----- Forwarded message -----

To:australiantransportnews@... australiantransportnews@...>
Sent: Friday, 22 October 2021, 08:39:55 pm AEDT
Subject: Thurs.22.7.21 daily digest

Roderick

"210722Th-'WAToday'-tram.proposal-ss.jpg"

 "210722Th-Metro-Twitter-LaTrobeSt-tram.repair-ss.jpg" 

1982 beer ad, with K190 at Yarto https://youtu.be/Cixpz9UfAyM

Thurs.22.7 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Trains will not stop at Mooroolbark until late October 2021 (level-crossing works).
Buses replace trains on sections of the Ballarat & Geelong lines until Sunday 25 July. Buses are not stopping at Footscray and Sunshine. Passengers should catch a suburban train to Southern Cross. See https://bit.ly/36zd6wR
Buses replace trains Ringwood - Lilydale until 1.30 Sun 25 Jul (level-crossing works).
Buses replace trains Mordialloc - Frankston from 21.00 until the last train (level-crossing works).
8.58 Closures remain from all directions approaching the La Trobe and Russell streets intersection after a truck brought down tram lines earlier this morning. Diversions are in place. Route 30 trams are not running.
- 14.37 The intersection has been reopened to traffic, following works to repair tram wires.  Follow YT for service updates to routes 30 and 35.
10.30 Major delays Caulfield - Frankston (a power-supply fault near Aspendale).
- 11.11 Major Delays ongoing.  Services will terminate/originate at intermediate stations.
- 13.07 clearing.

Former judge labels $660 million car park fund ‘corruption’. David Crowe and Shane Wright. July 22, 2021 241 comments [political sniping, not technical]
A former supreme court judge has labelled the federal government’s $660 million car park fund “corruption” amid warnings that ministers may have breached laws that required them to spend taxpayer funds in an efficient and ethical way.
The damning assessments heighten the debate about decisions by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and key ministers to choose the car park locations in the lead-up to the last election, with 77 per cent of the projects located in Coalition seats.
David Harper QC said the car parks program appears to be an instance of taxpayers’ money being spent with a view to advancing the interests of the government.CREDIT:ARSINEH HOUSPIAN
The Auditor-General revealed the “inadequate assessment” of the projects in June and a parliamentary inquiry grilled department officials over the program this week, leading former Victorian Supreme Court judge David Harper, QC, to warn about the misuse of public funds.
“The commuter car parks program certainly appears to be an instance of taxpayers’ money being spent not after an assessment of greatest need but rather with a view to advancing the interests of the government,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“On any appropriate definition of corruption, this is an instance of it; and it should be called out as such.”
Mr Harper served on the Supreme Court from 1992 to 2013, was awarded an Order of Australia in 2008 and is an advocate for a national integrity commission to improve accountability in government.
Mr Morrison and ministers including Alan Tudge, who was the minister for urban infrastructure at the time, allocated $389 million to the car parks on the day before the Prime Minister called the last federal election, sparking a rebuke from the Auditor-General for failing to safeguard taxpayer funds.
Labor has likened the National Commuter Car Park fund to the “sports rorts” scheme that put federal money into local sporting facilities, and which raised questions over whether the government had authority under the constitution to spend the money.
University of Sydney professor Anne Twomey, who pointed out the constitutional question over the sports scheme, said the spending on car parks was authorised by the National Land Transport Act but raised questions under other laws.
Professor Twomey said Section 71 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act requires ministers to make sure spending was efficient, effective, economical and ethical.
“It is screamingly obvious, when you look at the Auditor-General’s report, that the grants did not fall within the category – at least some of them – of being economical or being efficient,” she said.
“There was inadequate planning, inadequate consultation, the costs were well outside anything that could be regarded as economical in relation to some of them.
“Ministers were under an obligation to make sufficient inquiries to be able to satisfy themselves of those things and clearly have failed to do so. So there is certainly breaches of the law.”
But there are no penalties for the breaches, highlighting the role of Parliament in holding the government to account for any bias in the way grants were made to projects in seats the Coalition needed to win to hold onto power at the last election.
Labor’s accountability spokeswoman Kristina Keneally, in an address to the Accountability Round Table on Wednesday evening, accused Mr Morrison of “normalising” misconduct.
She said in “normal times” there would be a fatal backlash against the government for overseeing the Commuter Car Park Fund or the Community Sports Grants program.
But the community’s focus on the coronavirus pandemic was helping blunt the traditional political fallout from its actions.
“Given the scale of what we are experiencing, perhaps people aren’t angry enough. Taxpayer money is being spent as Liberal Party money – at a disturbing rate, and with a brazen disregard for the principles of good governance and accountability,” she said.
“The Prime Minister is on a mission to normalise his misconduct because he believes that it’s a sure-fire way to get re-elected. The Australian people aren’t dumb – but they’re becoming numb to the wholesale rorting and waste of the Morrison government.”
Senator Keneally said there had been a deterioration in the public’s faith in institutions, with the government’s misuse of public money making the situation even worse.
“For all its virtues, democracy is a fragile institution. We saw vivid proof of that in January this year, the US Capitol Hill terrorist attacks, perpetrated by what President Biden rightly called domestic terrorists and far-right extremists,” she said.
“We must restore trust in democracy, but it requires bold strokes – and a commitment to hold ourselves to the same standard that we impose on those opposite.”
RELATED ARTICLE Prime Scott Morrison visits the Mulgoa Road Corridor with Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Candidate for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh in Penrith, Sydney on April 12, 2019 Morrison funded 27 car parks just one day before he called the election
RELATED ARTICLE Ringwood railway station car park in the Melbourne seat of Deakin ... planning is still ongoing for an work on an upgrade that was promised at the 2019 election. Car parks targeted government list of marginal electorates, inquiry told
RELATED ARTICLE Croydon railway station in Melbourne is one of the car parks promised to be upgraded as part of the government’s program. Car parks program shows country on a ‘corruption slippery slope’
<www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/former-judge-labels-660-million-car-park-fund-corruption-20210721-p58bo3.html>

‘Please save us!’: panic on Chinese subway as flood filled carriage. Alfred Cang July 22, 2021
<www.theage.com.au/world/asia/dozens-dead-as-rains-deluge-central-china-s-henan-province-20210722-p58bue.html>

Why WA is missing its chance to stop Perth’s urban sprawl Hamish Hastie July 22, 2021
The McGowan government’s home building bonus “directly conflicted” with its own infill targets, an independent infrastructure advisory body says.
Independent infrastructure body identifies the ever-expanding sprawl as Perth’s biggest issue.
Infrastructure WA’s draft State Infrastructure Strategy released on Wednesday made 88 recommendations to the government, including planning several major projects such as a third airport, the second phase of Metronet projects and the expansion of Perth’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Infrastructure WA says WA’s building bonus has incentivised the wrong kind of home building it WA wants to achieve its infill targets.CREDIT:HAMISH HASTIE
But the majority of those recommendations were not for bricks and mortar projects, but policy changes aimed at improving the delivery, maintenance and assessment of infrastructure until 2042.
A key finding of the 304-page strategy was the need to better consolidate Perth’s urban areas through infill of existing land, which meant fewer new road and rail projects would be needed to service expanding urban sprawl.
Infrastructure WA, which was set up by the McGowan government in 2019 to advise the government on infrastructure priorities, criticised the state’s urban infill target of 47 per cent outlined in public planning documents compared to other states.
“This infill target is low compared to those set for some other Australian cities – 85 per cent in Adelaide by 2045 and an aspiration of 70 per cent in Melbourne by 2050. However, even the current target for Perth is not being met,” it said.
It said some policies, including the $20,000 building bonus, were incentivising developers to keep building greenfield estates on Perth’s urban fringes.
“Some current policy settings are out of step or, in some cases, in direct conflict with the state government’s urban consolidation agenda,” it said.
“Most recently, incentives to stimulate housing construction activity as part of the WA Recovery Plan (providing grants for the construction of ‘a detached dwelling on vacant land’ or ‘entering into an off-the-plan contract as part of a single-tier development on a strata plan’) fuelled a spike in single house construction in greenfield residential development.”
The $147 million building bonus program was introduced in June 2020 as part of the state’s COVID recovery initiatives.
Industry groups such as the Australian Institute of Architects have raised similar concerns about the grants’ poor planning outcomes in the past, but Infrastructure WA’s comments are significant because the strategy could serve as a roadmap for infrastructure investment for the next 20 years — if the McGowan government adopts it.
The strategy recommended the state develop an “urban consolidation action plan” and urged the government to use other policy levers such as stamp duty concessions, other housing grants and social housing programs to increase infill.
The McGowan government most recently tinkered with stamp duty in 2019 to kickstart activity in higher density housing with the introduction of stamp duty rebates of up to $50,000 buyers of off-the-plan apartments.
The strategy also recommended that any new proposals to open up land for greenfield development to include the potential cost of public infrastructure to service that area so future planning ministers have to consider it before they greenlight any new land for development.
“Rezoning of large tracts of land, with poor prioritisation over many years, has resulted in a growing infrastructure need across a large number of dispersed development fronts,” it said.
“This creates challenges for providers in programming, funding and optimising outcomes for infrastructure.”
Sprucing up the city
WA Premier Mark McGowan said the strategy was about getting out of the "endless loop of the daily political cycle" and would force future governments to explain to the public why they were investing in projects outside of the strategy.
The plan also waded into hot button issues including health funding, social housing and the future of the Perth CBD.
For the latter, Infrastructure WA added a few significant ideas to the pot, however, the Kings Park cable car did not get a mention.
It was scathing in an assessment of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, which it said was now Australia’s oldest and had fallen behind its international and national competitors in attendee capacity and floor space.
The PCEC was built in 2004 at a cost of $225 million but with 16,600 square metres of exhibition space and a maximum conference capacity of 2500, it lags way behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s equivalent venues that have more than double the space and capacity.
Infrastructure WA said it was one of only a few major centres in Australia unable to host simultaneous conventions and expansion of the PCEC was hampered because of its “unique and complex” funding model.
It recommended the government invest in the expansion of conference and event facilities either at the PCEC or elsewhere in the CBD and conduct a review of the PCEC’s ownership arrangements.
It also criticised the surrounding precinct that includes Elizabeth Quay station and bus port that fell “well short of a legible, comfortable and connected destination to support world-class convention experiences.”
The strategy also highlighted the need for an internationally recognised Aboriginal Cultural Centre and suggested the state needed to spend about $150 million to realise the vision for the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge, which was currently beset with issues from “ageing facilities, poor urban design and ongoing public safety concerns.”
Infrastructure WA said their recommendations for the Perth CBD could be factored into the existing $1.5 billion Perth City Deal announced in September last year.
Light Rail
The failed MAX Light Rail was the dead possum in the roof of the Barnett government, even though it was pushed away from the public consciousness its stink hung around for their entire second term.
Since then no political party has been willing to pull the trigger on a new light rail or rapid bus transport project but Infrastructure WA believes it is inevitable.
It has recommended the WA government plan for light rail and/or bus rapid transit for the next stage of major public transport priority investment in Perth, with the route to follow the previously flagged east-west ‘knowledge arc’ from Curtin to UWA through the Perth CBD.
It said a light rail system would be more costly but could stimulate higher value uplift and urban infill development due to the visibility of the route but a rapid bus transit system could be spread further for the same cost.
Metronet 2.0
The strategy has flagged Perth’s circle line as a project requiring investigation over the next two decades as well as an East Wanneroo Rail Link and a high-speed rail link between Perth and the South West.
MAX was the former Barnett Government's broken light rail promise.
“Investigation into the viability, benefits and costs of a Bunbury fast rail link in the long term, will support future government decision-making in relation to connectivity and land use in the South West region and potentially other regional centres,” it said.
On the asphalt, the strategy recommended the government look at capacity and efficiency upgrades to freeways and major urban highways and investigate the feasibility of long-term major road projects – Orrong Road, EastLink WA, Brand Highway and North West Coastal Highway Upgrade.
It also mentioned a Stock Road tunnel river crossing, which formed part of the Perth Freight Link plans though the strategy does not mention the link or Roe 8/9 at all.
The Wait Awhile state
The draft strategy will be put out for public comment for eight weeks, but it was not expected to be put into action until September next year.
Even then, there is no guarantee any of it will be adopted by the WA government given Infrastructure WA is just a non-partisan body advising governments on infrastructure priorities.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said the strategy would inform the government and allow it to plan for the required infrastructure needs for the state.
“The government will consider the final strategy and provide a response to each of the
recommendations as required by the legislation,” he said.
Property Council WA executive director Sandra Brewer said it was critical to the success of the WA economy that there was a long-term vision and commitment to delivering core infrastructure like housing, regional infrastructure and a modern transport system in a way that is sustainable and recognises the rich cultural heritage of the state.
RELATED ARTICLE Halting Perth's urban sprawl is not as easy as it sounds
RELATED ARTICLE WA’s building watchdog has issued a warning to builders amid a COVID-stimulus building boom.  WA watchdog sounds warning to home builders over price increases
RELATED ARTICLE Basil Zempilas and Mark McGowan. Failing to ignite Perth like ‘folding on a perfect poker hand’
<www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/why-wa-is-missing-its-chance-to-stop-perth-s-urban-sprawl-20210721-p58btg.html>
* Good to see the comment about Elizabeth Quay access issues, that part is a nightmare at best to navigate. Another Barnet Botch up!
* Everyone wanted a tunnel to replace the lost access via Riverside Drive, but Barnett thought he knew better. He was incompetent.
* The home building bonus was designed to prop up the building industry, not to help first home buyers. It encourages mostly young working people to live on the outskirts of the city with all the added cost and hassle of commuting that goes with it. I would recommend ignoring any incentives and buying an established property closer to the city. It may cost more initially, but in the long run you'll save time and money, and the property will hold or increase its value better.
* Urban sprawl is better than packing people into apartments Tokyo-style, destroying the environment and community. Ultimately, we need to stop immigration-driven population growth. It is a means of making property developers and big corporate oligopolies richer, but the rest of society bears the cost.
* Good article- lots of good ideas here. The best chance of success in achieving major infrastructure projects is for both major parties to support them. The sad reality is that opposition parties tend to rally behind the various nimbly groups which inevitably form to oppose any new development in their area. With his massive majority McGowan is well placed to crash through this if he so desires.
* Many anti-development groups aren't concerned with development in their areas, it is inappropriate development in their area they are worried about, ie twin 43 and 38 storey towers at Scarborough and the triple 24, 15 and 9 storey towers at Karrinyup are patently absurd.
* Who wants to live like London, Tokyo or Singapore?
* Council's who have slapped absurd heritage precinct restrictions on entire suburbs are the main offenders. Stubbornly forcing owners to renovate derelict, asbestos ridden shacks at huge expense, rather than allowing demolition and replacement with a new home sympathetic to surrounding architecture. Much less expensive, healthier and more family/ageing in place friendly. Now that would have allowed a much better use of the new build Federal & State Government grants.
* "Heritage restrictions on entire suburbs"?
* Inglewood & Mount Lawley two such.

Thurs.22.7.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Letters:
* TWO men were talking on a bus. The first man said: "I've been riding this bus to work for 15 years now."
The other responded: "Where did you get on?".