Victor P Taffa

Political parties at one point in time actually debated issues that affected our society and as such were seen as relevant in our lives. Over the decades people decided on such weighty matters as communism, tariffs, federation, Climate Change, Republicanism, decimal currency to name a few.

So what real debate has occurred with regards to the Newcastle Railway? Over many years the Hunter Development Corporation has wanted to close the Newcastle Railway. The Hunter Development Corporation was established by the New South Wales Government.

Newcastle railway station taken from a bridge where connectivity is the problem

On September 14 2006 the Labor Party National Executive voted 13-7 to disendorse sitting State Member for Newcastle Bryce Gaudry and expels the 50 strong Carrington Branch that included Arthur Wade who served as the Labor State Member between 1968 and 1988.

Wickham railway station, will this be the end of the line?

When the National Executive of the Labor Party disendorsed Bryce Gaudry one could be forgiven for thinking that the actions of Labor’s National executive mirrored its actions in 1963 when the 36 men of the National executive of the Labor Party kept then Leader Gough Whitlam and deputy Leader and Arthur Calwell waiting outside Canberra’s Kingston Hotel as they decided Defence alliance policy.

Bryce Gaudry campaigned to save the Newcastle Railway and Transport Minister Michael Costa canned the Parramatta-Epping Rail link and also promised to close the Newcastle Railway.

Bryce Gaudry won the seat of Newcastle from Independent George Keegan in 1991 and held the seat for the Labor Party until 2007. The Railway was seen to be an impediment to development because accessibility declined due to the policy of the abolition of level crossings. Along the corridor many level crossings were closed and this in turn frustrated the lives of Novocastrians no end.

Matthew Morris State Member for Charlestown recently said to locals that “we (State Labor) caused the problem by removing many of the level crossings”. Sonia Hornery has been inundated with calls for the retention of the Railway because the people of Wallsend need to continue to be able to travel by train to the C.B.D. of Newcastle. Ms Hornery has been conducting her own surveys following revelations that the Rees Government is spending thousands of taxpayers’ dollars to find a survey result that will support the closure of the Railway.

Charlestown MP Matthew Morris

On May 26 2009 the Rees Labor Government brought down a report that basically recommended the closure of the Newcastle Railway. The following matters should be considered when contemplating the future transport needs of Newcastle. The Newcastle Central Business District (CBD) requires a Railway service to be retained as it directly connects Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong thus enabling overseas tourists with a direct connection from Sydney International Airport Railway Station.

Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery

Unless it can be proved otherwise there remains a case to promote Newcastle to the world by travelling by train to the heart of the Newcastle CBD and the beach. Page 12, Section 1.3 of the Hunter Development Corporation Report dated 26 May 2009 contradicts the above argument.

Cycleways: Page 15 of the report promotes Cycleways. Cycleways are needed however why does the Railway line have to close in order to promote cycleways?

Transport: If the report isn’t biased and independent why does it refer to: “The removal of the rail line to Wickham…” etc if this report was an independent assessment wouldn’t the report use such language as ‘cutting back’? Clearly the tone of this report is not an independent view of the issue.

Wickham level crossing causing all of Newcastle's woes

Page 16: Transport & Car Parking:This section refers to connecting light rail to shopping centres. Light Rail can occur while the Heavy Rail line remains in place. All the platitudes in the world will not guarantee the provision of Light Rail if the Heavy Line is removed. The removal of the Tramways of Newcastle in 1950 makes any pledge to build Light Rail at the expense of Heavy Rail fanciful to say the least.

Page 17:Connectivity & Permeability:This section refers to the provision of lifts and footbridges. Why does the removal of the Railway require the need for these important public facilities to be constructed? Why can’t lifts and footbridges be constructed now?

Page 29: This section refers to the compendium of Rail services: Why do Rail services from Newcastle to Sydney take 15 minutes longer than 50 years ago? This has been the case for many years and in order to increase patronage on OUR railways, high speed services on new or upgraded lines will achieve this and avoid the need to close the Newcastle Railway. As an example a high speed railway line that is dual track, fully electrified would enable trains to join at a ‘diamond junction’ at Maitland and connect Cessnock with Berowra to the Northern Line thus providing the people of Newcastle with a new service.

The Northern Line would improve as a result and this new line would cut travel times from the Newcastle CBD to Sydney significantly. To close the line to the Newcastle CBD will only serve to CUT Newcastle from the existing rail network and while a short term cash grab will lead to economic doom in the years ahead. The report refers to the compendium of City Rail travel statistics as an excuse to close the Newcastle Railway down. An Act of Parliament is required to close down a Railway line. According to reliably informed sources the Rees Government is seeking to pass the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2009 that would circumvent that legislation.

Should an Act allowing for the circumventing of existing legislation pass through Parliament then every railway line in New South Wales can close tomorrow with the stoke of a ministerial pen. If the Rees Government denied that this would occur, who would believe this when the Tramways of Sydney and Newcastle were closed in 1961 & 1950 respectively?

Wickham platform 1 Telarah bound service, is this the end of an era?

On which particular railway station do we have the STOP REVIVE SURVIVE signs or floral wreathes on telegraph poles? What is the Road Toll on a Railway Station?

Page 30: The report makes the following statement: “Generally there is significant spare capacity on these buses” Why do we need Buses so Cycleways can be built? Isn’t the Heavy Railway the only form of transport that has its own right of way? Isn’t cutting the Railway line back to Wickham the same as cutting the Railway in Sydney back to Redfern? Wasn’t this theory attempted with Metro madness in Sydney? The last time trains terminated at Redfern was prior to the opening of Sydney Central Station in 1906. Isn’t cutting the Newcastle Railway line like going ‘back to the future’ and turning the clocks back to 1906?

Page 43 & 44:The report supports a hybrid Tram/Train. This is the same argument that has been pursued for Metro Rail in Sydney. While I support the ability of a Tram to operate on a Heavy Railway line and then join streets, I do not support the closure of a heavy Railway line anywhere in New South Wales. If as the report recommends a Tram, why bother going to the cost of removing an independently operating Railway and then constructing at a greater cost a tramway? Newcastle lost the Tram in 1950. Why remove the Railway as well?

Page 49: The report also makes mention that “The Rail line was designed for freight” Where would Newcastle or Sydney or New South Wales be without the Railway? During the 19th Century the then NSW Governor Denison and others tried to argue in favour of horse drawn trams. The then Chief Engineer of the New South Wales Railways John Whitton won the case for standard gauge heavy railways because of the need to move freight effectively. John Whitton won the case for heavy railways and as in the 1850’s New South Wales needs heavy rail to haul freight.

Newcastle railway, the cause of the problem or is it?

B-Doubles are dangerous and the heavy railways are the place for freight. Former Premier Bob Carr closed down Sydney as a working port “in favour of Port Botany, Wollongong and NEWCASTLE”. Newcastle needs its Railway in the same way that Sydney should never have lost a working port. The Newcastle CBD is dead and that is not the fault of the Railways. The Railway line to a locality also does not encourage crime, graffiti, vandalism or any other anti social behaviour. All of these problems are caused by successive Governments’ policies. The closure of Railway lines and the lack of the construction of new lines causes young people to sit around and get up to anti-social behaviour because employers will not say it, but if people are not able to access employment or can’t be relied upon to get to work on time then they will not employ those people. The statistics that say only a certain number of people use the train and these figures are measured by the number of tickets sold. While you have no ticket barriers, the statistics on patronage are meaningless. The argument that the University can be relocated is a smokescreen. If the location of the University is holding back the progress of Newcastle then the return of the Tram along with the Heavy Railway service will ease concerns about the future needs of the University. The 2009 Federal Budget was seeking solutions from Infrastructure Australia and the Rees Government was recommending the removal of Infrastructure. How can the closure of the Newcastle Railway be justified in order to expand Infrastructure?

Should ANY Railway line close in New South Wales, who will tell the Railway workforce that they will not have a job? How can the closure of a Railway be justified in these times of worldwide economic downturn? Who will win? How will Newcastle win? Why was a former State Member for Newcastle and an entire branch of the Australian Labor Party abolished because they supported Newcastle and the Railway?

The 2007 State Election results for Newcastle were pretty decisively organised so that sitting member Bryce Gaudry would not be re-elected. As can be seen from the associated table of the polling figures had John Tate not contested the election Bryce Gaudry would have romped home to victory. As each count proceeded and candidates were eliminated as preferences were distributed Bryce Gaudry attracted more preferences than Jodi McKay and John Tate eliminated Bryce Gaudry from the count by only 1022 votes. Of the Gaudry votes that were distributed John Tate received 3017 against 2158 for Labor candidate Jodi McKay.6310 votes for Bryce Gaudry were exhausted. Newcastle Lord Mayor John Tate said that “I ran so there would be a contest”

Newcastle 2007 State Election Results

When a democratically elected Member of Parliament can be removed because of a Railway line it is without doubt a very expensive railway line in more ways than one.

Victor P Taffa

When former Health Minister John Della Bosca recently announced that the Royal Flying Service (R.F.D.S.) would have its operational capability reviewed the question that should be asked is the Minister treating the symptom or the cure?

 The problems at Hornsby, Dubbo, Ryde and many other public hospitals suggest that the funding levels are simply going to administration and not front line services.

 In a bid to save money the State Government is searching for another ‘cheaper’ alternative for a rural flying service that has served New South Wales for the past 80 years. However one could be forgiven for thinking that there is another underlying motive. Dubbo M.P. Dawn Fardell is concerned at the prospect of the less profitable areas of Dubbo losing medical aerial services.

 This downgrading of rural services is in keeping with Mudgee and Cooma losing both its air and rail services and many other rural towns losing its railway altogether. Living in Sydney is convenient whereas it is the ‘tyranny of distance’ that leaves rural people disconnected from facilities, advantages and employment opportunities.

 As an example it is a 30 minute drive from Muswellbrook to Singleton and a

further 30 minutes to Maitland. To travel a similar distance in metropolitan Sydney will see you pass from one side of the metropolitan area to another and drive through dozens of suburbs with modern facilities and transport connections.

 Following on NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner recent comments in the Sydney media regarding the Royal Flying Doctor Service it would be considered a usual business deal to change to a new carrier for aerial services in the country in the name of saving money.

 “Quite right, NSW Labor usually has ulterior motives behind such decisions their track record is shocking.”

 However after 14 years, going on 16 years of total failure in the administration of New South Wales there is always another underlining motive behind a supposedly noble motive of saving the taxpayer money.

As with the legal profession being sold the need to become ‘Special Counsel’ rather Than ‘Queens Counsel’ and the ongoing mistruths about climate change and the overwhelming need to ’streamline’ government and abolish State Governments, one could merely be slightly cynical and preposterous as to suggest that the real reason to move away from The Royal Flying Doctor Service is because of the Royal Prefix on the name of the service.

 The R.F.D.S most likely supports the Royal prefix on its name and so the Labor Party thought it easier to simply take away their need to use the R.F.D.S. and thus hide the ‘Royal’ from the public consciousness.

 In the name of ‘cleaning and restoring’ the Crown was also removed from every Post Office. Once again this move is simply republicanism by stealth. Republicans are also desperate to abolish State Governments and in particular the Upper houses of Parliament.

 The Labor Party at its 1984 Federal Conference passed a motion that Australia should become a republic. This was passed after former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam passed legislation to make Queen Elizabeth II as the Queen of Australia. This is notwithstanding the Constitutional crises that have affected Labor Governments.

 In 1932 NSW Governor Sir Philip Game dismissed Labor Premier Jack Lang from office and in 1975 Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed Labor Prime Gough Whitlam. In 1996 NSW Labor Premier Bob Carr removed the Governor from Government House, Sydney.

 So what is the real reason for the NSW Labor Government to save money? What really is wrong with the R.F.D.S? Surely it has nothing to do with the Royal prefix or does it?

 New South Wales Labor has shown once again that it is more spin cycles than a washing machine.

NSW Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Melinda Pavey 

Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Melinda Pavey said today that the Liberal and Nationals gave an unequivocal commitment to ensuring that when in Government, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) will remain an independent, stand alone agency.

Leader of The Nationals Andrew Stoner moved a motion in Parliament to confirm that the Liberal and Nationals are firmly against the NSW Labor Governments recent proposal to amalgamate the RFS with the NSW Police Force, and instead called on the Government to commit to ensuring the agency retains independence.

“The Liberal and Nationals gave a 100 per cent commitment, that under a Liberal and Nationals Government, the RFS will remain a stand along agency,” Mrs. Pavey said.

“The Rees Labor Government had a chance to stand up for the RFS volunteers and to support the Liberal and Nationals motion to ensure the agency retains its independence but disappointingly the Minister for Emergency Services Steve Whan refused to support the motion and instead weakened it by amending it, which means the super department still remains in place.”

In contrast, the Member for the Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg congratulated Andrew Stoner and The Nationals for our commitment to ensuring the RFS retains its full independence.

Whilst Steve Whan was compliant in this super ministry proposal, Phil Koperberg and the RFS Association overturned the decision to bring the RFS under the control of the NSW Police Commissioner.

However the issue of retaining independence has still not been fully resolved. Under NSW Labor’s proposal, the RFS Commissioner still has the power to decide whether or not the RFS can be placed under the power of the NSW Police Commissioner.

“This explains why NSW Labor refused to support our motion. Under NSW Labor, there is still no guarantee that the RFS will retain its independence. In contrast, the Liberal and Nationals today gave a full commitment to the volunteers that the RFS will retain full independence, authority and integrity under a Liberal and Nationals Government.”

“I have met with and consulted with the RFS Association, Volunteer Fire Fighters Association and a number of volunteers on the ground who were extremely angered by NSW Labor’s proposal.

“The RFS is a unique agency comprised of thousands of volunteers, and they need to be led by someone who understands the nature of it being largely a volunteer organisation.

“Volunteers need to report to their own agency head, not the Police Commissioner,” Mrs. Pavey said.

Victor P Taffa

For how much longer must Queanbeyan and the surrounding district accept a substandard delivery of service from our State Government?

On a recent trip to Southern New South Wales I experienced firsthand just how bad the roads and railway lines are. Roads such as the Monaro and Kings Highways are too narrow and so heavily overused as to make these corridors dangerous to the travelling public. The Southern Railway line from Sydney is inadequate and does not have electrification.

Upon leaving Sydney I passed through Goulburn and continued onto Queanbeyan. Once upon a time these roads in and out of Queanbeyan could handle the traffic but because our railways have not been upgraded too much traffic is forced onto the roads.

As my destination was Cooma to stay with my Aunt I kept going and found that despite resurfacing works the Monaro Highway to Cooma is totally inadequate to handle the volume of traffic that it does.

About 2 years ago my cousin Metree Taffa and his family were almost killed on the Monaro Highway at Royalla. The accident was so bad the road surface burned. They were lucky to survive.

While in Cooma I talked to the locals and the reason for the poor condition and width of the roads in and out of Queanbeyan is because the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) conducts traffic counts in the quietest part of the year. Why wouldn’t a professional organisation such as the RTA conduct traffic counts 4 times per year, once per season?

Traffic flows vary according to the season and if counts were conducted once in every season then road funding could be increased and justified on a far more relevant basis.

Locals in Cooma also remark that to obtain many services travel to Queanbeyan and Canberra is a necessity and particularly during the Ski seasons the Monaro Highway is not up to scratch.

Having stayed in Cooma I came back through Queanbeyan and proceeded along the Kings Highway to Braidwood and Batemans Bay. The cart track to Batemans Bay that leaves Queanbeyan is a disgrace. This is called the Kings Highway.

What are the solutions?

The debated By-Pass for Queanbeyan needs to occur. The Monaro Highway between Queanbeyan and Cooma should be a 6 lane divided Highway. The Railway line to Queanbeyan should diverge and continue to Braidwood and Batemans Bay.

Proceeding in the other direction from Queanbeyan the railway should continue to Cooma, Bombala, Eden and join with the Illawarra line. The Southern Railway line to Canberra should be extended to Albury.

When many say that there is ‘no money’ for these vital pieces of infrastructure I would say Why not?

The residents of Queanbeyan might think that people in Sydney receive the ‘lion’s share’ of funding and that we live in paradise. The truth is the problems in Sydney are exacerbated by planning policies that suggest that everyone lives on the tiniest square inch of land that is left lying around.

As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ is irrelevant because New South Wales is broke and will take a lot to fix it.

Victor P Taffa

Over the last few years an organisation called the Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA) led by its very able Executive Director, Mrs. Kerry Jones has been taking Parliament to the schools so as to provide the leaders of tomorrow with the knowledge of the workings of our parliamentary system of Government.

The need for this education evolved out of the 1999 constitutional referenda that overwhelmingly rejected the NO vote on whether or not Australia should become a republic.

Former Lord Mayor & St Patrick's Old Boy Doug Sutherland

The latest in a series of programmes through the schools was at St. Patrick’s College, Strathfield of which students of year 6 participate. Proceedings were commenced by St. Patrick’s Old Boy and former Lord Mayor of Sydney Doug Sutherland AM JP. Mr. Sutherland matriculated in 1949 and served as Lord Mayor from 1980-87. Doug Sutherland is also the school’s CEFA programme mentor.

Mrs. Kerry Jones performed the role of ‘Governor-General’ and outlined the importance of the CEFA programme through the schools. The school Parliament opened following the conduct of a closely fought election in which the Earth Party defeated the Workers Party.

All school students cast a vote and each voted counted in a tight election result. Mrs. Jones opened the ‘Parliament’ and highlighted the historical significance of the dispatch boxes that has dated back to the time of King George VI. Mrs. Jones and Mr. Sutherland told students about Mace that sits in the middle of as a symbol of a neutral umpire. The Sergeant-at-Arms bears the Mace.

CEFA Executive Director Kerry Jones opens the St Patrick's College Strathfield School Parliament

Unlike the republican model in the United States Australia is governed by the Westminster system and Ministers are elected and not appointed by a President. The role of Speaker was performed by the Headmaster of the Junior School Jim Walters who called each Minister to the dispatch box.

Among the Ministers that followed the Prime Minister, was the Deputy Prime Minister & Treasurer and Ministers for Sport, Education, Health, Technology, Arts, Peace and the Environment.

In the words of the Prime Minister the Government wanted to “Make things easy and make things happen” for the people who elected him. The Prime Minister presented the Ministers and Bills followed by the Deputy Prime Minister & Treasurer who wanted to maintain services.

Other Government priorities were as follows:

• Sports Minister is to improve sports at the school.
• Education Minister moves to increase scholarships at the school.
• Health Minister will improve the school tuckshop menu.
• Technology Minister seeks to have laptops for all students in years 10-12.
• Arts Minister addresses the need to improve resources and arts rooms.
• Peace Minister is to introduce a “bully-free zone.”
• Environment Minister wants solar power in schools.

As with any robust Parliamentary sitting the Opposition rose to speak and challenged the legitimacy of the Government’s claims. The Government counter claimed with arguments designed to outmanoeuvre its opponents. Speaker Jim Walters was able to maintain control of proceedings as the students engaged in some lively banter.

In a challenging and interesting departure from the normal studies of English and Mathematics if the school Parliament is anything to go by the future of our democracy is in good hands as all the students returned to their classrooms having participated in a simulated session of Parliamentary proceedings that will hold all of us in good stead.

St. Patrick's College Strathfield

Victor P Taffa

Having not been to Adelaide for many years I decided to investigate just how well the Tramway extension is and if the Rann Government was right to go ahead with the line. Little did I anticipate was how Adelaide has left Sydney in its wake in terms of development and promotion.

City West Tram Terminus

Sydney has a topographical landscape that should provide New South Wales with a definite advantage. Cities such as Adelaide and Melbourne have their own particular selling points to offset the largely flat surface of their metropolitan and regional areas.

Melbourne has the ‘G’, the football, Formula 1 Motor Grand Prix and a great Tramway network to name but a few. Adelaide has a convention centre, Clipsal 500 Race, Casino and now an extended Tramway network.

Adelaide and Melbourne have a planned grid CBD area that Sydney lacks. Despite all of Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart and Brisbane’s advantages Sydney should be so far ahead of the rest that it should go without saying.

Sydney prior to the 2000 Olympic Games was promised a public transport T card and in 2009 the whole sorry saga will end up in litigation. When I caught a train and tram in Adelaide I purchased a 2 hour ticket that is able to be used on all buses, trains and trams. Adelaide has the T card that Sydney was promised and never got.

Sydney has so many natural advantages for tourists that are too numerable to list. Sydney has so much to see and do that if we were to promote our museums, restaurants and natural beauty throughout Australia then New South Wales could lead this nation to an economic boom led by tourism.

Tram 102 departing South Terrace for Glenelg

When I went into a restaurant in Adelaide there was a myriad of brochures promoting Adelaide and South Australia. I asked the manager if his was the only restaurant to do this in the city and the reply was ‘no there is many that do this’.

As an example in Sydney’s ‘little Italy’ that is called Leichhardt I have not seen one restaurant that promotes Sydney or New South Wales. This lack of tourism is not confined to Leichhardt.

Even on the very first day of my brief trip to Adelaide while walking through the Rundle Mall I discovered the Adelaide visitor Information Centre. This facility is sponsored by the Adelaide City Council and is well staffed by enthusiastic people who are there solely to promote Adelaide and South Australia.

Tram departing South Terrace bound for Victoria Square

Where does Sydney have an Information Centre that promotes our great city and State on a par with that in the Rundle Mall? Even as you look around the Sydney CBD the quality of retail stores is appallingly bad compared to that of the Adelaide CBD.

While in Adelaide I walked into Barlow Shoes store in the Rundle Mall because not only did I need a pair of shoes but prior to leaving from Sydney I was simply unable to find something at an affordable price.

The service that I received was outstanding and the shoes that I bought represented good value for money. Standards of service in Sydney retailing do not compare to that of Adelaide’s. There is no excuse in the world for the inertia that has enveloped Sydney and New South Wales. The reason for this can only lie at the feet of the New South Wales Government.

Sydney hosted the Olympic Games in 2000 and since then we have let this great opportunity go to waste. The trains ran brilliantly during the Olympics and World Youth Day week and yet every other day of the year no one can rely on them.

To say the State has to privatise its Government agencies such as electricity, prisons, ferries and lotteries and build a private Metro Rail is a copout because if South Australia can use some initiative and promote what that State has one wonders why the New South Wales Government cannot do the same thing.

Even the Queensland Government constantly advertises their states natural beauty on our television screens.

While in Adelaide I stayed in the Comfort Hotel Adelaide Riviera on North Terrace. The staff was fantastic and promotion of Adelaide and South Australia was clearly evident with brochures outlining where the shopping, dining and café areas of Adelaide are located. I ate dinner in the cosmopolitan eating area of Gouger Street. The information that I was given made my choice of restaurant relatively easy.

South Terrace tram 106 waiting at the lights bound for Victoria Square

Having returned to Sydney I know that I do live in the best city. However if a state of 1 million people can outshine a state of 5 million in terms of promotion then it is time that the New South Wales Government do as it is paid to do and lead the nation and promote Sydney and New South Wales and show that we are the Premier State.

Country Link needs a boost: Australia is large enough to handle it.

Victor P Taffa

When Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke announced in 1984 that there would not be a Very Fast Train (VFT) to Canberra and Melbourne, Goulburn lost the chance to advance and grow and in the intervening years has the Southern Highlands prospered?

One local said to me on my recent visit to Goulburn from Sydney “Goulburn is no longer a railway town.” My thoughts were that this was a sad comment. Auburn Street had the through traffic removed with the construction of the By-Pass however our railways are left in the steam age.

Many may say ‘so what’ with respect to our railways. I believe that not only is it time that Railway line planning was separated from urban planning and that there be a Minister for Railways in addition to a Minister for Transport.

How many single lane roads exist? How many single lane railway lines exist? The answer to the first question is none and the answer to the second question is too many to name.

At both Campbelltown and Sydney Central Stations there are signs advising passengers regarding the short platforms. Even Campbelltown Station has only 3½ Platforms.

Railway electrification it seems exists only for Metropolitan Sydney. After I left Goulburn I proceeded onto Cooma to stay with my Aunt. The railway to Cooma was closed many years ago. With Oil a finite resource we all whinge every time the price increases. Isn’t it time that the VFT was renewed as a serious transport option?

The Southern line should be duplicated and electrified. The stations with short platforms should be full length and the Southern line should continue from Canberra to Albury.

If Queensland can have an elevated railway to its airport and a tilt train then why can’t New South Wales have a VFT to operate on a dual track line through Goulburn? Not only would a VFT provide an economic boom for Goulburn but the Southern Highlands would have a tourism boom and commuting times to Sydney would be slashed.

What is needed to balance the ledger is to provide the people of New South Wales with choice that on the surface is provided but in reality it is not when it comes to transport.

When the Brisbane-Sydney XPT takes 16½ hours without any delays in arriving at Roma Street with an XPT fleet that has only 8 sleeper cars and while at Coffs Harbour the train had to stop North of Taree because of a bumpy level crossing where a truck had lost its load and was lying on the tracks, rail travel should be a viable option in a country as large as Australia.

Rail travel should not be an afterthought that has been left stuck in the 19^th century.

Campbelltown Short Platform 4 Moss Vale service