Better Transport for NSW - Rail, Tram and Bus Union of NSW

BETTER TRANSPORT FOR NSW
4. A Transport System for the
Common Good
Transport reaches into every aspect of our lives, from the micro
to the macro. Transport services can determine whether a person
can get to work, or to university, and they can determine how an
apple arrives in your fruit bowl. How we build our transport system
affects the health of the Australian economy and the health of our
environment. The broad reach of transport means that planning
must take care to consider what is going to serve the common good.
Community Organisation:
Sydney Alliance
The Sydney Alliance is a non-aligned organisation that brings
together diverse community organisations, unions (including
RTBU) and religious organisations to advance the common
good and achieve a fair, just and sustainable city.
The Alliance’s mission statement for transport in Sydney is:
To have a world-class public transport system that is regular,
reliable, clean, safe and easy to use for the people of Sydney,
regardless of health, wealth, age and mobility. It is planned,
integrated and connected to where people live, work and play.
The transport working group has this policy objective:
• 400:15:1 SCA 2
• Transport should be within 400 metres
• It should come every 15 minutes
• It should only require 1 ticket
• It is Safe, Clean, Accessible and Affordable
Incentivise Rail Freight Transport
Companies moving freight around the country should be incentivised
to use safe and environmentally sustainable transport wherever
possible and practical. Instead, tax structures and investment
patterns have tended to prefer road transport for the movement of
freight over rail.
The structural bias towards road freight has had negative
consequences for road safety. In recent years, for example, NSW
has experienced a number of road accidents involving petrol tankers,
some with tragic and fatal consequences. Dangerous goods such
as petrol, chemicals, industrial waste and explosives should be
transported by rail wherever possible and kept off NSW roads.
Rail transport is also a far greener alternative to road transport.
The Commonwealth Green Paper produced on the Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme noted that transport carbon pollution gas
emissions account for around 14% of Australia’s emissions. Of the
total transport emissions, 89% come from road transport, 6% from
rail transport and 5% from sea transport.
Case Study:
Closure of the Patrick Rail
terminal at Camellia
Patrick Port Logistics ceased operating rail services from Dubbo
and Camellia in 2010. This has led to an extra 45,000 truck
movements to and from Port Botany.
Patrick cited a “serious lack of infrastructure investment by the
Government, together with access problems and the lack of
any incentive” as the primary reasons for the closure.
Case Study:
Actions not Words - A Freight
Agenda for New South Wales
In 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers was commissioned by Freight
and Logistics Council of
New South Wales (FALCONSW) to produce an action agenda
for the freight industry in NSW.
The report argued that improved freight and logistics efficiency
means lower product costs, less congestion on our roads,
lower carbon emissions, fewer serious accidents, and less
local air and noise pollution.
It put forward seven action priorities to help the industry
effectively meet demand in the state:
1. Collaborate across supply chains
2. Unlock the roads
3. Address industry skills shortages
4. Boost the public image of freight
5. Make rail a competitive option to and from NSW ports
6. Regulate simply and consistently
7. Communicate the NSW freight plan.
This plan provides an important road map towards improving
NSW’s ability to meet increasing demand for freight transport
in the most efficient way possible.
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RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION - BETTER TRANSPORT FOR NSW