Tightening economic conditions are now forcing the State government to make significant cuts in budget spending, review priorities and do more with less. This has created an opportunity for advocacy groups to create a new narrative and use it to encourage government to change its focus.

Jacinta Allen said growth was to be celebrated. Our premier clearly does not understand that there are limits to growth. Growth is an unstable state – it is not possible to keep growing forever – there are limits to growth and sooner or later there will be the inevitable correction.

Much of the freight carried in and out of Melbourne and throughout Victoria generally was once carried by rail. Most freight traffic today is transported by road, despite the fact that rail is potentially far more efficient from an energy perspective and generates significantly fewer greenhouse emissions per TKm. Estimated reductions vary considerably but according to some researchers can be up to 16 times less than road freight per tonne Km travelled (VAGO Effectiveness of Rail Freight Support Programs Tabled: 27 June 2023).

Whilst building new infrastructure is important for the development of a modern transportation system, most of the critical work required to develop, operate, maintain and manage it is relatively mundane. It requires addressing many service issues, maintenance, safety, system efficiency including providing priority on roads for buses and trams, network design, timetabling, service integration and more.
Unfortunately transport planning and investment has become politicised. The focus today is on monumental works designed to suit political agendas which provide opportunities for political aggrandisement, designed to win votes, particularly in marginal electorates, which increasingly comes at the expense of essential work required to operate, maintain and manage the transport system.

It seems that despite this warning (Shane Wright, The Age August 21) and a cascade of others supported by dramatic evidence of global warming and climate change (extreme weather, firestorms, loss of biodiversity and species loss) and the impact this is having on communities and their ability to maintain a liveable existence, the need for radical change in city and transport planning continues to fall on deaf ears.

The proposed acquisition of the Eastern freeway toll road by Transurban has raised serious concerns which are now the subject of a formal enquiry by the ACCC. TfM, T4e and VTAG have welcomed this enquiry and responded by making formal submissions three of which are attached.

The latest report by The Age on 6th June about concerns that the process used for awarding the government contract for a new ticketing system is flawed is a concern, particularly given problems with the ticketing system in the past. It is critical that it gets it right this time but is a new ticketing system such a high priority at a time when concerns are being raised about rapidly rising and unsustainable government debt?

“Victoria has the worst debt burden of 17 similar states across the world, and credit agencies warn it is likely to deteriorate unless tough decisions are made to cut infrastructure spending and raise more taxes” …..
“Brendan Coates, of the Grattan Institute, said the government continued to face tough choices, and urged it to review the viability of the Suburban Rail Loop, the only project not subject to the federal review of infrastructure spending”. Sumeyya Ilanbey State political reporter for The Age May 25.

The increase in Victoria’s road deaths in the year to 31 March by an additional 23 to 259, an increase of 9.7%, is a major concern and comes at significant cost to the community.

The State government’s media release dated 31st March 2023 stated “The Andrews government is transforming the way Victorians travel across the State, with the regional fare cap now in effect to make regional public transport fares fair.” Quoting the Minister for Public Transport
“We’re delivering for all Victorians – making public transport more affordable and accessible to passengers in every corner of our state to ensure they can get where they need to go” and
“The regional fare cap will transform the way Victorians travel – and will also provide a huge benefit to regional tourism and businesses.”
The claims made by government in this situation are astonishing to say the least and are not supported by a business case, but it raises the broader issue of pricing government services, how these services are paid for and by whom.

Whilst it is important that government gets value for money under the franchise agreement for the maintenance and renewal of railway assets, proper maintenance of railway assets is critical for the delivery of a safe and reliable service that must be carried out as efficiently as possible in line with best practice. Such an outcome should be expected by a responsible government but has not been realised for many years and was the subject of a Victorian Auditor General (VAGO) report in February 2023.

Where is Werribee’s super city? This was the question asked by The Age’s city reporter, Rachel Dexter. But the more important question is do we need a super city in the first place, and if one was built what would be its future?

Claims that hydrogen powered trucks can go green are greenwash. To achieve zero emissions it is necessary to include emissions from every stage of the product life cycle which are ignored by businesses that have a vested interest in promoting hydrogen powered vehicles.

Understanding the future and the relevant time horizon is the starting point for any plan. Without it the plan is a waste of time.

Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 was an opportunity to plan for the future and realise goals and aspirations proposed for the city. It has an unusually long planning horizon. A lot can change in this time and it is appropriate it be reviewed regularly to confirm the extent to which its goals are being achieved or are realistic in the first place.

The federal government has committed itself to a 43% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030 and 100% by 2050 in an attempt to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees – well short of what scientists have demanded. But even a modest target of 43% requires a plan to implement it and manage the transition.

Shiny new vehicles are nice, and creating jobs is nice too and should enhance the government’s prospects this year but will this investment really improve our transport system? Would it increase patronage? Would it result in a significant reduction in greenhouse emissions and are there better ways to spend this money?

As we have said on numerous occasions, public transport is a service industry that operates in a very competitive market, so the key to improving transport outcomes is to focus on improving customer service – not building more tunnels.

As our politicians and policy makers continue to pay lip service to warnings by scientists (made over many decades) to reduce emissions and stop the destruction of the earth’s biosphere it is worth reflecting on thoughts of Carl Sagan, astronomer, astrophysicist, author and researcher, referring to the pale “Blue Dot” that is planet earth, an image taken 32 years ago from the Voyager1 probe about 6 billion km from planet earth.

In 2009 Professor Will Steffen reminded his audience at the Sustainable Cities forum that humanity’s global footprint had increased from about half a planet earth in 1960 to more than 1.2 planet earths in 2000, that only the poorest countries were living within the means of planet earth, that the US required five and Australia is not far behind. These numbers have increased since then. The bottom line is the imperative to reduce our demands on planet earth – of everything, probably by a factor of 4 or more, noting this imperative does not include the need to reduce greenhouse emissions – that is an additional concern.
But the factor that must be applied to the transport sector is far greater.

For most Melburnians buses are their only form of public transport, but buses are only part of the public transport service. A bus improvement strategy cannot be developed in isolation. It must be an integral part of the public transport network and should be the “glue” that ties the entire public transport network together. One of the main problems with Melbourne’s bus service is there are not enough of them, particularly during off-peak or weekends. But the network itself also requires a radical overhaul.

The quality and timeliness of any service is critical for any business if it wants to remain relevant or survive in a competitive market place. And this applies to public transport.

TfM has expressed concerns over many years about the need for proper process in evaluating and approving capital projects to ensure precious funds are invested in a way that provides the best possible return for the community – now and for the future we must plan for.

Generating energy from any source requires energy to harness and distribute it. This (energy input) varies widely for different energy sources and tends to be overlooked by many politicians and policy makers. It is also downplayed, even ignored by businesses that have a vested interest in promoting them.