Infrastructure
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The nuclear industry’s updated songsheet remains outdated
The campaign for nuclear power stations in Australia defies the unstoppable rise of renewables and should be rejected by governments and the electorate — it’s a technology whose time has passed. Continue reading »
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John Austen: Time to call time on Infrastructure Australia? It has failed
The latest Australian Infrastructure Plan avoids the key issue: Commonwealth (lack of) direction. It seems aimed at bureaucratic empire building and should herald the end of Infrastructure Australia. Continue reading »
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The China push for a cleaner and cooler planet
Not a day passes without our media damning China for some imagined infamy or other. So many stories, so many column inches, and nothing positive to be found. At the same time, our television screens are full of other images; real images of a disaster that is enveloping us all. Continue reading »
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Newcastle Port decision: overreach, misunderstanding or both?
The Federal Court’s rejection of the ACCCs case against Government-imposed penalties facing Newcastle Port seemed to misunderstand transport policy matters and give more weight to the Government’s latest excuses than to logic and observed actions. Continue reading »
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NSW rail policy: more than cooking the books
Media reports claimed changes to NSW railways artificially inflated State Budget results. Yet ‘cooked books’ are the least of the concerns. Continue reading »
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Australia’s infrastructure plans: why can’t we get it right? Thorough inquiries are needed.
Recent reports confirm severe problems with plans for transport infrastructure in at least Australia’s two biggest cities. The Commonwealth, as well as State Governments, is blameworthy. Continue reading »
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Radioactive trash – a tale of two Sydney suburbs
Australia is relatively clear of nuclear reprocessing waste problems. But the Sydney suburbs of Hunters Hill and Barden Ridge have radioactive wastes from uranium processing which have been sitting there for decades. A bill is now before the Senate addressing the issue. Continue reading »
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All-fibre, publicly owned, NBN must top the list of Post-Covid infrastructure investment
On December 24 2020, our Christmas stocking had a surprise gift from Santa in the form of Communications Minister, Paul Fletcher. He announced a fully operational NBN. The long-overdue baby had finally been delivered. Continue reading »
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The curious case of the new airport’s metro
Infrastructure Australia recently announced its refusal to include the proposed Western Sydney Airport Metro in its lists. That apparently reasonable result is surrounded by a range of murky matters. Continue reading »
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The NBN, a litany of failures
There is no greater example of deception, incompetence, short-sightedness and poor economic management by this government than when it comes to the National Broadband Network. Continue reading »
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Fool’s paradise: ‘independent’ advisers promote lie that transport infrastructure can lead a Covid recovery
A recent report for Infrastructure Australia confirms what many suspect – some transport infrastructure projects should be shelved. Yet IA refuses to reassess any transport projects, including those it knows or should know are wrong. Continue reading »
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The escalating risk to Australia’s vehicle fleet. Australia applies the brakes again and again.
Gas-guzzlers in Europe are quickly becoming a thing of the past – so guess where they’re headed instead. Continue reading »
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NBN update. Let’s not compound a history of poor policymaking by people who claim to be good economic managers
In years to come Malcolm Turnbull will be remembered as the communications minister who, under instruction from then prime minister Tony Abbott, ‘demolished’ Labor’s 21st Century National Broadband Network. But another prominent politician had earlier inflicted enduring damage to any nascent aim of becoming an innovation nation and set us back as a player in Continue reading »
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A white flag moment on the NBN was inevitable.
This week’s capitulation – that’s what it is – by communications minister Paul Fletcher sets us on a course that hopefully will see Australia start moving in the right direction again as we head further into a digitally-enabled future. It’s a welcomed move, but we’d be wise to take a close look at the detail Continue reading »
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Infrastructure Stimulus: there are smart projects out there, if we care to look
Infrastructure spending is touted as the path to economic recovery, but our leaders can no longer afford to throw billions at programs with little economic merit or policy logic. Continue reading »
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Transport infrastructure: our States biggest waste
The Reserve Bank governor recently asked States to support jobs – by spending $40 billion more on infrastructure. Please don’t – at least not on the usual transport projects! Continue reading »
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NBN Debacle. Wherefore art thou, minister?
What has been described as the country’s all-time biggest infrastructure debacle – the National Broadband Network – is a financial and technological mess. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. High Speed Rail – shooting a corpse?
The Grattan Institute’s recent condemnation of high-speed rail is fair enough. However, its further speculations on ‘renovating regional rail’ and urban commuting need questioning. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Transport infrastructure in a Covid world
Governments made dramatic responses to challenges posed by Covid-19. New ideas are being sought in many areas of public policy. However, transport infrastructure is a lamentable exception – instead of a reassessment of plans in light of the new realities, the reaction of its boosters has been to double down their egregious rent-seeking. Continue reading »
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QUENTIN DEMPSTER. Let ‘er rip!: Snowy 2.0 project now an integrity test for Gladys Berejiklian
The New South Wales Berejiklian Government now faces an integrity test over the fast tracking of final approval for the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro electricity project in Kosciuszko National Park. Continue reading »
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MIKE SCRAFTON. Regulation, tariffs and reform of supply chains.
The political leaders that brought us global supply chains, hollowed out public services, and dwindling administrative capacity, are potentially about to find themselves in a series of contradictions. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Another year of record waste on roads
In the past few years Pearls etc carried posts on how road spending vastly exceeded road related revenue even though road use had not much increased – a perversion of public policy helping the infrastructure lobby at the expense of Australia. Statistics for the latest year suggest this continues unabated. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Placating the Infrastructure Club
Infrastructure Australia’s 2020 priority list doesn’t recognise – let alone address fundamental problems. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Sydney Metro developments
Are recent developments with Sydney’s Metro railway straws in the wind or embers heralding an infrastructure inferno? Continue reading »
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LAURIE PATTON. My New Year’s wish – more collaborative technology policy development
A report released by communications minister Paul Fletcher has confirmed that so-called ‘Internet piracy’ declined dramatically following the arrival of Netflix and other online streaming services – debunking the need for ‘site-blocking’ laws controversially introduced following a well-funded lobbying effort by local representatives of the Hollywood studios. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Electric Vehicle Charging
Recently the question of road charges for electric light vehicles – cars – hit the headlines. Opinions split into: those who want such charges to collect funds for road building; those opposed to such charges because they might slow the take-up of electric vehicles. Continue reading »
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JOHN AUSTEN. Sydney and the mock Metro
The Sydney Metro saga continues, with renewed – and still unrealistic – promises of a $20bn west Metro giving travellers a 20-minute trip from Parramatta to the CBD. Talk of this, and progress with tunnelling under the CBD, must be a welcome distraction from a Parliamentary Inquiry into part of the plan. Continue reading »
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JACK WATERFORD. Do harrowing inquiries deliver bang for the bucks?
The onion juice sometimes obscures the inconvenient, or unspeakable truths Continue reading »
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JOHN KERIN. Dairy markets and regulation?.
The dairy industry has been subject to plenty of government enquiries and more are in train,but is anything going to come of them? Continue reading »
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TIM COSTELLO. Crown- a private company masquerading as a public one that is above the law?
The annual Crown Resorts AGM last week should have been a moment for admission to shareholders by the Board that they were in trouble and a moment to reassure investors that they had strategies to address a burning platform. Instead, they blamed everyone but themselves. Continue reading »
