Tolls on the Bruce Hwy!!

[Rattus79]

Hoax.

Please don't post such ridiculous nonsense.

This "nonsence" is a press release from YOUR government, handed to my by a predominent coal concern.

[Scotty72]

This "nonsence" is a press release from YOUR government, handed to my by a predominent coal concern.

When you say it was from the government, did it come from a ministerial office or a Labour party office?

[Tannin]

^ it comes from a political hoaxer. It is an absurd nonsense. We are talking about a national highway, paid for by federal funds. Pay no more attention to this rubbish thread.

[Art Vandelay]

It's definately a press release from Craig Wallace, and yes, unfortunately he is the Minister for Main Roads and more unfortunately he is my local state member for Parliament.

I didn't notice any major news organisations run it.

A quick google found reference to it in the Gladstone newspaper

http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/...t-bruce-tolls/

[Scotty72]

It's definately a press release from Craig Wallace, and yes, unfortunately he is the Minister for Main Roads and more unfortunately he is my local state member for Parliament.

I didn't notice any major news organisations run it.

A quick google found reference to it in the Gladstone newspaper

http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/...t-bruce-tolls/

Mr Seeney, while visiting Gladstone yesterday, hit out at Mr Wallace, who claims a newspaper journalist in North Queensland confirmed reports to parliament that the LNP wants to introduce tolls to the Bruce Highway.

This seems like a long winded way of making, 'I heard that he said - that she said - that the boogie man may had said...'

Modern newspapers, with their massive cutbacks of sub-editors and journalists, increasingly rely of simply reprinting press releases - they set up a shelf 'research centre' or 'institute' which then issues a press release. The media passes these releases off as factual without basic checks. Once a newspaper prints the dodgy release, the faker who released it then points to the newspaper as a credible source.

The ABC's 'Media Watch' ran a segment on this very phenominom just last night. Interesting viewing which is easily available on iView. In fact... http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/tra...s/s3248777.htm

I am sure politicians are not above dirty tricks & hoaxes.

Scotty

[Scotty72]

The 'Head & Shoulders' brand of shampoo was also exposed by 'The Gruen Transfer' last year for their setting up of a shelf studies centre - 'The Head and Scalp Research Centre' (or somthing like that).

It was fully funded by... you guessed it... the makers of the shampoo. It released findings that were .... you guessed it... favourable to the brand which were then used as independent research to proove the wonders of the shampoo.

The only problem is... people fell for it...

Scotty

[Art Vandelay]

Much the same as a parliamentary Dorothy Dix question... but in reverse... and using the media to deliver it.

[Paraport]

I stumbled upon this as a new member exploring Aus Photography. I did not join this site and its associated forums to have to suffer political discussions. If this is to continue count me out of what I thought was going to be an exciting, learning, photographic experience.

[I @ M]

I stumbled upon this as a new member exploring Aus Photography. I did not join this site and its associated forums to have to suffer political discussions. If this is to continue count me out of what I thought was going to be an exciting, learning, photographic experience.

Ausphotography tries to cater to a large range of people and interests and this forum ( Out Of Focus ) is the one that supports posts not directly related to photography.
Sometimes rather off topic conversation or views end up being discussed in the other forums as well but they are relatively few and far between.
If you want to continue to explore and enjoy AP it is fairly easy to ignore the one off topic forum on the site.
Simply don't open any posts in it and you won't be dissapointed by having to read political rants, Aunt Mary's favourite scone recipe or 10 handy hints to cure tinea using all organic products.

Don't let one page ruin the reading of a good book.

[ricktas]

I stumbled upon this as a new member exploring Aus Photography. I did not join this site and its associated forums to have to suffer political discussions. If this is to continue count me out of what I thought was going to be an exciting, learning, photographic experience.

I agree with I @ M, above. There are thousands of posts on this site every day, each member can choose what they read and contribute to. Teh vast majority are photography related, so there is plenty for you to see, learn and experience. However, we allow discussion on other subjects as well, in this particular forum (out of focus). So rather than comment on this thread, if that is not what you want from the site, how about heading over and giving some photos a bit more critique, or even posting some of your own photos? Rather than looking at what you see as a negative on the site, how about you look at the positives of what the site offers that fit with what you want, and join in, in the forums and discussions that interest you.

In the end if you want to be 'counted out' that is your choice, and a decision you make alone.

[Kym]

Further OoF Forum posts don't even add to your post count - ignore it.

Once you get to 50 posts you will have a Settings option to not see OoF Forum posts in 'New Posts' Search results.

[Scotty72]

I just heard on ABC News Radio (so it mist be true) that the govt agency 'Infrastructure Australia' has raised (again) the prospect of tolling the major eastern seaboard highways (Hume, Pacific, Bruce, Prince's).

As it was heard (not read) I can only go off memory but the proposal was for a $20-$50 toll for the Sydney <~> Brisbane trip (cars).

But, this is something was raised in 2005; again in 2008 then again in 2009. I guess this is just another slow news day story to whip up some outrage by an Australian public that loves to be outraged

Besides, if the $ was used to upgrade the damn highway, $20-$30 seems very reasonable.

But, I wouldn't panic - the same press release is prob due out next November.

Scotty

[Tannin]

Now, if they were to introduce a toll on trucks carrying freight on the major trunk routes (Sydney - Melbourne, Melbourne-Brisbane, and so on) I would support that 100%.

Road freight gets massive subsidies, is extremely inefficient, and does nasty things to our roads, to road safety, and our carbon balance. There really is pretty much nothing we can say in favour of using road freight between Adelaide and Sydney or Melbourne and Townsville - anywhere where we could have used cost-efficient, environmentally friendly rail instead. It is long past time we made the freight operators pay their own way and recovered some of the massive costs this industry inflicts on us all.

[arthurking83]

Now, if they were to introduce a toll on trucks carrying freight on the major trunk routes (Sydney - Melbourne, Melbourne-Brisbane, and so on) I would support that 100%.

Road freight gets massive subsidies, is extremely inefficient, and does nasty things to our roads, to road safety, and our carbon balance. There really is pretty much nothing we can say in favour of using road freight between Adelaide and Sydney or Melbourne and Townsville - anywhere where we could have used cost-efficient, environmentally friendly rail instead. It is long past time we made the freight operators pay their own way and recovered some of the massive costs this industry inflicts on us all.

Kym and I touched on the subject when we met up a few weeks back, and it seems that the 'intelligent' consensus seem to agree with these sentiments.

Silly thing is that I'm currently ewmployed in the national road transport sector, and get to see these things firsthand.
The types of freight that seem to need 'express' service just seem to b e ludicrous!
It's usually general retail sector goods, and not items of any real urgency.
Business seem to run on this notion that they have minimal stock levels, and that stock comes in on a Just In Time Basis(JIT), so that they minimise their overheads.

Unless the vast majority of businesses change their thinking on freight(in that everything needs to be delivered urgently!) road based transport is the only real option.
Government need to stop the subsidies, where large trucking companies don't pay fuel taxes, and then the real cost of transporting goods will be realised. Only then will rail freight be more competitive in terms of price/service basis.

Rail is slow over any distance when compared to road freight, as road freight will be relayed from truck to truck and depot to depot to speed things up.

The issue is simply that raod frieght is not being used as it really should be, for localised transport(that is impossible for rail to service) and for urgent goods.

Funnily I used to work in the 'urgent' transport sector up until recently, and in that type of road transport any other than road based vehicles is a totally unworkable solution.
The kinds of things we were transporting were heart valves and medical supplies, among the more mundane law documents and other 'not really urgent stuff, such as advertising material and so on ....
The reality is that road transport is a necessary evil, despite anyone's pie in the sky idealist beliefs.
Trying to get prsothetic implements onto an operating table 50klms away is only achievable via road based transport.

Problem is that long haul road based transport is BIG business, and the Paul Little's and Lindsay Fox'es of this world probably weild a lot of political power in the real world of politics.
I doubt that there are any politicians with the courage to cross them!

[Tannin]

^ Just so. There is nothing wrong with road transport! But, like most things, it becomes an evil when put to bad use - and long-haul road freight is just plain stupid. For local movements, it is by far the best solution. And for interstate traffic, it is by far the worst solution.

There is no reason why road should be faster than rail for - as an example - moving five tons of machinery from Melbourne to Brisbane. No reason at all. But it is because Australia has grossly under-invested in rail facilities, especially in technology to make the road-rail-road interchange fast and cheap and easy. We have done this stupid thing because we cross the likes of Lindsey Fox at our peril. It is time to wise up and start moving freight in an efficient way!

[evilpix]

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