transport

Government Growth Policy is not working – an example of one Growth Area municipality struggling under the financial burden of infinite population growth. Other growth corridors are also in stress.

Cardinia Shire is a largely rural municipality about 60 km from Melbourne. A government designated corridor of population growth and housing construction has been absorbing rapid population increase since 2003. The population is predicted to double over the next 10 years. Current Council records indicate that five families per day are moving into the corridor.

The council’s annual budget document and four year plan states that its greatest challenge is “managing population growth”. More administrative staff are required so the Council must move to expensive new premises in Officer. Increased financial responsibility has been placed on local government but despite an ongoing debt level of almost $50 million and increasing the annual rates each year over the past 10 years, there is still a major lack of infrastructure and services to meet the needs of the continuous high population growth coming into the growth corridor of the municipality. The infrastructure shortfall includes public transport, roads and schools for which State government is responsible. Ratepayers are virtually being taxed via Council rates, and a further increase to 6.8% this year will be a financial burden for a lot of property owners.

Huge residential and commercial development is impacting on former good quality agricultural land, sensitive environmental landscapes and waterways.

Traffic congestion is increasing, particularly on local roads not built to cope with the current volume flowing off the freeway. During morning and evening peak times traffic is at gridlock.

There is growing evidence of social disadvantage, a local welfare support agency is dealing with constant requests for assistance with food supplies, financial counselling etc. There has been an increase in antisocial behaviour, graffiti, and more serious instances of assault, burglaries and trades area break-ins. Local police are at their limit keeping up with the level of crime.

If this is the end result of government policies of high population economic growth and increased productivity, where are the supposed benefits? This is just one example of a growth area in one State of Australia. How many others are encountering similar problems?

Encouraging people to move out to Melbourne’s fringe areas, creating car dependent and socially disadvantaged communities where there is inadequate local employment and insufficient infrastructure is just not working.

Australian people urgently need a referendum on the need to limit the annual population intake via immigration, rather than on the merits of including local government in the Australian Constitution. Let’s get the priorities right. G. Terria (Fugitive from the Growth Corridor)/em>

Editorial comment: G. Terria, your suggestion that we need to hold an annual referendum is excellent. Elections such as the forthcoming Federal elections can be used as a referendum of sorts. You can vote for candidates opposed to population growth . Two such candidates are Jill Quirk and William Bourke, who are standing for the Stable Population Party in the Senate n Victoria. You could distribute your Senate preferences according to how other candidates measure up on population and other issues of concern. Ask all candidates standing for your Lower House seat what are his/her policy towards population and immigration and vote and allocate your preferences accordingly.

Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. (PPL VIC)

Media Release Wednesday 8 May 2013

Yesterday saw Premier Denis Napthine announce funding for the East West (Road) Link in the State Budget. Thus he has condemned Melbourne to future gridlock and has put on hold improved public transport in the form of urban rail to Doncaster, Tullamarine, Rowville and South Morang. PPL VIC together with many inner city community groups and Yarra Council has, over the past two years, been campaigning for “Trains Not Toll Roads “.

Julianne Bell Secretary of PPL VIC explains: “This morning, ABC radio 774 listeners were staggered to hear the Treasurer, Mr Michael O’Brien, say that the “tunnel” would link Hoddle Street and CityLink but there would be no access/exits for commuters to the city where much of the traffic off the Eastern Freeway is headed. This was the plan for a truck bypass of the city proposed by the Eddington Review of 2008. (The East West Link proposal was scrapped by the Brumby Labor Government.) Community groups such as PPL VIC were alarmed over information supplied by Linking Melbourne Authority, the project “proponent”, at a community briefing held on 3 April 2013 that the 4 lane roadway will not be in a tunnel (as the Treasurer maintains) for the entire 18 kilometre length. Some sections will be in the form of an aerial roadway or constructed by open cut methods. Consequently we fear for the future of our heritage streetscapes, our gracious treed avenues, for Royal Park and for the institutions located in the park – the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Melbourne Zoo and the State Netball and Hockey Centre.”

Rod Quantock, Acting President of PPL VIC takes a long term view:

“The squandering of our common wealth on an unnecessary road link is to be condemned. The car is not the answer for the future, a future that, in light of CO2 pollution, peak oil and over-population, requires new ways of living, working and moving. The CSIRO has predicted petrol prices could be as high as $8 per litre by the end of this decade. Who will use this road then? Who will use it when predicted days of 50 degrees centigrade plus bend and buckle it? Who will use it when an extra 2 million people clog the city's arteries? It is time for our craven leaders to stand-up to the road lobbies, to show leadership and foresight and a commitment to the well-being of future Melburnians. It is time to back public transport.”

PPL VIC and inner city community groups together with the Coalition of Transport Action Groups will continue to oppose the East West Link and to lobby for improved public transport, in particular urban rail lines to Doncaster and Tullamarine. We will be taking the message to candidates in the next State Government election.

Media:
Julianne Bell PPL VIC Secretary Mobile: 0408 022408
Rod Quantock PPL VIC Acting President 0438 862079

Today at the Sustainable Living Festival there was a debate on the problem of Sustainable Transport. Fortunately Mary Drost was there to keep the speakers to the point.

The first speaker was Ross Garnaut, professor of Economics and author of a climate change review. He seemed very keen on a denser population, using more public transport and talked about cities with good public transport, giving Hong Kong and Tokyo as examples.

The second speaker was Greg Hunt MP, the Liberal Shadow Minister for Climate Action. In talking about transport, he pointed out that, in relation to measuring greenhouse emissions, it is consumption per head multiplied by population numbers. He said that the time is coming for a population debate.

He then took questions. Mary Drost of Planning Backlash said that she did not want to live in Hong Kong or Tokyo, but in Melbourne. She said she did not want to see Melbourne ruined and added that she agreed with Kelvin Thomson's ideas on population numbers for Australia. She asked Greg Hunt if he would work with Kelvin Thomson to get this population debate out into the public arena.

There was much clapping from the public for her comments.

Greg Hunt, who sounded a little surprised, replied that he would 'in a bipartisan way'.

Mary Drost asked Greg Hunt to "Tell Abbott" and she then said to Kelvin Thomson (the next speaker), "And you tell Rudd."

The third speaker was Kelvin Thomson.

Thomson said that ageing should not be seen as a burden because older people contribute, and as they retire young people get jobs. He said that we need more railways, the outer areas are being neglected. He commented that we have 2 million cars now, but by 2036 there will be 3 million cars. "We have to stop cramming people in," he stated. "Our biggest problem is rapid population growth." He advised people to say "No" to new suburbs and "no" to new high rise and infill."

Good to see some relevance at the Sustainable Living Festival, which sometimes looks as if it too is being taken over by the Housing Industry and the Recycling Industry along with the Spin Industry.

As the Federal Govenment's reckless and anti-democratic imposition of population growth causes several hundred thousand extra vehicles to be added to Australia's roads each year, Protectors of Public Lands is planning to hold a meeting featuring transport planning expert Dr Paul Mees to talk about ending our dependence upon the private motor vehicle. From Protectors of Public lands Dr Paul Mees is the guest speaker at the Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc AGM for 2009. He has been a great supporter of community groups during campaigns opposing the East West Link which would have devastated inner city Melbourne and Royal and JJ Holland Park. Joint community action helped ensure that the East West Link - the extension of the Eastern Freeway - with its super size road tunnels was deleted (albeit temporarily) from the Victorian Transport Plan. We hope groups can show support for PPL VIC by attending. Here are the details of the meeting: Time: 1:45 pm for a 2 pm start Date: Saturday 5 December 2009 Venue: Meeting Room 1 Upstairs North Melbourne Library 66 Errol Street North Melbourne. It is one building along from the Town Hall and Post Office on the south east corner of Errol and Queensberry Streets. Tram up Elizabeth Street from Flinders Street Station to Errol Street. Parking in surrounding streets. Disabled parking in front of Library. Guest Speaker: Dr Paul Mees, senior lecturer in transport planning at RMIT, will speak on "The Cars that Ate Melbourne" - Public Transport Solutions for the State." Stay for afternoon tea and make contact with other groups, including transport action groups. Background Note: See below link to Dr Mees' Age article of 22 November 2009 "We can keep our leafy suburbs and still save the planet". This was presented on 18 November as a paper at a "State of Australian Cities" Conference in Perth. His book "Transport for Suburbia: Beyond the Automobile Age" will be released in December. See also: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/we-can-keep-our-leafy-suburbs-and-still-save-the-planet-20091122-isqz.html">"We can keep our leafy suburbs and still save the planet" in the Age of 23 Nov 09 Contact: Julianne Bell Secretary Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. jbell5[AT]bigpond.com Mobile 0408 022408

It is as if the people who managed to get into Victoria's Parliament don't realise that the Electorate can read transcripts of everything they say and do. On 2 December bi-election neophyte, Ms Kairouz, feeds the Premier the questions and Brumby makes fools of all of us:

SOURCE: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/downloadhansard/pdf/Assembly/Jul-Dec%202008/Assembly%20Jul-Dec%202008%20Daily%202%20December%202008.pdf
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Tuesday, 2 December 2008 ASSEMBLY PROOF 3

Picture: Mr Brumby & Ms Kairouz, who narrowly beat Les Twentyman (Independent) in a bi-election in June 2008]

Population: growth Ms KAIROUZ (Kororoit)

- I refer to the government's commitment to making Victoria the best place to live, work and raise a family, and I ask: could the Premier inform the house of how the government is planning for Victoria's future, with Melbourne expected to reach a population of more than 5 million people by 2036?

Mr Brumby's rhetoric on Victoria's population predicament

Mr BRUMBY (Premier) - I thank the member for Kororoit for her question. As we all know, Melbourne is renowned for its livability and affordability. We are now in the midst of a population boom, which is the largest in the state's history. It is a population boom that is larger than the population growth of the postwar years and larger than the gold rush years of the 1850s.

By the way, just today - totally coincidentally - the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) released its June 2008 population growth figures. They show Victoria's growth over the last year at 1.8 per cent. The national growth rate was at 1.7 per cent.

Of course it is a huge contrast with the figures of some years ago. We recall the figures of the 1990s, when Victoria was losing population in vast numbers to other states.

This morning, with the Minister for Planning, I released Melbourne @ 5 million - a planning update that delivers on our commitment to prepare the longer term plans for Melbourne. The population data we released today in Victoria shows that Victoria will grow by
2.3 million people between now and 2036, with something like 1.8 million extra people expected to be living in Melbourne. The policy released today refines the key directions of Melbourne 2030 to ensure that we can accommodate an additional 600 000 dwellings in Melbourne over the next 20 years.

Because our population is ageing, because the baby boomers are ageing, the rate of new dwelling construction and approval will grow at a faster rate than the rate of population growth. Our record in terms of livability and affordability was confirmed again yesterday. The Real Estate Institute of Victoria survey of housing affordability showed again, I am proud to say it, that Victoria is the most affordable capital city on the eastern seaboard for those who are looking to buy a home.

That comes as no surprise when you consider the generous assistance packages that we have on offer to first home buyers in Victoria. It comes as no surprise when you think of the off-the-plan duty concessions we provide; and when you think of the pensioner stamp duty concessions, which are the most generous in Australia.

There are a number of features of Melbourne @ 5 million. Firstly, through Melbourne @ 5 million we move from a single node city to a multicentred city, so there will be central activity districts in Box Hill, Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Footscray, Frankston and Ringwood.

We will also be promoting very strongly three major employment corridors across Melbourne. We are also preparing a development strategy for the Werribee employment precinct to unlock employment in the west.

The second feature is the review of the city's urban growth boundary over the next nine months. That is to accommodate 134 000 of the 600 000 new homes outside the current UGB. Thirdly, there are the native grassland reserves, where we are working with the federal government to establish two reserves near the Wyndham growth area. This will be a significant improvement on the practices which have been in place in the past.

We are also ensuring that we have the right infrastructure for our communities, with significant investment occurring in the areas of health, education and, course soon to be announced, transport.

The previously announced state infrastructure contribution has been significantly reformed and modified as part of this announcement for new land brought inside the UGB as proposed today for inclusion in 2009. We will pay a contribution of $95 000 a hectare, reflecting the windfall that occurs from the rezoning of that land and bringing it in from the UGB; and secondly, for land that was bought within the UGB in 2005, that charge remains at $80 000 a hectare, the same as was announced at that time.

I am pleased to say in terms of housing affordability that the government has decided to remove the contribution for land that was already within the UGB in 2005, and that will save something like $546 million in costs for more than 60 000 new homes that will be built within the existing UGB boundary. At a time when affordability is so important, notwithstanding that Melbourne is the most affordable capital city on the eastern seaboard, this is a very positive initiative.

Finally, the funds raised through the infrastructure contribution will average around $60 million a year, of which $30 million will be directed to state infrastructure in those areas, and of the remaining amount, the bulk will be devoted to a new growth areas development fund from which councils in the growth areas will be able to apply for funding for infrastructure projects in a way that is very similar to the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund.

This package today is all about affordability, livability and sustainability. It confirms our city and our state as the best place to live, and it will of course be reinforced next year when we release our regional statement, the preparation of which is being overseen by the Minister for Regional and Rural Development, the member

Public Transport

Public transport: government performance Mr MULDER (Polwarth) — My question is to the Premier. Given that the Premier has previously blamed the problems in public transport infrastructure on Jeff Kennett, John Howard, population growth, petrol prices, Connex and now the Rudd government, at what stage does the Premier actually take responsibility for the public transport chaos in Victoria?

Mr Brumby's ripost on Public Transport

Mr BRUMBY (Premier) — I thank the honourable member for his question, and I am proud to say that our public transport system in Victoria is carrying more passengers than it ever has in its history — by a long way. Our rail system alone is handling 201 million passenger movements this year. That is the highest number of movements in the history of our state. It is more than in the post-war migration years and considerably more than in any recent decade. We are carrying that number of passengers because we have made investments in the system. Before the end of the year we will be announcing further investments so that we cater for the strong growth that is occurring in our public transport system.

The honourable member who asked the question referred to a former Premier from the 1990s. Our system today is carrying well over twice the number of passengers that it was carrying in the 1990s, and we are doing it because we have made investments in the system and because we have strong population growth and a strong economy.

Just in the last year — since 30 July 2007, when I became Premier — we have purchased 50 new V/Locity carriages and committed to the $501 million north-east revitalisation project with the Rudd government, which is the biggest rail project in country Victoria in decades. Also, we have launched the new timetable with over 633 extra train services a week. We have rolled out the early bird scheme. We have purchased eight extra new metro trains, which brings the total order to 18.

We have opened the new electrified line to Craigieburn; with new stations at Roxburgh Park and Craigieburn, Tuesday, 11 November 2008 ASSEMBLY 4459 and we have added new services at Craigieburn. We have rolled out new bus routes between North Melbourne station and Grattan Street and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. We have upgraded the St Kilda Road tramway.

In the 2008–09 budget we announced a $794 million infrastructure boost to improve public transport. There was $275 million for improvements at Laverton, Westall and Craigieburn; $3 million to upgrade Prahran and Windsor stations; $10.4 million for design works for the extension of the Epping line to South Morang; $32 million for around 1700 new car parking spaces at 10 stations and the upgrading of Noble Park station to premium status; plus $14.7 million to expand bus and coach services to South Gippsland and the Bass Coast; $254 million for the maintenance of country rail lines; and $64 million to boost the NightRider service.

All these things represent the most significant investment we have had in public transport in this state.

What we are endeavouring to do is turn what has been a low-volume suburban system into a modern metro system. We will — — Honourable members interjecting.

The SPEAKER — Order! The opposition will cooperate!
Mr BRUMBY — As I have indicated on numerous occasions, before the end of the year we will respond to the Eddington report with the Victorian transport plan, and that will put in place the framework for the further long-term growth of our system. It will provide short-term, medium-term and long-term measures and create in Melbourne and across the state a transport system which is the best in Australia.