Month: June 2006

The Future of Local Government Conference

Posted on by alex

Yesterday and today I attended the Future of Local Government Conference, an event organised by the MAV (Municipal Association of Victoria). The conference, which is in its second year, explores the relationship between local, state and federal governments as well as future governance and funding issues for local government.

Key issues facing local government include ever increasing cost shifting (particularly from the State Government) and the requirement to fund services from a limited income base. It is imperative that local government is treated as an equal peer among State and Federal governments to ensure that both cost shifting and wasteful duplication is minimised.

It is also imperative that local government, as the form of government closest to the community, actively engages its citizens to ensure that the general public is genuinely represented in decisions affecting the local community.

In this regard, a number of international examples from New Zealand, the US and the UK were provided to demonstrate the potential future of local government within Australia.

The collective strength of local government is seen in a number of areas, such as public transport advocacy through the Eastern Transport Coalition, and it is imperative that local government presents a strong and united voice is pushing for genuine and positive reform of Australia’s governance structures while ensuring that the community is directly engaged in the decision making process.

The Age: 20% target on trips 'ambitious'

Posted on by alex

As reported in The Age, the recent State Budget has revealed that the State Government to failing to progress towards the target of achieving 20% public transport modal share by the 2020:

A KEY commitment to boost public transport has been all but abandoned by the State Government.

As part of its environmental credentials, and promotion of public transport, the Bracks Government had set a goal of 20 per cent of all trips taken in Melbourne to be made by public transport by 2020.

But yesterday a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Peter Batchelor would not say the Government remained committed to achieving the target, describing the goal as “ambitious”.

Unfortunately Peter Batchelor in his current role as Minister for Transport has shown complete ineptitude towards Melbourne’s public transport system with the Minister delivering nothing but cost blowouts, project delays and a continuing litany of broken promises.

The target would seem impossible to reach on present trends.

Environment Victoria spokeswoman Louise Sales said the Government’s own figures showed that public transport growth seemed to be declining.

“By abandoning the 2020 target, the Government is condemning Melburnians to a future of increased congestion, dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and petrol price pain,” Ms Sales said.

The Public Transport Users Association also echoed the call, saying increased investment into rail extensions and a reduction in road funding was needed if there was to be any hope of meeting the aim.

With no major train or tram extensions planned within the next decade it is apparent that the Bracks Government through Transport Minister Peter Batchelor is condemning Melbourne and in particular the outer suburbs to continued financial hardship and worsening traffic congestion.

The Government hopes its recent commitment to increase times and frequencies on local bus routes will help snare a great share for public transport.

But the users association labelled the announcement about improvements on 25 bus routes as an election stunt. Half the improvements are to be on services in marginal seats.

Contrary to promises made when in Opposition, it is now clear that the Bracks Government in intent on condemning Melbourne to a future of rising petrol prices, increased financial hardship and worsening traffic congestion, all due to a lack of vision in regard to Melbourne’s public transport system.

Public transport: Ringwood

Posted on by alex

Public transport issues have continued to dominate discussion in the Victorian State Parliament with Phil Honeywood, Member for Warrandyte commenting on the Bracks Government’s failure to improve public transport services along the Ringwood/Belgrave/Lilydale lines:

Mr HONEYWOOD (Warrandyte) — Ringwood has always been well positioned for public transport. As a regional hub at the junction of the Belgrave and Lilydale rail lines, it services thousands of train commuters every day. Public transport users in my electorate travelling into the city not only have to bear the burden of high ticket costs due to travelling through all three metropolitan public transport zones but in addition are faced with an inadequate, slow and unreliable daily service.In 1999 the Bracks government promised to improve this abysmal situation, by committing $9.5 million to construct a third railway track between Blackburn and Mitcham. That would have allowed for the introduction of Belgrave and Lilydale flier trains, as the government named them in 1999, that would have run express from Ringwood to Box Hill and from Box Hill to Richmond.

That would have significantly reduced travel times for those passengers travelling long distances from Ringwood and beyond, including, of course, when returning home during the evening peaks.

Cr Alex Makin, a spokesman for the Public Transport Users Association, said that:

    … the east, including Maroondah, had definitely missed out compared with other regions.
    He also said that even simple and much-needed projects like the Ringwood station upgrade still lay in uncertainty.

(Source: Victoria, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 1/06/2006, p1536)

Despite earlier election promises it is clear that under the Transport and Liveability Statement the Ringwood (Belgrave and Lilydale rail lines) will not see any significant improvement while bus services will receive marginal upgrades at best.

The Transport and Liveability Statement must be recalled so that a truly comprehensive and visionary can be created.