Writer
John Austen
John Austen is a happily retired former senior official of Infrastructure Australia living in Western Sydney. Details are at thejadebeagle.com.
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JOHN AUSTEN. NSW infrastructure: who is fit to govern?
Readers of Pearls and Irritations may have followed the transport infrastructure fiasco in NSW under conservative governments led first by Mr O’Farrell, then Mr Baird and now by one-time Transport Minister and Treasurer, Ms Berejiklian. Several reports last week put an exclamation mark to the debacle and raised questions about the fitness of either side to Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. High speed rail – Please don’t bite the bullet.
The Federal Opposition recently got media attention for high speed rail by exhorting Australia to ‘bite the bullet’. Australians should indeed ‘bite the bullet’ on high speed rail – by demanding public apologies for failures: large amounts of public money wasted; false expectations fanned; bureaucratic misbehaviour rewarded and aversion to a reasonable approach urged by Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Transport for an incoming NSW Government.
NSW faces an election in March. This note – to help an incoming government – draws on transport matters identified in Pearls etc. It won’t be in the incoming government’s briefs. Never mind – people who matter read Pearls! Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. WestConnex inquiry report.
The Parliamentary inquiry into WestConnex is the type of thing that should happen before any major infrastructure project starts. However, it let the project off too lightly. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Public inquiries into NSW infrastructure projects.
The former NSW Opposition Leader proposed a judicial inquiry into WestConnex and Sydney Light Rail. The new Opposition Leader wants public inquiries into major infrastructure projects. The NSW Transport Minister called this a ‘hairbrained idea’ saying projects are already subject to ‘independent oversight’. He is wrong. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. NSW farce rail
NSW Premier Berejiklian says her Government will ‘deliver a fast rail network slashing travel times across the State.’ Work will commence in the next term of Government and won’t wait for the Commonwealth – NSW will go it alone! Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. A report by Infrastructure Australia on outer urban transport.
A recent report on outer urban public transport by IA provides some interesting information .But much better understanding and analysis is needed before more resources are wasted and communities made worse off . Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Pain before more pain and then no gain in Berejiklian’s growing Sydney transport mess
The NSW Government says there is an ‘amazing’ light at the end of the tunnel with the closure of the Epping-Chatswood line that is part of the Metro project. The analogy is apt. An approaching light in a railway tunnel heralds big trouble. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN – A public Inquiry into Sydney Metro is essential (Part 2)
Only a public inquiry can cut through the nonsense surrounding Sydney Metro and advise on what to do. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN – Inquiry into Sydney Metro (Part 1)
We are told Sydney Metro will overcome capacity constraints on Sydney’s rail network. This is false. Only a public inquiry can reveal the truth and advise on what to do. This is the first of two articles following-up John Menadue’s call for a Sydney Metro inquiry. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Sydney’s transport mess will now envelop Badgerys Creek Airport
Instead of turning sods at Badgerys Creek airport, the new Prime Minister should order a public inquiry into Sydney Metro and the mess it will create.The newly helmeted Prime Minister recently appeared in the media turning first sods at the site of Sydney’s second airport – Badgerys Creek. While that seems good news the ability of Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Bill Shorten and Western Sydney Rail.
Mr Shorten has the right intentions about Western Sydney Rail but he needs to read Pearls and Irritations more carefully! Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Sydney Metro: the $60billion dollar deception
Here are some starters for the Sydney Metro inquiry. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Australian freight policy: after the chainsaw? Part 3
A recent report on freight and supply chains leads Governments astray. This is the last of three articles seeking to put them back on course. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Australian freight policy: where is my chainsaw . Part2.
A recent report on freight and supply chains leads Governments astray. This is the second of three articles seeking to put them back on course. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Australian freight policy: where is my chainsaw? Part 1 of 2.
A recent report on freight and supply chains leads governments astray. This the first of two articles challenging its view that more bureaucracy and data is needed to deal with a supposedly ubiquitous task. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Revolving doors at the infrastructure club
Infrastructure Australia should be made a Commission and do its work in public. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Newcastle port restriction – action not words please!
Instead of handwringing politicians should act to reverse the outrageous restriction on Newcastle port. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Trouble in infrastructure paradise NSW revisited.
The mixed reception for the infrastructure works of NSW Premier the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP continues. It is mostly bad news punctuated by the odd piece of what the NSW Government considers good news. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN – More on the Sydney transport mess-the Western Sydney dud ‘deal’
Announcement of a Western Sydney ‘city deal’ by the Prime Minister and Premier was touted as securing a rail line through Badgerys Creek airport. It does not. In fact, it merely committed to yet another review about what to do. That may turn out to be lucky for taxpayers and Sydney. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Immigration and infrastructure.
While immigration – and a big Australia – is presented as the cause of infrastructure woe the real culprit is policy failure: deficient planning, bad structural arrangements and absence of road congestion pricing. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. We need a Metro public inquiry in NSW to sort out the railway mess
A recent opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Heaald effectively called for a stop to criticism of the NSW Government’s approach to Sydney railways – in particular Metro – and for everyone to get onboard the transport ‘revolution’. I can’t agree. Continue reading »
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The roads club is having a great spend.
Overspending on roads may be already damaging national productivity as well as adding to debt burdens of future generations. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. NSW needs an inquiry into Sydney transport
A dreadful start to 2018 for Sydney transport made NSW Minister Constance the unwelcome centre of attention. The spotlight will turn to the Premier who was formerly the Minister for Transport. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Newcastle port – some progress in undoing a privatisation fiasco
Pressure is mounting to overcome the ridiculous anti-competitive constraints on Newcastle port. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Roads – another year of inaction and congestion-causing deficits
Spending on roads continues to vastly outstrip road revenues, increasing our national debt. This easy access to funding is why we spend too much on the wrong roads and has stopped road reform – as stated in a post in Pearls and Irritations last year: . Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN: What will it take to kick off a serious enquiry into the Sydney transport mess?
While readers relax over the Christmas break, Commonwealth advisers and politicians should be asking about the Sydney infrastructure mess. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. The NSW infrastructure mess keeps getting worse
This is an update on Sydney’s infrastructure puff piece saga. Previous articles in Pearls and Irritations pointed out that the NSW Government led by the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP does not understand infrastructure. The draft 40-year plans for transport and for the Sydney region are a mess, involve kindergarten errors and contradict each other. It Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Trouble in NSW infrastructure paradise, Part 2.
This is a second instalment about the onslaught of NSW infrastructure puff pieces. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Trouble in infrastructure paradise, NSW Part 1 of 2
Sydney readers are being subjected to an onslaught of infrastructure puff pieces featuring former Transport Minister now Premier the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP. It coincides with a desire to ‘showcase the Government’s infrastructure credentials’ and raise the Premier’s profile. It also coincides with big swings against her Government in by-elections. But the major projects currently underway Continue reading »