Fw: Tues.6.10.20 daily digest
  Roderick Smith

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Roderick

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Tues.6.10.20 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).
Buses replace trains Newport - Werribee from 19.25 until last train (works).
Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Buses replace trains Parliament - Bell/Heidelberg from 19.45 until the last train tonight (maintenance works).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 until the last train (works).
The Bs were the first mainline diesel locomotives built for VR. In this PROV photo B60 is being worked on in March 1953. Hi-res: https://beta.prov.vic.gov.au/collection/PID1171966029
- I love the way that in capturing an image of the VR's pride and joy being cleaned, the photographer has also photographed the toilet fitted in the nose of the locomotive. (Just inside the open nose door - right where the bottom of the employee is visible)
- Are you sure you have the right linked image (https://beta.prov.vic.gov.au/collection/PID1171966029)?
- I think the photographer noticed and took a second image that cropped the nose and the toilet. IMHO the first is a better composed picture.
- they're both great photos! We chose the 2nd image because it provides that extra detail about the inside of the train. It may not be as classically composed, but as a piece of historical documentation it's fascinating!
- Arguably one of Victoria's best designs, of any object.

Landmarks in Melbourne lit up as mourners grieve New Zealand terror attack
Herald Sun March 16, 2019.
video: Christchurch shooting victim posts video from hospital bed.
Hundreds of people of all faiths came together in Melbourne tonight to honour those who lost their lives in the Christchurch terror attacks.
The candlelit vigil on the State Library lawn was marked with 49 prayer mats for the 49 victims.
Three imams led the prayers, reciting passages from the Koran, as Flinders Street station lit up in the colours of New Zealand’s flag.
Flinders St Station has been lit up tonight in support of New Zealand. Picture: Jaimi Chisholm/Getty Images
Mourners at tonight’s vigil in Melbourne. Picture: Jaimi Chisholm/Getty Images
The sombre service included a tribute to the dead and a message that they were martyrs in paradise.
Children clutched candles as they sat on the steps beside a floral shrine.
President of the national council of churches, from the Anglican Church, Bishop Phillip Huggins said “our hearts break together”.
The prayer rugs in the foreground represent the 49 people who were killed. Picture: Ian Currie
A young girl lights candles for the 49 people who were killed by the terrorist. Picture: Ian Currie
People of all faiths showed their support in Melbourne. Picture: Ian Currie
Bishop Huggins said it was up to all of us to combat the “disease” of the hate thought and hate speech that led to hate actions.
“We must make sure every tentacle of it disappears.”
Hundreds of people made signs of prayer and peace outside the State Library of Victoria to honour the 49 people killed at mosques in New Zealand.
More vigils were held tonight in a show of support for the state’s Islamic community ahead of the state’s Victorian Mosque Open Day on Sunday.
Premier Daniel Andrews urged Victorians to stand together in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.
Candlelight vigils were held on Saturday outside the State Library of Victoria but the peaceful display was a stark contrast to violence which broke out an event organised for controversial Senator Fraser Anning.
At one point violence erupted when a protester threw at egg at the controversial senator’s head.
Different religions came together to pray for those impacted by the tragedy. Picture: Ian Currie
Thousands of people are expected to flock to the annual Mosque Open Day from 10am on Sunday in a show of support for the Islamic population.
Mr Andrews, who will attend, said Victorians would not be divided by fear and hate.
“Those who committed these acts of violence against the Muslim community seek to destroy the diversity we hold dear — as a state, we will not let them win,” he said.
“We will stand together against this terror — because our diversity is our strength.”
VICTIM WATCHED BROTHER’S DEATH VIA LIVESTREAM
A victim caught up in the horrific Christchurch mosque massacre has spoken of the moment he saw his brother shot dead, via the shooter’s livestream.
Ramsan Ali spoke to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell this morning, saying he was inside the mosque when the gunman came in and started shooting.
“I was in the mosque when the thing started, and I stayed there — I was the last person out of the mosque alive,” Mr Ali said.
Ramsan Ali told 3AW he saw his brother killed via the shooter’s livestream of the Christchurch mosque massacre.
Police outside the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch. Picture: AAP
“When he started shooting I was sitting on a vertical bench at the back. I dived under the bench, I put half of my body under it and half was out.
“I think he thought I was dead. He went over me and he hit other people but he didn’t shoot me.”
Mr Ali said he was recovering in hospital but that his brother had been killed and he witnessed his murder via the shooter’s livestream.
“I lost by brother. It’s still not confirmed whether he is dead or not, but I have seen from social media that he has been shot from close range,” Mr Ali told Neil Mitchell.
He later said his brother was just metres from him when the shooting began.
“My brother was probably about three metres away from me but he was sitting on the floor because in mosques you normally go for somewhere to sit on the floor,” Mr Ali said.
Mr Ali said his brother had not been reported on any victim lists.
“I just wanted to check if something happened to my brother. I found out that he was lying out before the person who shot him at close range.”
People broke down in tears at a rally in Melbourne to show support for the victims of the Christchurch massacre. Picture: Tim Carrafa
A supporter holds a sign reading “Sympathy & love to all Muslim communities”. Picture: Tim Carrafa
VICTIM’S HEARTFELT MESSAGE FROM HOSPITAL
SENATOR ANNING ATTACKED WITH EGG
MOMENT COPS TOOK DOWN ALLEGED SHOOTER
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/christchurch-massacre-victim-watched-his-brothers-death-via-livestream/news-story/aebdbfef662aaf1fd4f76b2ffb4d05a5>


Back to cars: Public transport expected to take post-pandemic beating. Timna Jacks August 29, 2020. 22 comments
Victoria's public transport will lose 114 million yearly trips post-pandemic, and city roads face worsening congestion as infection-wary commuters desert the network in favour of their cars.
Metro Trains and Yarra Trams are facing unprecedented hits to revenue as other workers take advantage of a new era of work-from-home arrangements.
During the virus' second wave, public transport rides have dwindled to 9 per cent of normal levels.
And even after the pandemic subsides, public transport use overall will recover to just 80 per cent of capacity, or 456 million yearly trips instead of 570 million, according to Monash University research that is the most comprehensive study on travel impacts of the coronavirus done to date.
Near empty Southern Cross Station during what would normally be morning peak hour on Monday April 6, 2020. CREDIT:LUIS ENRIQUE ASCUI
Department of Transport is considering expert warnings that rail will be hardest hit once the virus subsides, with usage to return to just 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Metro's Hong Kong parent company, MTR Corporation, is reporting that a $HK70 million ($12.5 million) loss across its international subsidiaries in the first half of 2020 is "mainly due" to the dramatic dive in patronage and revenue on Melbourne's suburban railway.
The Monash study found one in five people will stop travelling into the CBD, as work-from-home arrangements increase by 75 per cent, significantly reducing the number of white-collar workers coming into the city.
However, the CBD is headed for worsening gridlock, as 9 per cent of the state’s public transport commutes switch to car trips, the survey of more than 2000 people found.
Business leaders are pushing for more parking on the city's fringe as cars become the primary mode of travel, making up 61 per cent of all trips to work — a rise from 57 per cent.
Cycling will rise by 55 per cent, making up 3 per cent of all work-related trips. A dip in off-peak travel will be evened out by a rise in delivery trips.
Public transport trips are expected to fall from 36 per cent to 30 per cent of all work-related trips, with the study commissioned by the Department of Transport warning these trends could take up to seven years to reverse.
"A decline in public transport and a growth in car driving is not a good outcome," lead researcher Professor Graham Currie warned. “We are going to have more and different congestion hot spots in Melbourne."
Professor Currie, the Monash Chair of Public Transport, said there had been a shift in attitudes about public transport, noting the second lockdown had marked a significant turning point. "Crowding and infection fear are new major concerns for users."
To keep services running, the Andrews government gave Metro and Yarra emergency funding relief in June, which is understood to amount to roughly two-thirds of revenue losses on their operations and maintenance contract, which excludes losses on advertising or delays on infrastructure projects.
While the government refused to confirm the amount, sources close to the deal said Metro was lent about $56 million — $8 million a month between June and December.
The city's trains are empty during lockdown.CREDIT:LUIS ASCUI
The state is set to be reimbursed about 66 per cent of the payment once usage returns to 80 per cent capacity and the operator turns a profit.
The cash injection was supposed to last until the end of the year, but operators may ask for another lifeline in the wake of the second lockdown.
"Like every organisation, we’re navigating uncharted waters through this pandemic," Metro's chief executive, Raymond O’Flaherty, said.
Ninety seven cent of Metro's revenue typically went back into operations, maintenance and employee salaries, which had risen to 100 per cent with no current return to shareholders during the pandemic, Mr O’Flaherty said.
But the chief executive confirmed that Metro was "committed to Melbourne for the long term".
Yarra Trams’s new chief executive, Julien Dehornoy, said it was a "challenging" time in transport and the company had "not been immune" to the impacts of the financial shock. The government's funding injection would provide "certainty" to passengers as the network recovered, he said.
A full recovery, however, may be slow.
A month after the first round of stage three restrictions in March, patronage returned to just 40 per cent of normal levels, up from 10 per cent at the height of the lockdown.
In cities such as Vienna, Oslo and Berlin, usage has not exceed 80 per cent capacity months after restrictions eased.
Coronavirus: Victoria records lowest daily figure in weeks
video Coronavirus: Victoria records lowest daily figure in weeks Saturday, August 29: Victoria has recorded 94 new cases of coronavirus and 18 deaths overnight.
Executive director of the International Association of Public Transport, Michelle Batsas, said rail would continue to be the "backbone" of the city's public transport network, but people would likely shift to shorter, suburban trips which was a trend occurring in Singapore.
On-demand services such as 15-seater buses that could be booked on an app might become more popular, especially in suburbs on the city's fringe, she said.
A Department of Transport spokesman said the government was adding extra train and tram services on the busiest lines to help passengers socially distance.
RELATED ARTICLE A near-empty tram travels along St Kilda Road. Crisis talks as Melbourne's train, tram passenger numbers slump by 90%
RELATED ARTICLE A cyclist in Docklands on Monday. Lockdown 2.0 traffic heavier than in April but less than pre-COVID
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/back-to-cars-public-transport-expected-to-take-post-pandemic-beating-20200828-p55q6q.html>
* These figures are wild guesses at best, no one knows what our post Covid “normal” will be.
* “To keep services running, the Andrews government gave Metro and Yarra emergency funding relief in June, which is understood to amount to roughly two-thirds of revenue losses on their operations and maintenance contract, which excludes losses on advertising or delays on infrastructure projects”. It is becoming increasingly clear that the concept of privatisation is in fact privatisation of profits and socialisation of losses. Apparently this is how ‘market forces’ operate. It’s all in the fine print.
* Given how Melbourne's rail networks (light and heavy) were bursting at the seams in peak hours ... this will actually be a great thing, for those of us that use public transport rather than CO2 spewing cars. The bad news is, of course, more C02 spewing cars!
* I think that the recovery to 80% is quite optimistic - even if the virus is eventually dealt with so it is not a concern, there are still many who have discovered that working from home at least some of the time is pretty good and will continue to do so for at least some of the time. Then there is the heightened awareness of cleanliness, distancing and disease spread that most of us now have - there are still colds, flu and other diseases every year and they can spread like wildfire amongst public transport commuters and I think that the heightened awareness will make the safe cocoon of private cars more appealing.
I see it in a similar way to the widespread use of masks in many Indo-Chinese countries after the SARS experience - masks for many of the population simply became an ongoing part of life.
It's not ideal from a number of different perspectives but I can see it happening that way. Maybe it's time to think about that and make life a little easier for motorists - have all day clearways, 7 days a week along any road that has tramlines, same for any suburban shopping strips, remove the 40kmh speed limits in those suburban shopping strips as a few ideas.
* I think it's amazing that the tertiary institution that's so poorly served by public transport that's 'leading the charge' for private car usage!
That said, more people will definitely be working from home...I'm one of them, but what Monash ignores is the cost of driving your car to the city. At least 100% higher than the cost of taking the train and forgeyt about doing anything else apart from actually driving....you will inevitably be fined as well!. The other completely overlooked issue (most people attending Monash Uni drive) if you will be working from home for three days a week, then your monthly or yearly periodical myki discounted fare goes out the window. You might just as well use Myki money.
For others who live in regional Victoria and use V/Line, again this is me, our commute has just become even more comfortable with more elbow room for working/snoozing whilst in transit.
* Given how many people won't have jobs to go to when Andrews decides businesses that are still viable can re-open it shouldn't be an issue. Bigger problem will be safely managing the lines of unemployed outside CentreLink & other Government agencies.
* Public transport will recover IF we eliminate the virus. If we don't then nothing will really recover. The States that have eliminated the virus are living a relatively normal existence. In NSW people are frightened and are changing their behaviour to reduce their risk. NSW has not been successful in dealing with the virus. The other States without the virus have. Due in no small part to the fact that they have closed borders in direct opposition to the will of the PM. Victoria needs to chose carefully, do we want a normal existence or do we want a continual worry and risk? NSW have made their choice, the other States have made theirs too. Which way will we go?
* I think you'll find that NSW has handled the virus amazingly compared with the Victorian government's efforts. Life up thereis as normal as it can be with such a contagious virus lurking around. People up there are cautious, which shouldn't me mistaken with your ridiculous claim of being "frightened"
* Years of neglect of have led to this and awarding the contract to Metro was just unbelievable. We really need rebuild public transport as apart of the economic recovery. Stop building roads!
* What do you call the level crossing project?
* The level crossing projects help care, not trains. They are predominantly road projects that reduce congestion on the roads. They have not resulted in increased capacity for the train network at all. In fact many have been done quickly and short-sightedly not leaving space for extra tracks such as between Box Hill & Ringwood and Caufield & Dandenong. In fact they have REMOVED the 3rd platform at Oakleigh.
* Level crossing removals helps road users. It's disgusting the money comes from rail budget.
* If students can have a dedicated commuting time (perhaps 7 - 9 am) on public transport with enforced social distancing and visible routine cleaning, parents would feel more comfortable about them using it again.
* Doesn't convince me.
* Students will not social distance. It's pointless to try, especially when they go into full classrooms when they get to school.
* They’ll be wearing masks for the foreseeable future and using hand sanitiser. Keeping students and adults socially distant will be ongoing too.
* I don’t blame anyone who refuses to use Public Transport in the short to medium term. When you’ve got potentially hundreds of people crammed into 1 carriage the virus can spread like wildfire! Yet those in charge think 20-30 minute frequencies for a city of 5 million people is appropriate! No wonder why trains get crowded! Even cities smaller than Melbourne have better Public Transport frequencies!
* I so don't care if the private operators don't make a profit. They can walk for all I care. Privatising transport was supposed to save money, but it doesn't. I bet it actually costs more. The government needs to take back control of transport.
* Privatisation of public transport was all about sidelining the union.
* I remember reading a document at the time claiming it would save money & over time the government subsides would be reduced to $0. Obviously it was nonsense & full of lies.
* And it has worked! After the last EBA, about 50% of Metro drivers have resigned from the RTBU, I’m one of them.


Real-time data on public transport crowding being trialled. Timna Jacks October 6, 2020
Commuters would receive real-time information about crowding on public transport under a trial of new technology designed to encourage social distancing and boost confidence in Victoria's network.
A group of 50 commuters – largely essential workers currently using the system – will participate in the first phase of a Transport Department trial being rolled out across Melbourne's trains and several bus routes this week.
Passengers socially distance while waiting for a tram on Swanston Street on Monday. CREDIT:EDDIE JIM
The participants will have access to real-time information about passenger density on buses, trains and train platforms. This will be derived from a predictive model that uses data from the Myki system, bus passenger counters and Bluetooth sensors across the rail network.
The trial is set to be expanded in coming months and if deemed successful, would be rolled out to all commuters on the PTV app soon after that – but possibly not until early next year.
Similar technology is being rolled out in the Netherlands, Spain and China as transport operators across the globe face dramatic drops in patronage due to infection fears and working-from-home arrangements.
Victoria's public transport use dwindled to 9 per cent of normal levels at the height of the second lockdown, with the Andrews government understood to have paid Metro $56 million as part of a COVID-19 rescue package.
Monash University's chair of public transport, Graham Currie, welcomed the trial, saying it was in line with international practice in managing public transport use during the pandemic.
"This is about building confidence in the network to make people feel reassured that they can avoid crowding," Professor Currie said.
Commuters would be more able to make an informed decision about whether they wish to use public transport if they can access the network's crowding levels, he said.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said the trial would meet the needs of commuters looking to use the network as restrictions ease.
“The coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity for us to rethink how we travel around the state – we want these passenger modelling trials to help people travel more reliably and safely," Mr Carroll said.
Four private technology providers are involved in the trial, Telstra Purple, Consat Telematics, Sage Technology and NTT data, which operates the Myki ticketing system.
The state's PTV app was revamped on Monday, enabling users to manage their Myki cards through the app rather than queuing for over-the-counter transactions or top-up machines. It would also provide instant updates about disruptions as well as bus and train locations.
The Andrews government has separately said that it will spend $26 million on life extension works for A and Z-Class trams, as part of a $328 million investment in critical transport maintenance and upgrades announced earlier this year.
The works would maintain electrical, braking and traction systems on the trams running on 17 routes across Melbourne and making up a third of the city's fleet.
The government has ordered 50 E-Class trams since 2015, with 89 of a total order of 100 trams now on the network.
Z-Class trams on Swanston Street.CREDIT:EDDIE JIM
It follows $145 million spent on 10 new E-Class trams and upgrades to 10 Z-Class trams allocated in the 2019/20 state budget.
The high-floor A and Z-Class trams were built by Comeng in the 1980s and can fit 105 and 112 passengers respectively, compared with 210 on the newer E-Class trams.
The Z class trams built in the 1970s – the Class 1 and 2 vehicles – have been retired, leaving 111 Z-Class 3 trams on the network. Victoria is currently running 69 A-Class trams.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said some of the older trams were getting "pretty rundown" and required ongoing maintenance work.
But fresh orders for more low-floor, accessible and air-conditioned trams were needed to boost the quality of service while also providing more space for commuters to socially distance, Mr Bowen said.
"The challenge with public transport over the coming months is to make sure there will be enough capacity for people to stay physically distanced as they travel," he said.
RELATED ARTICLE The city's trains are empty during lockdown. Back to cars: Public transport expected to take post-pandemic beating
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/real-time-data-on-public-transport-crowding-being-trialled-20201005-p56265.html>
* This technology has been available for a decade. The only thing "new" about it is opening it up for the public to view.
* PT is only for essential travel these days. Forget about the old trip into the city for some shopping. Those CBD trips gone until the pandemic is eradicated.
* Problem with the newer trams is the lack of seats. A great way of spreading germs and viruses is actually by touching the poles and hand holds, therefore the newer trams are likely to be a greater risk.
* I don't think overcrowding is going to be an issue on public transport for quite a long - i.e. until there is a vaccine.
* For those of us who live at the end of a train line, if people decide to crowd onto the train further down the line, we are trapped. I like the idea of returning to using conductors.
* Why is Melbourne so far behind in relation to use of these apps?
* Because we can even do low-tech things like run a hotel programme or contact trace properly....
* Daniel Andrews has already provided the solution to public transport crowding.
* Desynchronization of the commuter crowds could be achieved by a gradual adjustment of ticket price calculated from a smooth daily function that can be published and modified as needed. Better than discrete price steps which lead to crowding at the step times.
* I wonder how far we are on track to ordering more low-floor trams to replace all those in revenue service (heritage trams excepted) to comply with DDA legislation.
* Wow fantastic new technology showing details about bus/train crowding, except it’s not that new, Sydney trains has been using it for some time on about half its fleet (A and B sets), with per carriage info available live to apps, and on screens at stations. Similarly most buses in Sydney also support it, with info available in apps. Likewise bus/train location information also available in apps.
* Not sure how well it will work, myki data isn't live. I don't think anyone has much faith in a government app, particularly if the effectiveness depends on everyone using it
* Wouldn’t it be cheaper and more effective to hire staff to monitor each bus, tram and train carriage and only let people on with safe numbers. Most people are going to jam themselves in rather than wait for the next service and be late for work
* Reinstating conductors on buses and trams until a vaccine is available is an intelligent solution which will be far more effective than an app
* So across 226 trains with 3 full time equivalent staff per vehicle and 493 trams in Melbourne times say 6 full time equivalent staff per vehicle since trams are crowded all day, that’s 3636 full time equivalents on an average of $100k per annum with shift penalties (and that’s being conservative) = a wages bill of $363m per annum. Versus a one off cost to do software and an app. Conductors add no value and they’re expensive. I’d rather the $363m be put into trains that run better than every 20 minute during the day - there’s no reason why every line can’t run every 10 mins minimum during the interpeak and at night.
* If only more attention was put into increasing the frequency in order to spread the crowds out. But it makes too much sense so it won’t happen!
* Too expensive, won't happen
* No it’s not too expensive
* They have been trying to do that for years.
* No they haven’t even attempted it


As it happened Federal budget 2020: Tax cuts for millions of Australian workers amid $213b deficit as Josh Frydenberg hands down historic budget. Lisa Visentin October 6, 2020.
* Summary:
- Deficit to hit $213.7 billion in 2020-21, nearly halving next year and falling to $66.9 billion by 2023-24.
- Net debt will hit $703 billion in 2020-21 (36 per cent of GDP) and will peak at $966 billion in June 2024 (44 per cent of GDP).
- Tax cuts will be delivered to 11.5 million workers within weeks in a $17.8 billion plan to jolt the economy out of recession using personal tax cuts.
- New "JobMaker hiring credit" to encourage businesses to take on young workers, paid for a year at $200 a week for those aged under 30, and $100 a week for those aged 30 to 35.
- Official unemployment rate is now forecast to peak at 8 per cent in December quarter. It's expected to stay above 6 per cent until mid-2023.
- The video below will give you a pretty good idea and if you're looking for more detail reporter Nick Bonyhady has prepared this year's winners and losers list - traditionally one of the best-read pieces in our budget coverage.
* 22.34 Coal power plant, water infrastructure, national parks win funding. Mike Foley. An as-yet-uncosted grant to maintain an ageing coal-fired power plant has been slated in the federal budget, which also plans to splash $2 billion on water infrastructure and $233 million on facilities in Commonwealth national parks to grow jobs.
The level of funding for coal-fired power will remain under wraps as Energy Minister Angus Taylor negotiates with Delta Electricity over a grant to help the company maintain its 1320 megawatt Vales Point Power Station in the NSW Hunter Valley, which will wind down capacity towards its planned closure in 2029.
The budget papers say the government investment in Vales Point would replace key components and allow it to continue to deliver its “nameplate capacity” during peak periods. The grant, which will support 29 jobs over the next three years, would "reduce the risk of supply shortfalls and extreme prices" for consumers after Liddell's closure, the budget papers said.
Vales Point power station.CREDIT:PETER RAE
* 17.56 At this time, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will begin his budget speech in House of Representatives and will reveal the eye-watering debt and deficit figures we've been told to steel ourselves for.
Many economists are tipping government debt to reach $1.5 trillion and the 2020-21 deficit to top $200 billion.
The theme of the budget - surprise, surprise- will be the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, the government's plan for shoring up jobs and creating new ones - and how much money they have spent and will continue to spend to do this.
Fast-tracked income tax cuts, tax relief for businesses, and billions of dollars in infrastructure spending are expected to be key measures.
<www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-budget-2020-live-updates-josh-frydenberg-to-spearhead-australian-economic-recovery-with-tax-cuts-big-infrastructure-spending-20201005-p5620j.html>

Smart cities are like sandboxes of things to come. Mark Eggleton. Oct 6, 2020
The idea of the gleaming smart city filled with autonomous vehicles is still a fair way off but in the meantime what we are seeing governments and business build is smart precincts or hubs.
According to Henri Blas, smart precincts tend to be “like a sandbox of things to come”.
Planning for the future of a city such as Sydney must consider how infrastructure can be made smarter.  Getty
“They are not an end to themselves but a great place to test out new technologies before wider deployment because it’s hard for governments to pick winners with technology, considering it might become obsolete in a few years,” Blas says.
As chief content officer of the Global Infrastructure Hub, which was set up up by the G20 to provide support in developing and delivering on the G20’s global infrastructure agenda, Blas says smart cities are not necessarily all about technology.
For him, smart means understanding whether technology offers a better way.
“If I want my cities to be smart, it’s not pure technology. There are some smart solutions that are not technology-based,” he says, but “sometimes nature is just better.”
Blas acknowledges we are at an inflection point at present as city planners and governments now understand technology is not necessarily “a have to have but a have to consider”.
Ian Opperman
Change will be incremental, says Ian Oppermann. Jesse Marlow
The challenge globally is while governments want to create competitive, modern digitally enabled cities, building “hard-core infrastructure is a massive cost and massive physical undertaking,” Blas says.
“Individual governments have to work out what to prioritise.”
Ian Oppermann, NSW Government chief data scientist and industry professor at UTS, says change will be incremental but agrees smart precincts are more of a reality now because technology allows a building or place to have genuine connectivity with its physical environment.
When we look more broadly at a smart city, we have to consider all the legacy systems that do not connect such as tunnels, roads, pipelines and shared infrastructure.
Oppermann says there are real issues around co-ordinating all the infrastructure and having the right connectivity.
With 5G for example, co-ordination and connectivity are the biggest challenges we need to confront.
“At present, 5G will basically just be a faster 4G for most of us because we won’t have the coverage capacity, reliability, latency guarantee and guaranteed delivery we need,” Oppermann says.
“For example, if you want to run autonomous vehicles or any autonomous device you need to have the reliability of delivery in a guaranteed delivery timeframe. They’re the big new dimensions of 5G and we won’t have those until we sort out a number of technological issues.”
In the meantime, we can work on creating smarter precincts for people to live and work.
Paul Crothers, general manager, partner solutions, at Schneider Electric.
Data helps us understand how we can be smarter, says Schneider Electric’s general manager, digital buildings, Paul Crothers. 
Schneider Electric’s general manager, digital buildings, Paul Crothers says what technology gives us is the right data to really make smart decisions.
Looking at a smart building we can use data to fundamentally understand how a building is used and use that data to optimise the building’s use, he says.
“Traditionally building systems were built as a fixed arrangement and to make changes to a space or to the functionality of the space, you had to physically shift equipment and people. Now technology allows us to reconfigure the space based on how the space is being used around it,” Crothers says.
This year has obviously seen our relationship with our places of work change appreciably and Crothers says technology has moved with that change.
He says data has played a key role as we’ve embraced remote working and, as we contemplate returning to offices in greater numbers, data will enable us to have the necessary information around levels of safety and comfort in the physical environment.
It will allow us to better utilise our corporate spaces in safer and more productive ways such as providing us with the knowledge to activate services in a timely manner.
“And particularly if we're talking about hubs and precincts, data will help us understand before we get there, what the transport looks like and how best to interact with the physical environment,” Crothers says.
“We're able to potentially generate greater efficiency for ourselves by streamlining our preferences and experiences on where we go and how we interact with the services around a smart precinct or hub.”
For Crothers, data is enabling things to be a little more seamless because it drives the technology which allows more flexibility and, in a world where we are living with COVID-19, it dovetails nicely with the blended, more flexible work practices that are now considered the new normal.
Moreover, with more people working remotely, there is the potential to build smart precincts or hubs in regional areas as people look to move away from large urban areas in the wake of the pandemic.
Crothers believes there’s potential to develop more hubs than centralised offices and “maybe there will be a move away from large CBD office spaces to more regionalised arrangements complete with the same features and functionality that would be in a typical large CBD office”.
This trend away from urban areas has been recently noted with the head of research at property analytics company CoreLogic, Tim Lawless, commenting that regional markets are becoming appealing for not only lower prices but their relatively low density.
“The normalisation of remote work through the pandemic could make proximity to major cities less of a factor in home purchasing decisions,” Lawless says.
Yet while the pandemic has spiked an interest in moving out of urban centres, our enduring love affair with cities is not about to wane. More pointedly, throughout history we’ve always stayed in them.
As historian Ben Wilson explains in his new book Metropolis: A History of Humankind’s Greatest Invention, “cities are not only resilient, they are also adaptive systems.”
We might toy with the idea of leaving because of the pandemic, as people have done throughout history whenever disease or war affects our urban existence, but we’ll always come back, because, as Wilson explains, “we decamped to the city for good reasons 5000 years ago — for the proximity, opportunities, sociability and sensual pleasures it offered.”
Bearing this in mind, we’re obviously going to incrementally make our cities smarter by increasing the breadth and scope of our smart precincts.
Crothers says we’re slowly moving beyond the building to the things around it such as the public transport service, a local cafe, drycleaner or gym.
“We're creating smart buildings or precincts, even when we’re not there.”
As for current examples, Crothers cites Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct as well as the Circular Quay foreshore, which is being activated at the moment.
He says the technology is there but, for a company like Schneider, it means working with their end-user customers as well as designers, architects and consultants to make people aware of what’s needed to enable a smart precinct.
“Our job is to make sure people understand how technology affects what's important to them,” Crothers says.
Sponsored by Schneider Electric
<www.afr.com/technology/smart-cities-are-like-sandboxes-of-things-to-come-20201003-p561on>


Federal budget 2020: Home buyers, pensioners, this year’s winners and losers
Charles Miranda October 6, 2020 News Corp Australia Network 133 comments
It’s a big spending Budget, with positives for home buyers, pensioners, new mums and small businesses. But not everybody’s a winner. Check to see how you’re affected this year.
video: Budget 2020: Winners and losers Taxpayers, apprentices and young people are some of the biggest winners in this year's budget.
Budget 5-minute guide: What’s in it for you
Calculate how new tax changes will affect you
One thing is clear about the 2020 Federal Budget: there are a lot more winners than losers, with the big spend meaning more Aussies are set to benefit.
But not everyone’s a winner, either. Here’s how the 2020 Budget shapes up.
WINNERS
...ROAD AND RAIL USERS A total of $3 billion will fast track major projects across the country including improvements to the New England Highway and Pacific Highway in NSW, major works on the Shepparton and Warrnambool rail lines and M80 Ring Road in Victoria, money for the Bruce Highway upgrade and Gateway Motorway, upgrades to South Australia’s Hahndorf Township and North-South Corridor, highway upgrades to the Carpentaria Highway in the Northern Territory, money for Tasmania’s Hobart to Sorell Corridor and Sorell causeways, as well as the ACT’s Molonglo River bridge and Monaro Highway Upgrade.
MORE
Barefoot Investor: Why Treasurer’s advice will leave you broke
$103m boost to build radioactive waste dumping ground
New plan to help Aussie diggers
New top cop squad and plan to catch spies, white collar crims
Stay at home Aussies can stay on parent’s health plan for longer
Virus-hit aged care sector gets $2bn boost
Private schools’ huge funding boost over public
Domestic violence victims left behind in 2020 budget
Hildebrand: What the Treasurer said, and what he really means
Tech giants in tax firing line
How Australia will climb out of record $1 trillion debt pile
How first home buyers can snap up their dream property faster
Big change to paid parental leave as childcare centres raise fees
Super changes to stop Aussies being gouged by fees
How tax cuts will benefit you
Pensioners to pocket extra $500 tax-free payments
<www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/federal-budget/federal-budget-2020-home-buyers-pensioners-this-years-winners-and-losers/news-story/4f1db99f82bf5010b97215974fe30f3c>


New PTV app offers safe travel KIERAN ROONEY
Tues.6.10.20 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'
VICTORIAN public transport commuters will be given more power to plan their journeys and top up their Myki cards under a newly upgraded app released by the Department of Transport.
It comes as the department also launched a new trial of technology to let passengers know how crowded a train, tram or bus will be before it arrives.
The new Public Transport Victoria app is now available with improvements that allow passengers to search for frequent trips, save their favourite destinations and receive alerts about disruptions.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 500,000 people used the app each week.
Department of Transport is also developing new features to be introduced in coming months.
These include the power to manage Myki accounts and real-time tracking of buses and trains.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said the coronavirus lockdown had provided an opportunity to rethink travel around the state.
“We want these passenger modelling trials to help people travel more reliably and safely,” he said.


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