Federal agencies blow the whistle on #EWLink
Federal agencies blow the whistle on #EWLink by Andrew Herington
A draft report issued by Infrastructure Australia (IA) has well and truly blown the whistle on the waste and mismanagement of government road spending. Tellingly titled “Spend more, Waste more” – and with the above photo on the front cover – the report is scathing about the way road authorities have pursued more and bigger roads.
Read the report here: Spend more, waste more. Australia’s roads in 2014: moving beyond gambling (PDF, 1.88MB)
Key extracts include:
“Australia has a true gambler’s addiction to roads: the money spent is not a rational investment. Governments assume that major improvement is just around the corner, if they could just spend more.
“The current Australian system assumes that roads are an answer to most transport problems and seeks more and more funding to that end, with little consideration of alternatives that most other developed parts of the world enjoy, such as significant heavy intercontinental rail networks and dominant heavy mass transit systems.
“Australia’s nearly $20 billion dollar annual road spend can only be described as hideously inefficient… In recent years road spending has in fact outstripped road taxes and charges revenue, meaning Australia’s thirst for roads might now come at the direct expense of other things.”
First Dog on the Moon on … building more roads
Guardian Australia: First Dog on the Moon on … building more roads. 23 July 2014
Even the government’s own advice is against it – and yet, the toll road project is under way in Melbourne. So let’s sing a song! Continue Reading…
Support Moreland City Councils legal challenge against East West Link
ABC TV News – Coverage of Moreland City Council legal challenge against East West Link on ABC Melbourne 7pm News (Saturday 19 June 2014)
Yarra Council are meeting this Monday morning (21 July 2014) to consider joining Moreland Councils legal action against East West Link, as the deadline for lodging a challenge is Monday. Councils will need to make a decision on Monday.
Make your support known: please contact your local ward councillor individually and let them know you’ve contacted all of them.
Not in Yarra? Please consider contacting your local councillor and getting them on board this weekend
Contact details:
