cent of Labor voters were supportive.
More than 45 per cent of Australians had a lot of trust in acting chief medical officer Paul Kelly and 41 per cent of Americans had a lot of trust in director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci. In America, 21 per cent of voters had a lot of trust in Donald Trump compared with 30 per cent of Australians who had a lot of trust in Scott Morrison.
Passengers wear masks on a train between Central and Wynyard.CREDIT:JANIE BARRETT
Read more: Australians have accepted masks, restrictions and fines. Americans have not
* 8.50 WA Premier refuses to set date for hard border to come down
* 8.26 NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said states with closed borders are "living in a false sense of security", and will need to learn to live in a more COVID-safe way once the country opens up.
Asked if NSW would consider moving from its four-square-metre rule for hospitality venue capacity to a two-square-metre rule following an industry push, the Premier told Sunrise states which had those more relaxed rules had stricter border controls in place.
"Some other states have adopted [the rule] because they have the borders up," she said. "They are living in a false sense of security because they are not welcoming people from other states.
"We have said if you want to keep the economy going, get rid of the borders, allow people to move freely, get the tourism industry going and of course, we can look at the opportunities into allowing more people into hospitality venues but we need to make sure we are ready for that."
The two-square-metre rule is in place for venues in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.
RELATED ARTICLE Glenmore Hotel's rooftop bar has been a saving grace during the pandemic. On The Rocks: Tourist hub to transform into summer rooftop, outdoor dining destination
* 6.50 ADF to be replaced with police in Queensland. Defence personnel are departing the Queensland border today, as per the state's agreement with the federal government, despite more NSW residents being allowed to cross into the state from tomorrow.
The 58 stationed troops will be replaced with 15 Queensland police officers at midnight tonight. From Thursday, residents of Byron, Ballina, Glen Innes, Lismore and Richmond Valley will be included as part of Queensland's border bubble, prompting fears of delays as staffing is reduced.
<www.smh.com.au/national/coronavirus-updates-live-victorian-active-cases-fall-adf-leave-queensland-border-national-death-toll-at-882-20200930-p560hi.html>

Australians have accepted masks, COVID-19 restrictions and fines. Americans have not. Anna Patty September 30, 2020
Australians and Americans trust medical experts more than their elected officials, but Australians are far more supportive of their political leaders and COVID-19 restrictions, including fines for breaches and wearing masks.
The research from the University of Sydney and Latrobe University in Melbourne has found there is far less partisan division in Australian support for fines if restrictions are breached and for making it compulsory to wear masks, particularly in Victoria. Labor and Coalition voters in Australia were also more likely to trust their state and federal political leaders from both sides of politics.
Passengers wear masks on a train between Central and Wynyard.CREDIT:JANIE BARRETT
The survey found that 83 per cent of Coalition voters and 85 per cent of Labor voters supported fines for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. When it came to making masks compulsory, 59 per cent of Coalition voters and 69 per cent of Labor voters were supportive.
More than 45 per cent of Australians had a lot of trust in acting chief medical officer Paul Kelly and 41 per cent of Americans had a lot of trust in director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci. In America, 21 per cent of voters had a lot of trust in Donald Trump compared to 30 per cent of Australians who had a lot of trust in Scott Morrison.
University of Sydney's US Studies Centre political science lecturer Shaun Ratcliff said Americans were more polarised on the issue of fines, masks and lockdowns than Australians.
"It comes from the higher level of trust Australians have in both medical experts and their leaders," he said.
While Democrats were less likely to trust Republican president Donald Trump, Australian Labor voters were more likely to trust conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
"Coalition voters tend to trust Labor Premiers. So there is a lot less of that partisan division in Australia," Dr Ratcliff said. "We are more likely to trust our leaders and that seems to be flowing through to our willingness to accept restrictions on movement and requirements to wear masks, especially if you're in Victoria."
While there are some levels of opposition to COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, they were much lower than in the US. "There is a lot less heterogeneity in opinion in Australia," Dr Ratcliff said.
"If you are in the United States, you have received from some Republican leaders this message that this isn't actually that serious, it's not much worse than the flu," he said.
President Trump and some Republican governors had, at times, played down the severity of COVID-19 which had contributed to a backlash against restrictions by many Republican voters.
Dr Ratcliff said, while there were Australians who had been critical of some restrictions, it was "a much smaller part of the conservative side of politics".
"There has been a much greater uniformity of messages from political leaders and officials on both sides of politics in Australia," he said. "When Australians are getting a more consistent message that this is a serious issue and we need to take serious measures to make sure people's health and safety is protected, it provides less of an opportunity for some of this opposition to build up."
While USA had more of a libertarian culture, the inconsistency of messages from leaders had contributed to greater opposition to restrictions by Republican voters.
The research is based on a YouGov survey of 1375 Australian and 1060 American respondents was taken between August 31 and September 9 and funded by the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne Policy Lab. The data was weighted to be representative of each country’s population.
<www.smh.com.au/national/australians-have-accepted-masks-covid-19-restrictions-and-fines-americans-have-not-20200925-p55z43.html>

NSW planning commission approves Santos's Narrabri gas field project. Peter Hannam and Nick Toscano September 30, 2020. 128 comments
<www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/nsw-planning-commission-approves-santos-s-narrabri-gasfield-project-20200930-p560hv.html>

Traffic lights coming for busy West End intersection. Lucy Stone September 30, 2020 [once a tram road?]
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/traffic-lights-coming-for-busy-west-end-intersection-20200930-p560jd.html>

Tolls to be scrapped on Go Between Bridge during metro construction. Tony Moore September 30, 2020
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/tolls-to-be-scrapped-on-go-between-bridge-during-metro-construction-20200930-p560r7.html>

SEPTEMBER 30 2020 Labor says it will deliver 'nation-leading' big battery network. Daniella White
<www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6947664/labor-says-it-will-deliver-nation-leading-big-battery-network-in-act>

Rolling coverage: 13 cases, four deaths; Chadstone added to high risk virus locations
Shannon Deery, Tom Minear and Ellen Whinnett September 30, 2020 Herald Sun 953 comments
What idea would you support to Rebuild Victoria? 5698 Voters:
Vouchers to encourage spending 25%
Carparks to become outdoor eating areas 6%
Holiday in regional Victoria 29%
A 'Better Melbourne' campaign 3%
Ask businesses to employ one new person 7%
Fresh tourism branding 1%
Reduce stamp duty on construction 9%
Make the regions more liveable 11%
Find a 'big build' to promote jobs 7%
Join our major attractions on the Yarra River 2%
<www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/rolling-coverage-andrews-stands-by-embattled-senior-bureaucrats-teacher-smacks-down-treasurers-school-claims/news-story/e767cc21062558fc4c37c45b31e58b8f>