Transport
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7th September, 2013 Labor established Infrastructure Australia to assess the merits of infrastructure proposals but left it always playing catch up as the government announced its building plans. Despite boasting about its infrastructure record Labor forecast reductions in road and rail funding in its last budget. |
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31st May, 2013 Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan tells Senate Estimates that budget cuts from $21.76 million to $19.82 million in 2013-14 will mean staff cuts and less safety investigations |
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14th May, 2013 2013 BUDGET • Road and rail funding cut from $6 billion to $4.8 billion a year • No new money for Bruce Highway upgrading • Regional Infrastructure Fund cut by $2 billion • Australian Transport Safety Bureau budget cut by $2 million to $19.82 million meaning more staff cuts and less safety investigations |
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29th April, 2013 Labor's safe rates tribunal which will cost taxpayers 2.8 million this year has not considered a single case since its establishment in July 2013 and no State has yet referred powers to the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (The Australian) |
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11th April, 2013 Labor releases its feasibility study on a Very Fast Train. The report says the project would cost $114 billion (in 2012 $) but would only commence construction in 2027 and would not be completed until 2058. None of the capital cost would be recovered. A committee was appointed to progress the proposal |
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30th May, 2012 Brindabella Airlines axes Canberra/Albury and Brisbane/Armidale services because of the cost impact of the carbon tax and closure of Federal Government en route navigation charge subsidy. Earlier, Rex had cited similar grounds for terminating its Melbourne/Griffith services (Canberra Times) |
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21st May, 2012 The Gillard Government's major increase in the Passenger Movement Charge (to collect $1 billion in 2015-16) fromes in spite of the fact that the tax already collects $622 million - $292 million more than the cost of providing passenger processing and facilitation services. The Budget cuts expenditure on these services (The Australian) |
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28th February, 2012 Virgin announces fare rises to cover the impact of Labor's carbon tax which will add $45 million to its operating costs in the first year Qantas earlier announced fare rises to meets its carbon tax obligations which are expected to exceed $110 million |
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30th November, 2011 As part of an attempt to artifically create a budget surplus in 2012-13, the Government announces plans to bring forward $1.1 billion of road funding to the 2011-12 financial year. A further $250 million of Building Australia Fund projects and $69 million of Regional Infrastructure Fund projects will also be brought forward. The money will simply be transferred to the States early with no new roads bing constructed |
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23rd November, 2011 NSW Government modelling shows the $2.6 billion Epping to Paramatta rail link announced by Labor without consultation in the 2010 election campaign has a benefit / cost ratio analysis of just 0.35 (projects with a BCR of less than 1 are not considered economic). The latest cost estimate of the project has blown out to $4.38 billion. BCR for the proposed north-west rail link was 0.9 to 1.15 |
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1st September, 2011 Wikileaks cables show US Federal Aviation Administration considered downgrading Australia's air safety rating in 2009 because of concerns about training of CAA inspectors |
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18th July, 2011 Australian Trucking Association estimates that the carbon tax will add almost $500 million to trucking costs from 2014 |
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10th May, 2011 BUDGET 2011-12 • No new money for roads and rail. Any new announcements (mostly planning) funded from at $1.1 billion in cuts to other projects • The Budget announces$1.02 billion for Pacific Highway reconstruction but this includes $700 million previously announced and $270 million redirected from other projects in NSW. The Minister’s press release says all the money will be spent on planning and land acquisition — any actual construction will be dependent on the State government providing money even though the Federal Labor Government let the previous State Labor Government off paying a share on the Pacific Highway’s upgrading costs • $325 million stripped from the Ipswich Road and Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra Section B) existing projects even though Labor said these were priority projects and the Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) has been identified as Queensland worst section of Highway • The Government confirms axing of regional air services enroute regulation charges subsidy scheme costing regional carriers $5 million per annum from 1-6-2012 |
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2nd May, 2011 Rex Airlines lists 7 air service routes to regional centres in NSW, VIC and TAS likely to be axed as a result of Labor's termination of the en route navigation charges subsidy scheme and other Government imposed charges |
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28th March, 2011 BP Australia tell the Gillard Government that it costs $9.4 million to crew an Australian tanker in a year compared with $4.5 million for an international vessel (The Australian) |
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22nd February, 2011 Government's biggest infrastructure project, the $3.2 billion regional rail project in Melbourne is close to collapse after $880 million cost blowout (The Australian) |
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27th January, 2011 Gillard Government announces deferral of six projects on the Bruce Higway to help fund flood damage repairs. Five of the projects are in electorates Labor lost at the 2010 election (the sixth project is in Kennedy) Labor axes O-Bahn project. PM Gillard said the project had "limited transport benefits". The project was announced as part of the stimulus package even though South Australia had never asked for the funding and the project was never assessed by Infrastructure Australia |
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27th January, 2011 Government defers six Bruce Highway road projects (all promised before the election in electorates Labor failed to win at the last election) four of which are flood mitigation projects, to help fund the flood repair bill |
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2nd December, 2010 In what looks like a pay off to the Maritime Unions, the Government announces new proposals to restrict foreign vessels ability to move cargo between Australian ports |
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10th November, 2010 Biggest single stimulus project, Melbourne's regional rail link will not receive Commonwealth funding until 2014 |
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13th August, 2010 Departmental officials knew nothing of a Labor promise to spend $2.6 billion on the Epping to Parramatta rail link. NSW Transport Parliamentary Secretary Penny Sharpe wrote to constituents last week saying the Government had directed its "funds to higher priority projects" only days before the announcement. NSW public servants were asked to prepare documents proposing only a $20 million feasibility study |
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24th June, 2010 Kevin Rudd deposed as Prime Minister and replaced by Ms Julia Gillard |
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21st May, 2010 Labor's biggest infrastructure commitment of $4.3 billion for Melbourne's Regional Rail Express project will deliver net benefits of just $60 million per year according to Victorian Government figures revealed today |
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13th May, 2010 Rudd Government admits its new super tax on resources will cover quarrying, increaing the price of cement, sand and gravel etc causing road building costs to rise |
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11th May, 2010 BUDGET Labor has already spent 76% of the capital in the 3 Infrastructure Funds created by the previous Coalition Government ($40 billion was originally committed) as Labor raids the equity for its spending sprees. Only $705 million left in $10.9 billion Building Australia Fund In Labor's Budget 2010-11 there is not one new dollar for roads. No new money for Pacific Highway or Bruce Highway Fuel excise to be phased in on ethanol and LPG from 2011 according to Budget 2010-11 |
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27th June, 2009 Labor changes the criteria for the Strategic Regional Road Program to transfer funding from regional roads to the cities. 82% of funding will be spent in Labor electorates Labor changes the criteria for the Black Spots Road Program to enable funding to be transferred from local roads and streets to National Highway projects |
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12th May, 2009 BUDGET Labor cuts funding to Auslink from $31 billion promised by the former Coalition Government to $26 billion Labor's infrastructure funding has been allocated for passenger rail projects in capital cities, rather than improving the nation's freight network |
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23rd March, 2009 Reports that airport security is under-staffed by 35% |
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27th February, 2009 The Rudd Labor Government's infrastructure fund has a shortfall of $7.4 billion. The fund contains $12.6 billion, accumulated from the last budget of the former Coalition Government |
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30th July, 2008 Air Services Australia admits there have been 140 interruptions to to air traffic control services since the election of the Rudd Government compared to just 7 during the whole of 2006 and 2007 |
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13th May, 2008 BUDGET Labor announces an end to en-route air service subsidies threatening the viability of country air services |
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29th February, 2008 Labor Transport Ministers increase truck registration by 69% and fuel charges by 1.37 cents per litre, forcing grocery prices and inflation up. |
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18th February, 2008 Labor axes $780 million funding for the F3 to Branxton Link Road Labor slashed the $46.5 million Griffin Legacy Infrastructure project in Canberra Labor takes $500 million from the Cooroy - Curra section of the Bruce Highway |
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13th February, 2008 Labor cuts $65 million from upgrading and maintaining eastern state rail lines |
