Executive Summary

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Clearly, the Australian regions need more population growth and the major cities less. An Australian mega-region provides this, together with superior economic performance and lower cost of infrastructure. One definition... Read more →

Financing High Speed Rail

Australian governments and some business leaders tend to think of High Speed Rail (HSR) as a ‘White Elephant’ interstate project that is too expensive and should not be built. This ...
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Australian Manufacturing 4.0

Whither manufacturing? Or ‘Wither manufacturing’ is not just whimsical. It is a bad fact. In the recent two decades, manufacturing has declined to a 4% contribution to GDP from 13% ...
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Government Policy: Long-term

Slow average real growth of 2% pa long-term, though accepted by government authorities pre-virus, is not acceptable. The aim should be at least 3.5%pa. It is achievable despite possible recession ...
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Government Policy: Medium-term

Strong government support will have to continue in the next four years. In the short-term it will succeed during the virus, but it is not for a bridge over a ...
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Government Policy: Short-term

The sudden coronavirus pandemic is causing fear, panic and chaos around the world and in Australia. It is the worst for a century. Government here has rapidly and rightly put ...
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Bradfield Revisited

The 1938 Bradfield Scheme’s basic concept was simple: take the excess river water flowing to the sea in northern Queensland and divert it inland for irrigation. The cost was too ...
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Australian Energy and Prosperity: Profit and Jobs from Zero Emissions

Executive Summary Australia has the opportunity to become the first 100% renewable, 100% reliable, lowest cost energy, and zero emissions country in the world. Prof Ross Garnaut’s concepts are affirmed ...
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Bushfire Policy

The 2019/2020 bushfires have clearly risen to new ferocity. They have happened once. They could happen again, or worse. The cost of the bushfires is horrendous in loss of human ...
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Critical Influences November 2019

Vigorous immigration is a necessary policy in Australia for many years to come. It would continue to contribute 1%pa to population. Immigration, together with 1%pa births, would increase the population ...
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Letter to Victorian Premiere D Andrews

Unit 606178-182 Wellington ParadeEast MelbourneVic 3002 2 September 2019 The Premier of VictoriaParliament HouseMelbourne Vic 3000 Dear Premier It is understood that the options for rail services to Tullamarine Airport ...
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Submission to Infrastructure Australia, August 2019

1 Extract 2 Executive Summary 3 Settlement Strategy 1 Extract The proposed Settlement Strategy addresses key issues for Australia’s future: Where and how Australians live in the next few decadesHow ...
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The Australian East Coast Mega-region

The purpose of the Australian east coast mega-region is to lift economic growth back to the pre-GFC level and make Australia more internationally competitive and prosperous. It aims to end ...
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Australian Major Cities in Perspective

Summary London and New York, with populations of 8m today, are not good models for Sydney and Melbourne populations planned to grow to +8m. There are great costs attached to ...
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Innovation in Mega-regions

Introduction The quite remarkable insights into innovation in mega-regions recently in Shanghai has led to new innovative strategies to increase innovation in China. It is recognised there that innovation is ...
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London’s £5 billion Sewage Project: lessons for Sydney and Melbourne

Today London is building a huge new trunk sewage main 30 metres under the bed of the River Thames, following it for some 20km through London to an expanded sewage ...
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High Speed Rail Corridor in Australia

Purpose High Speed Rail (HSR) between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane is an interstate railway, but this is not its primary purpose. It is to facilitate population distribution from the major ...
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Executive Summary

Clearly, the Australian regions need more population growth and the major cities less. An Australian mega-region provides this, together with superior economic performance and lower cost of infrastructure. One definition ...
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Settlement Strategy

Introduction Clearly, Australia has been built by immigration. It has grown to a population of 25m. The prospects are for another 25m people in the next 50 years and possibly ...
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An Australian Mega-region

Introduction It may be an old concept, but mega-region is being applied widely and is growing with new vigour today. It is leading edge technology for economic development. It cannot ...
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POPULATION POLICY PERISHING

WHERE AUSTRALIA IS HEADING Fifty million people within 50 years, up to 100 million by 2100, on present trends and policies. WHAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT How many people, ...
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Innovation

What is innovation? The Oxford dictionary defines ‘innovate’ as to change things; to renew, alter, make new, introduce as new; to make a change in something established. ‘Innovation’ is the ...
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New Innovative Cities in an Australian Mega-region

Introduction Australia seeks to grow the prosperity, liveability and wellbeing of its people. Certain government policies are the antithesis of this. Federal and State Governments, with Opposition acquiescence, plan to ...
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The Badgerys Creek Airport Disaster

The Federal Government has initiated the new Badgerys Creek Airport in western Sydney before the next election. It has indefinitely deferred construction of interstate High Speed Rail (HSR) between Melbourne, ...
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The 4th Industrial Revolution

Undoubtedly, there will be a serious economic crisis, originated domestically or imported, in the short to medium term future. Then, the major infrastructure project of interstate High Speed Rail would ...
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The Future of Australia

Australians have a critical issue to decide: do they want two mega-cities (Sydney and Melbourne), or one mega-region encompassing Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and cities along the east coast? Australian ...
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Australia: Two Mega-cities or a Mega-region?

Introduction There does not appear to be a commonly held vision for Australia’s future for all to pull towards. Only recently has there been public debate on immigration and population, ...
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A Bigger Vision

The ABS long-term Australian population projections are for 48m (high) or 36m (low) in 2061; and 70m (high) or 42m (low) in 2101. All are a large increase on the ...
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Three Population Scenarios

Short-term thinking is a problem. Developing a vision for 50-100 years and creating a new acceptable environment are crucial to adoption of HSR and benefitting from population increase. In its ...
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Removal of Melbourne Metro Tunnel Spoil

It has been announced that the Metro rail tunnel under Swanston Street through the Melbourne CBD will not be drilled by the boring machine, and that 350,000 to 450,000 loads ...
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Financing for High-Speed Rail in Australia

Introduction Australia faces two serious situations which High Speed Rail (HSR) and Fast Freight Rail (FFR) would resolve together. First, the population of Australia and that of its cities, especially ...
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Tullamarine Airport Rail

It was encouraging to see that the Federal Ministers for Transport and Major Projects were in discussion directly with the Victorian Government on a rail connection between Southern Cross Station ...
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Assessment of Railway Technology

There is no doubt that railways have transformed where and how people live. A brief overview of the railway technologies and their implications is instructive in view of Australia’s population ...
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Attraction of New Cities for Settlers

Introduction The Australian population is projected to double in the next 4-5 decades to 48m. Governments are planning for the populations of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to double. They plan ...
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Driverless Electric Vehicles

Introduction There are clear indications that fully electric cars are coming, and driverless cars are on the way. Driverless electric vehicles (DEV) are in sight. They may take over from ...
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Australian Population Increase

Projections The Australian population is projected to double in the next 4-5 decades to 48m. (ABS projections report 3222.0) The populations of Sydney and Melbourne are projected to exceed 8m ...
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Australian Population and Housing Trends

Introduction Ten years ago, the Australian population was projected to double from 24m to 48m in the next 4-5 decades. Today, it is projected to almost double in 3-4 decades ...
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Dwellings Over Railways

The VFT2 High Speed Rail/Fast Freight Rail (HSR/FFR) concept envisages building 400,000 dwellings above inner-city HSR and suburban rail in trenches for 30km into and out of Melbourne, Sydney and ...
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Resource Availability for High Speed Rail Construction

The 2013 HSR Study Report recommended construction of HSR between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in stages over 35 years. Government accepts this long construction time. The problem is that in ...
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Relative Cost of Government Infrastructure

Introduction The Australian population is projected to double in the next 4-5 decades. Major cities are projected to double in size, Melbourne and Sydney to 8m. This will require considerably ...
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Brisbane High Speed Rail

Recently, High Speed Rail (HSR) has been mooted to connect the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. This was not considered in the then Government’s 2013 HSR Study. Its ...
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SkyRail Reconsidered

Introduction The apparent aim of the SkyRail Metro railway viaduct project is to increase public transport capacity for 200,000-400,000 new settlers in the fringe Melbourne suburbs of Cranbourne, Berwick and ...
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Critical Influences – a Summary

There are issues on which you may wish to influence others and they may wish to influence you. There is out-of-date and mistaken conventional wisdom of which you may need ...
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The West Coast Indian Railway

The story of the new railway built along the west coast of India is fascinating in view of the need to estimate the construction time of High Speed Rail (HSR) ...
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High Speed Rail Patronage

Introduction One of the beliefs that some people count against High Speed Rail (HSR) is that the population and rail patronage in Australia are too small for HSR to be ...
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Sydney Airports Link by High Speed Rail

Badgerys Creek Airport and interstate High Speed Rail are mutually supportive and necessary. The HSR Project would connect Badgerys Creek Airport and Kingsford Smith Airport quickly and directly into Sydney ...
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Southern Cross High-Speed Rail Terminus

The Victorian Government is requested to lower the road surface of Wurundjeri Way by 10 metres in the section adjacent to Southern Cross Station to facilitate construction of the High ...
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A Third Airport for Melbourne?

Eventually, the population of Victoria will double. A third airport will be necessary. The question is when and where? A third airport is not needed yet. The two existing airports ...
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Future of Australian Cities-Lessons from Overseas

The experience of China’s major cities now is a foretaste of how Australian major cities will be in 3-4 decades time on present planning. It is what the proposed VFT2 ...
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Further Critical Influences

This is a follow up to the “Critical Influences” notes written six months ago. Several developments have occurred since which you may find others wish to influence you about or ...
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Property Value Effects of Railways

Railway tracks at ground level in towns and cities destroy value of adjacent property because of the sight, sound and smell (diesel fumes) of trains. (In the country, they may ...
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The 2013 High Speed Rail Report Rail Corridor

In 2010 the Labor Government commissioned a report on High Speed Rail (HSR) in Australia, mainly at the instigation of the Green Party. The final report was made in 2013 ...
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The Wrong 2013 High Speed Rail Report Rail Corridor

In 2010 the Labor Government commissioned a report on High Speed Rail (HSR) in Australia, mainly at the instigation of the Green Party. The final report was made in 2013 ...
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High Speed Rail Melbourne to Adelaide

West route options There are four options for HSR through Victoria to the west of Melbourne to the South Australian border and two from there to Adelaide. All routes connect ...
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High Speed Rail Melbourne to Adelaide

West route options There are four options for HSR through Victoria to the west of Melbourne to the South Australian border and two from there to Adelaide. All routes connect ...
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London Underground Lessons for Australia

The London Underground railway has lessons for Australia. London Underground celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2013. It was the first in the world. It was started in 1860, only 30 ...
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Melbourne Connection to Tullamarine Airport

Introduction The recent report on the Herald-Sun front page last week about the pressing need for a fast connection from the city to Tullamarine Airport appeared almost hysterical in its ...
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Benefits of the Gippsland Route for High Speed Rail

Introduction Beautiful Gippsland is in serious strife. Its main resource, brown coal, is losing its usefulness for electricity generation. It is losing jobs and disrupting lives. The population of Gippsland ...
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Critical Influences

Critical Influences As a person of influence, no doubt you keep up to date on issues on which to influence others and they wish to influence you. May I bring ...
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Richmond Station Redevelopment

It has been suggested that Richmond suburban railway station in Melbourne should be relocate. It is a good idea and should be supported, which is the intent of these notes ...
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Rail Freight and the Port of Brisbane

The capacity of rail freight to and from the Port of Brisbane is constrained at present and is not well placed for the projected increase in freight through-put. It would ...
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Introduction to the updates

High Speed Rail (HSR) is the same thing as Very Fast Train (VFT) in Australia. It is proposed to construct it between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, the largest cities in ...
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Further letter to PM Turnbull

29.9.16 The Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra, ACT 2600 Dear Mr. Turnbull There is an acknowledged pressing need to increase growth and jobs to forestall potential economic shocks ...
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SkyRail Negotiations

The optimum, highest value creating entry for HSR into Melbourne is from the east via Dandenong to Southern Cross Station HSR Terminus. It would be in a trench to the ...
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HSR Access through South Yarra Station

The optimum, highest value creating HSR entry into Melbourne is from the east via Dandenong along 30km to The Southern Cross Terminus in the CBD. HSR tracks would be in ...
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Removing spoil from HSR trenches

A large amount of dirt (rock and soil) would be dug up in forming trenched for HSR into and out of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It would need a means ...
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HSR/FFR Entry to Melbourne

For economic reasons the High Speed Rail/Fast Freight Rail (HSR/FFR) route into Melbourne should be from the east via Gippsland, rather than the north via Albury/Wodonga. The latter route was ...
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ASSESSMENT OF THE SKYRAIL PROJECT

The cost/benefit ratio (total benefit divided by total cost), or more simply the cost/value created ratio, is the generally accepted measure for judging the value to the people of a ...
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Conventional Wisdom and HSR for Australia

There are several serious negative forms of core conventional wisdom about High Speed Rail (HSR) for Australia, supported by those who oppose it, that are out of date and need ...
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HSR Safety

I heard a story while in Singapore in August 2016 which is rather disturbing. Apparently, Singapore purchased some Metro train sets (admittedly not HSR, but indicative) from China. They were ...
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Paying for High Speed Rail

Summary The good news is that revenue from the sale of housing built on the 21 square km of new ‘land’ created above the trenches in the inner-city of Melbourne, ...
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Private Financing of High Speed Rail in Australia

The work of John Alexander’s Committee of Inquiry into HSR and value capture to date and the announcement of the CLARA Project base on value capture have spurred me to ...
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Comments on the CLARA HSR Proposal

3/52 Grey StEast MelbourneVic 30020419 006 002peter.knight@veryfasttrain.com.auWWW.veryfasttrain.com.au 17.7.16 The EditorThe Australian Dear sir Comments on the CLARA HSR Proposal Advantages The CLARA (Consolidated Land and Rail Australia) project is impressive, ...
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Issues for Australia Addressed

Australia and other countries are experiencing voluntary, self-imposed austerity by consumers and companies. They are restraining consumption and investment. As a result, incomes and growth are below the long term ...
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Why High Speed Rail should be built in Australia now

Australia and other countries are experiencing voluntary, self-imposed austerity by consumers and companies. They are restraining consumption and investment. As a result, incomes and growth are below the long term ...
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Victorian Government Rail Blunder?

There is a railway boom coming to replace the mining boom. Some $200 billion non-mining investment in interstate High Speed Rail (HSR) and Fast Freight Rail (FFR) down the east ...
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Further letter to Premier of Victoria

16.5.16 The Premier of Victoria Parliament House Melbourne, Vic 3000 Dear Mr Andrews I seriously appeal in the strongest and starkest terms to the Victorian Government to stop the ‘SkyRail’ ...
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Additional submission to Parliamentary Committee

On further reflection, may I make three points: High Speed Rail interstate travel between Melbourne and Sydney CBDs must be within three hours. It is the key factor for success ...
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Letter to PM Turnbull

18.4.16 The Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra, ACT 2600 Dear Mr Turnbull Thank you for your confident leadership in adopting High Speed Rail for Australia. It is the ...
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Submission to Federal Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities.

In the 2010 election voters became aware that the Australian population may double in the next 40-50 years. It became evident that they did not want population to increase because ...
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Raise the Spirit of Australia

The Spirit of Australia needs revitalising. It started at Gallipoli and in France in WW1 with outstanding courage and sacrifice, and the innovation by Monash and the Australians who broke ...
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Letter to Premier of Victoria

15.2.2016 The Premier of Victoria Parliament House Melbourne, Vic 3000 Dear Premier The Federal Government has asked for expression of the level of interest in High Speed Rail (HSR) and ...
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Letter to Chairman IA

22.1.16 Mr M Birrell Chairman Infrastructure Australia GPO Box 5417 Sydney, NSW 2000 Dear Mr Birrell Further to my letter of 28.10.15 lodging a Submission to Infrastructure Australia on the ...
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Further letter to PM Turnbull

21.1.16 The Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Mr Turnbull Greater growth is the aim of the Government, but there are few new means to achieve ...
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Brunel and the Great Western Railway

Brunel was an innovative engineer and a man of business acumen. He designed and built the Great Western Railway which opened in 1842, only 12 years after the first steam ...
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Extracts from recent letters to Ministers and senior people

General With respect, may I add another serious issue, one that has come before Mr Turnbull already. He approved a study by the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities, ...
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Submission to Infrastructure Australia

Introduction There are two serious issues facing Australia at present that need to be brought to the foreground: population increase and high cost of transport. There is a subsidiary issue ...
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Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry into Value Capture

Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry: The role of transport connectivity on stimulating development and economic activity Value Capture Introduction Value capture has a powerful fundamental role shaping the future economic growth, ...
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Open Letter to PM Turnbull

15.10.15 The Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Mr. Turnbull Lack of economic growth is the major issue facing Australia. Above average growth is needed to ...
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