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Why Australia Sucks!!!

The_Hypocrite

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http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/number-of-speed-cameras-to-triple-20150221-13kzo8.html

Number of speed cameras to triple

Date
February 21, 2015 - 8:37AM

The number of speed cameras on WA roads is set to triple under new government plans.
The number of fixed cameras will grow from five to 30 and the number of red-light cameras will rise from 30 to 90 over five years.
Road Safety minister Liza Harvey said the move would bring the state more in line with New South Wales and Victoria.
 

koala88

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http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/number-of-speed-cameras-to-triple-20150221-13kzo8.html

Number of speed cameras to triple

Date
February 21, 2015 - 8:37AM

The number of speed cameras on WA roads is set to triple under new government plans.
The number of fixed cameras will grow from five to 30 and the number of red-light cameras will rise from 30 to 90 over five years.
Road Safety minister Liza Harvey said the move would bring the state more in line with New South Wales and Victoria.

Speed cameras are good. They slow down / regulate speeding vehicles to make the road safe for other users.

In Sydney, wherever they install such speed cameras, they gave MULTIPLE warnings ahead, before vehicles approach the cameras.

In SG? They would hide behind the bush or above overhead bridges to capture speeding vehicles without warning.
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
In wa they do the same as singkieland..
Speed cameras are good. They slow down / regulate speeding vehicles to make the road safe for other users.

In Sydney, wherever they install such speed cameras, they gave MULTIPLE warnings ahead, before vehicles approach the cameras.

In SG? They would hide behind the bush or above overhead bridges to capture speeding vehicles without warning.
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Some people should just keep their mouths shut,,,


[h=1]WA speed camera increase 'tokenistic' : University researcher[/h] Date
February 23, 2015 - 2:15PM
The number of speed cameras is set to triple in WA, something accident researcher Professor Max Cameron says is 'very token'.
While the number of speed cameras is set to triple in WA, an accident researcher says it will have no effect in reducing fatal crashes.
On Saturday, the Barnett government released a statement saying the number of fixed cameras will grow from five to 30 and red-light cameras will rise from 30 to 90 over five years.
Road Safety minister Liza Harvey said the move would bring the state more in line with New South Wales and Victoria.
However, Max Cameron from the Monash University Accident Research Centre told Radio 6PR, if the WA government wanted to reduce the road toll, then it needed to bring in more mobile cameras.
Last year, 186 people died on WA roads. This year, so far, 22 people have died.
"If they want real effect on road trauma then the mobile cameras are the way to go," he said.
"The increase proposal is very token.
"The trouble with the fixed cameras... the ones that are at a fixed location like an intersection or a freeway, is they really only have an effect for a kilometre in either direction.
"The mobile cameras are only being increased by 600 hours per month and that is not enough."
Professor Cameron said extensive research with mobile cameras in the eastern states found motorists feared they could "be caught anywhere at any time".
"It really changes peoples' behaviour," he said.
"If you only change their behaviour at a location, it doesn't take much to realise it's only a small proportion of crashes.
"It really is not the way to go."
Professor Cameron said he'd been calling for more mobile cameras on WA roads since 2008.
"Mobile cameras in Perth should be increased at least three times the number of hours and in rural WA at least five times the number of hours," he said. That is the way to get a big improvement in speeding."
Professor Cameron said the speed limit on WA roads should be lowered.
"Any crash that occurs through drink-driving or drug-driving or fatigue... if it occurs at a lower speed, it is much less likely to result in death or serious injury," he said.
"And that is the big message".
Ms Harvey hit back at Professor Cameron's claims speed cameras did nothing to reduce road deaths.
"Speed cameras are only part of our strategy to improve road safety," she said.
"It's important to note, two independent Auditor General reports from Victoria and NSW have said speed cameras reduce the road toll and are effective in reducing road trauma on our roads. That's why we are do it, the evidence is there."



http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/w...c--university-researcher-20150223-13matr.html
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
[h=1]Australian Infrastructure Audit: WA worst road, best economic growth[/h] Date May 22, 2015
[h=3]Leanne Nicholson[/h]




1432250783033.jpg
The Mitchell Freeway has been rated the nation's worst when it comes to delayed costs per lane kilometre compared against economic contributions. Photo: Erin Jonasson

Western Australia is tipped to become the congestion capital of Australia after a national audit predicted Perth's key road corridors of the future would not keep pace with growth and cost millions in delays.
The Mitchell Freeway was identified in the Australian Infrastructure Audit as the nation's top ranked road corridor for delayed costs in millions by lane kilometre against economic contribution by lane kilometre by 2031.
WA's Tonkin Highway, Graham Farmer Freeway-Orrong Road-Welshpool Road East Corridor and Marmion Avenue filled out the top four of 30 roads Australia wide based on delay costs and economic impact per kilometre.
The audit calculated that 12 WA road systems would be among Australia's top 30 roads with projected delay costs compared with four WA roads listed in 2011.
Advertisement

The government's snapshot of the country's current and future infrastructure released on Friday, predicted that by 2031 the Mitchell Freeway would move from fourth in Australia to the most impacted road in the country.
Delay costs on the Mitchell were predicted to jump from $1.96 million to $10.03 million per lane kilometre in 15 years against direct economic contribution of $5.53 million in 2011 to $16.19 million in 2031 per kilometre.
While the report flagged warning signs for the state's road system, the national report card predicted WA's economy and population would be the fastest growing in the country.
The report also highlighted WA's infrastructure wealth was tipped to flourish, particularly in the Pilbara which was expected to grow 187 per cent from $5 billion to $15 billion.
The national audit checks the pulse of Australia's ability to meet its future growth in four areas of infrastructure – transport, energy, communications and water.
Road corridors in 2031 by projected delay costs:
1 (4 in 2011) Mitchell Freeway WA
2 (-) Tonkin Highway WA
3 (24) Graham Farmer Freeway/Orrong Road/Welshpool Road East Corridor WA
4 (-) Marmion Avenue/West Coast Highway Corridor WA
5 (26) Gore Hill/Warringah Freeways/SHB/Eastern District NSW
6 (-) Wanneroo Road WA
7 (3) Chatswood to Narraweena via Warringah Road NSW
8 (22) Leach Highway WA
9 (-) Roe Highway WA
10 (2) King George Road Princes Highway M4 NSW
11(23) Canning Highway Great Eastern Highway (west) WA
17 (-) Albany Highway WA
19 (-) Kwinana Freeway WA
20 (-) Reid Highway WA
26 (-) South Street/Ranford Road WA


http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/a...oad-best-economic-growth-20150521-gh706g.html
 

neddy

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
I was just telling some Chinese that you don't hear of this type of news in China because of censorship. Sama sama Singapura.
 

koala88

Alfrescian
Loyal
Sydney properties are even more expensive than Singapore now.......

SOME "Sydney properties are even more expensive than Singapore now..." Yes agree.

BUT to say: "Sydney properties are even more expensive than Singapore now..." is nothing but a load of bullshit.

See here for properties being offered in the suburbs of Blacktown, Liverpool and Parramatta (all part of Sydney):

http://www.domain.com.au/search/buy...n,+nsw,+2148&displmap=0&sort=price-asc&page=1

http://www.domain.com.au/search/buy...00&searchterm=liverpool,+nsw,+2170&displmap=0

http://www.domain.com.au/search/buy...rramatta,+nsw,+2150&displmap=0&sort=price-asc
 

The_Hypocrite

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Asset
[h=1]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-22/gridlocked-cities-to-cost-australia-billions-each-year/6488674
Gridlocked cities to cost more than $53 billion a year by 2031 without action: Infrastructure Australia[/h] By political reporter Dan Conifer
Updated Fri at 12:39pmFri 22 May 2015, 12:39pm
Photo: Melbourne's Westgate Freeway already experiences heavy gridlocked traffic. (AAP: Julian Smith)

Map: Australia

Travel times in parts of Australian capital cities could more than double by 2031 without transport investment, while congestion could cost the economy more than $53 billion, a new report warns.
The Infrastructure Australia audit also predicts public transport demand will nearly double.
The report, titled Our Infrastructure Challenges, will be launched by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs in Sydney today.
"This is a really important step, it gives us a benchmark about where we're at," Mr Briggs said.
"By the end of the year, for the first time in Australia's history, we should have a well thought through plan for our infrastructure for the next 15 years."
IA says the cost of road delays in the six largest capital cities was $13.7 billion in 2011, but is projected to grow by around 290 per cent to $53.3 billion in 2031 without measures including new roads and more public transport funding.
The report says car travel times in the most gridlocked parts of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra are expected to jump by at least 20 per cent if there no measures to boost capacity or curb demand.
"In some cases, travel times could more than double between 2011 and 2031," the report says.
The report proposes introducing dedicated lanes for carpooling, buses and trucks.
The audit estimates Australia's population will grow to 30.5 million in 2031, with the biggest four cities growing by around 45 per cent.
We're increasingly going to need the private sector to be involved in infrastructure investment.

Jamie Briggs, Assistant Infrastructure Minister
"It tells us there's a really good problem in Australia, which is we've got a lot of growth. That means we need a lot of infrastructure investment," Mr Briggs said.
"In the big cities the growth is extraordinary and it just shows that Australia is a great place with great potential, but we need more infrastructure to make the most of it."
The report predicts public transport demand will more than double in Melbourne, and jump by 55 per cent in Sydney, and nearly 90 per cent across other capital cities.
"Unless peak period passenger loads are managed and capacity is increased, commuters in all capital cities will see more services experiencing 'crush loadings', where peak demand exceeds capacity," the report says.
The Federal Government's top infrastructure advisory body also predicts demand for flights will double and additional airport capacity will be needed in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne.
It also says increased private and public funding will be needed to maintain and grow infrastructure networks.
"We're increasingly going to need the private sector to be involved in infrastructure investment," Mr Briggs said.
"Finances for the government are always going to be finite at the federal and state level, and the private sector wants to be involved. They deliver infrastructure projects very well."
The Government will invite submissions on the audit, with a 15-year infrastructure plan expected to be released later this year.
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/28612924/pressure-s-on-the-middle-class/

Pressure’s on the middle class Shane Wright Economics Editor June 30, 2015, 7:44 am Share Share
[h=4]Shane Wright: Pressure’s on the middle class, trickle-down effect - The West Australian[/h]



b8830648z.1_20150630080628_000_g6h919ts.3_1-1ap3nqa.jpg

The trickle-down effect is dead. So says that “bastion” of socialism and “class envy”, the International Monetary Fund.
While the research released last week by the respected IMF is unlikely to change the entrenched views of those who believe equity doesn’t matter or that high-flyers should be put on unemployment-level wages, those of us who like a bit of evidence in their policy development should take it on board.
The IMF’s most worrisome finding was the squeeze on the global middle class.
It’s hard to ignore just how important the emergence of a true middle class has been to the economic health of the globe since the end of World War II.
Without this middle class, the development of a range of sectors (from education to tourism to consumer retailing) would be unimaginable.
Robert Menzies’ famous Forgotten People radio address of 1942 is a celebration of this group of people which, until recently, grew in both size and economic importance.
But according to the IMF, a series of changes — technological and policy — are “squeezing” middle income earners. This had translated into a rise in the number of low income people (who are getting by on government handouts) and a smaller lift in those at the top of the income pile.
This inequality, the fund found, is causing real economic damage. The notion that boosting the top means more for all —the classic trickle-down effect — doesn’t really exist.
“If the income share of the top 20 per cent (the rich) increases, then GDP growth actually declines over the medium term, suggesting that the benefits do not trickle down. In contrast, an increase in the income share of the bottom 20 percent (the poor) is associated with higher GDP growth,” the IMF found.
“The poor and the middle class matter the most for growth via a number of interrelated economic, social, and political channels. “Raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring that there is no hollowing-out of the middle class is actually good for growth.”
The IMF pinpointed technology as one of the biggest factors in the decline of the middle class. There is a wealth effect from having great skills but if you don’t have those type of skills (such as in IT) then you miss out on wage growth or on a job altogether.
At the same time, “economic rents” including incomes paid to company chief executives are accruing to “the top end of the income distribution”.
That mirrors separate research released by the OECD last week that warned further growth in the financial sector would actually hurt economies. It found the wage growth of those high up in finances was well ahead of wages growth in other parts of the industry and the entire economy.
The IMF’s findings are a real challenge for those who argue boosting the top helps the bottom. It’s not just the fund’s researchers turning up some uncomfortable truths. Important empirical work by Owen Zidar, a former staff economist to the US Council of Economic Advisers, shows the connection between the lowest paid and the overall health of the economy.
Professor Zidar released research this year looking at the impact of income tax changes across the US at Federal and State level over two decades.
What he found was simple. You get better economic outcomes, particularly in terms of employment, with tax cuts to those with middle or low incomes. “The stimulative effects of income tax cuts are largely driven by tax cuts for the bottom 90 per cent and that the empirical link between employment growth and tax changes for upper-income earners is weak to negligible,” he wrote.
While many business groups including the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry back cuts to the top marginal tax rates, they rarely dwell on those at the bottom.
It’s hard to mount a productivity argument for cutting top marginal tax rates. A person earning more than $180,000 (that’s 2 per cent of the population) is not going to be “incentivised” into working harder or more productively.
These people are already working hard — and getting well paid for their efforts.
Those backing cuts for these people are now arguing they need them because of international competition or because there is such a wide gap between the top marginal rate and the company rate. In other words, the well paid are likely to scam the tax system to reduce their overall tax.
Last week the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre made its own contribution to the debate on inequality. Rather than focus on income, the centre’s research looked at savings — and the disparity between the haves and have nots is even starker.
The best-paid 20 per cent of the country have average savings of $1.3 million, which includes their superannuation. The bottom 20 per cent — just $6000.
The graphic on this page gives you an idea of just how those with the biggest savings compare with those with very little in the bank.
One of the most interesting aspects of the research was how high income savers have got to that point.
Assets held in tax-advantaged trusts grew 87 per cent between 2005 and the current year. It was the fastest growing asset class, better than money sunk into a business (up 80 per cent) and much better than shares (up 63 per cent).
The disposable income of this group grew just 14 per cent (and deposits are up 35 per cent).
That points to a real issue in this country and in many parts of the developed world. We’ve become very smart at using and abusing the tax system, and are pouring more resources into that use and abuse.
While the richest 20 per cent of the community have about a third of all income, they hold three-quarters of total savings.
Centre director Alan Duncan said low income earners were holding big debts against very low savings, putting them at financial risk.
Not that this avalanche of evidence will sway those who are stuck in their political ruts. Labor-Liberal, Left-Right, business-union are too entrenched to even countenance there are issues that deserve proper policy solutions.
We’ve got a political class that argues in sound bites with almost no intellectual rigour and too much of a media class that laps it up and reports policy debates as if they were football matches.
What’s trickling down to voters, those with jobs and those who are trying to create jobs is beyond the pale.
 

StinkiePeasants

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Loyal
SYDNEY SUCKS - Nasty mean materialistic Australian metropolis

[video=youtube;mOyTyA5a0Lc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOyTyA5a0Lc[/video]
 
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