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Anderson’s transport package fails Australia 22 January 2004
Australia’s major rail union attacked today’s Howard government’s road funding announcement as election pork-barrelling that continues to ignore Australia’s strategic land transport challenges.
"The $2 billion announced for the four years from June 2005 contains no new funds for transport, but is a wires and mirrors exercise which claws funds from a GST fuel program and allocates them to rural electorates," said Roger Jowett, the National Secretary of the Rail Tram & Bus Union. "It is a cynical move down a 'road to electoral recovery'.
"The Deputy Prime Minister claimed that this was a 'downpayment on AUSLINK', but the government is yet to issue the long-delayed AUSLINK White Paper, which is supposed to be about land transport investments going into the best modes in strategic transport corridors," said Roger Jowett. "Rural roads, even strategic regional roads, are not the main priority in Australia's transport needs, but they get the lion's share of the funds announced today.
"Today's statement continues the Howard government's tragic failure to invest in rail. Back in 1996, the Howard government committed to spend $250 million over four years on the interstate rail network, yet $115 million is still unspent in 2004,"said Roger Jowett.
"The Howard government thinks there are votes in rural roads, but right now there are thousands of kilometres of rural grain lines facing closure. Minister Anderson may proclaim 'roads to recovery' but he is presiding over 'rails to extinction'.
"Today's transport statement contains no funds for urban public transport, yet 80 per cent of Australians live in urban areas that are crying out for enhanced public transport as their cities fail to cope with traffic congestion, air and noise pollution and continue to emit more greenhouse gases.
"The RTBU calls on Deputy Prime Minister Anderson to implement the Tracking Australia report of his colleague, Paul Neville, which recommended that $3 billion be spent on the interstate rail network over 10 years," said Roger Jowett.
"The RTBU urges the Labor Opposition to seize the opportunity in this election year to present an alternative Land Transport Infrastructure Program that addresses the broad range of transport needs of rural and urban Australians," concluded Mr Jowett.
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