Fw: Fri.18.6.21 daily digest
  Roderick Smith

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Roderick.

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Fri.18.6.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Buses replace trains on sections of the Werribee line until the last train of Sun 20 Jun (level-crossing works).
14.27 Werribee/Williamstown Lines: Delays (a track-equipment fault in the Spotwood - Yarraville area).
South Gippsland Highway level crossing removal.  We're gearing up for a 22-day road closure from Friday 16 July until the new road bridge is open to traffic on Friday 6 August 2021.
Mernda/Hurstbridge/Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein/Glen Waverley lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (maintenance works).  From loop stations, take a train from pfm  2 to Flinders St.


Victoria: Labor is in a winning position but more lockdowns risk suburban pain. Annika Smethurst June 17, 2021. 75 comments
<www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-is-in-a-winning-position-but-more-lockdowns-risk-suburban-pain-20210617-p581yh.html>

Masks mandatory on Sydney public transport as man catches virus at Bondi Myer. Mary Ward, Daniella White and Lucy Carroll June 18, 2021 40 comments
NSW has recorded one new COVID-19 case, a man in his 50s who attended Myer Bondi Junction at the same time as an aircrew driver who later tested positive.
It comes as masks will be compulsory on Greater Sydney public transport from 4pm on Friday, while eastern suburbs residents are urged to limit their movements amid evidence the virus has spread through “fleeting contact”.
“It appears from CCTV cameras that it could have been a very fleeting contact between the infectious person and this gentleman,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said of the Myer case, who shopped in the same section of the store as the driver on Saturday and will be included in tomorrow’s numbers.
video Masks mandatory on Sydney public transport after case from 'fleeting contact'
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced masks will be compulsory on public transport across Greater Sydney for the next five days.
Masks will be mandatory on Sydney and Blue Mountains public transport from 4pm and are being strongly recommended in indoor settings such as cinemas. Unlike in previous outbreaks, these rules will not extend to the Central Coast, Illawarra or Wollongong areas.
“It is not compulsory but we are recommending [mask use indoors], especially if you cannot guarantee social distancing [and] especially in those places around the eastern suburbs,” Ms Berejiklian said.
There were 21,678 tests reported to 8pm on Thursday, after 23,145 were recorded in the previous 24 hours.
New venues across Sydney were added to NSW Health’s list of exposure sites on Friday morning:
The Twisted Olive at Redfern on Sunday from 12.20pm to 1.30pm;
Adora Handmade Chocolates at Newtown on Sunday from 2pm to 3.30pm.
NSW Health has contacted more than 1100 people who are getting tested and self-isolating in relation to local cases detected this week.
Venue alerts: Greenwood Grocer at North Sydney and The Twisted Olive at Redfern.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/masks-mandatory-on-sydney-public-transport-as-man-catches-virus-at-bondi-myer-20210618-p58252.html>
Just four of the comments:
* The mask message is very fuzzy. We flew to Sydney last week for a medical appointment, wore masks on the trains and in the airport, sat under signs on the trains that said masks were compulsory, yet we were in the very small minority of people actually wearing them.
* because NSW people knew masks were NOT compulsory - some, like me, wear them when there is crowding
* Before today they weren't compulsory. They were for a time, but then they removed to mandate. They put signs on many, but not all of the trains, but didn't bother to remove the signs when the mandate was lifted
* Masks must be made mandatory in greater Sydney indoors, not just public transports. Restrictions must be in place ASAP as it is the Delta strain you are dealing with!!


VLine bosses get bonuses paid as fares decimated. Kieran Rooney and  Tess Ikonomou. June 18, 2021
Explosive new documents reveal the embattled regional rail operator signed off on lucrative bonuses totalling $125,000 for top executives.
Former V/Line chief executive James Pinder was allegedly paid kickbacks to help cleaning firm Transclean get V/Line contracts. Picture: Alison Wynd
VLine’s board of directors gave executives lucrative bonuses totalling nearly $125,000 in the middle of a corruption scandal and while the coronavirus pandemic decimated fares.
The revelations come after reports of duplicate contracts and integrity issues throughout 2020 and allegations their chief executive secured work for mates in return for cash “sprinkles” and a house deposit.
Over the past 12 months, Operation Esperance has heard accusations former chief executive James Pinder was paid kickbacks to help cleaning firm Transclean get V/Line contracts.
Explosive new board minutes obtained by the Herald Sun paint a picture of how leadership at the top of the regional rail operator responded while the crisis unfolded.
Discussions among senior leaders during this time included:
– A DECISION to award nearly $125,000 in “performance incentive payments” despite acknowledging a pandemic-related fall in fares and the cloud of an IBAC investigation.
– CREATION of a new committee to investigate contract integrity.
– A LETTER sent to Transclean, requesting they self-declare any conflicts gifts.
– ONGOING questions about how to manage conflicts of interest and award contracts properly.
The documents reveal Mr Pinder was due to give a presentation on V/Line’s culture which had to be cancelled because of his corruption probe.
In a meeting on October, the board considered whether to decide three work contracts while V/Line’s procurement behaviour was still being questioned in public hearings.
They resolved that documents supporting procurement “provide evidence of value for V/Line”.
At another meeting, they ordered a review of “what behaviours are required for employees and contractors to act in accordance with V/Line’s values”.
The company was also twice billed in error by Transclean for the same services, known as duplicate charges.
This was put found to be an administrative issue and credits were paid out to recover overpayments.
Transclean’s work with the operators was terminated last year and no other contracts have been scrapped since then.
A VLine spokeswoman said they would co-operate with all IBAC recommendations when a final report was delivered and the company complied with all requirements for contractors.
“The alleged conduct of both Mr Pinder and Transclean is not acceptable to V/Line under any circumstances,” she said.
Over the past five years, V/Line has been involved in two IBAC investigations and had five chief executives.
A senior source inside the organisation said the mood was “not well” and that issues with the board had long been blamed for V/Line problems and frustration from government.
They said the company was undergoing a once in a generation transformation as it catered for millions of new journeys but was continuously plagued by scandals and leadership changes.
It has grown from annual patronage of 15 million in 2014/15 to 22.36 million in 2018/19 before the pandemic.
This week, the government announced V/Line would no longer be a “state owned enterprise” and would become a statutory authority within the Department of Transport.
The decision means the chief executive answers to the department, rather than the board, and provides the government with more oversight.
The reform will be rolled out by newly appointed chief executive Matt Carrick who will serve in the role for 12 months.
It is not said to be a direct response to the IBAC probe, given the corruption watchdog has not handed down a final report and public hearings are still ongoing.
“The Government continues to work with V/Line to ensure the best governance is in place to deliver the best public transport services for Victorians,” a state government spokeswoman said.
The Head of Transport Services at the Department of Transport, Nick Foa, is one of two acting directors to be appointed to the V/Line board.
Department of Treasury and Finance deputy secretary Jamie Driscoll has also been appointed, bringing the number of directors to five. Both will retain their current roles.
Then chief executive of Public Transport Victoria, Jeroen Weimar, was also chair of the V/Line board between June 2018 and September 2019.
Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman David Davis said: “This is a disastrous takeover of our country rail service by city based officers who oversaw the massive decline in service standards over the last five years and missed the overt corruption under their noses”.
Public Transport minister Ben Carroll did not confirm how much public money was tied up in V/Line’s corruption scandal when asked by the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee on Thursday.
“What was aired through the IBAC inquiry was very concerning and as minister I took appropriate action as soon as I was made aware of what had occurred,” he said.
More Coverage
IBAC probe hears VLine boss made cash deposits
New hearings into VLine and Metro
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/vline-bosses-get-bonuses-paid-as-fares-decimated/news-story/50ca9008aa1949f615b78c00fee8d797>


Fri.18.6.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Unwelcome mums
Mothers try to manage prams among city crowds in 1967.
In 1967, the heart of Melbourne was an unwelcoming place for many mothers and young children.
As The Herald reported, many stores did not welcome prams and pushers because they caused congestion.
Fortunately, it was an era when it was still acceptable to leave babies in prams out the front of shops – and many mums did just that.
Mrs EB Preston, the secretary of the Waverley branch of the Housewives’ Association, raised her own list of concerns about the city’s lack of family-friendly facilities.
There were not enough feeding rooms, the only creche was not prominently situated, and shops had few chairs for shoppers.
Mrs Preston added that mothers with prams and pushers were not allowed in many restaurants, and public transport fares were beyond the budget of many.
But not all shops shunned young mums in 1967.
While The Herald noted one chain store did not even have a lounge, rest room or toilet, a rival store had taken a modern approach.
“Not only does it provide lounges with private feeding rooms with urns for heating babies’ bottles and canned foods, but also has girls on the staff who are specially trained to look after the needs of customers with children,” The Herald reported.

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