This briefing paper summarises the 2015 New South Wales freight task, and the administrative, industrial and legal framework that underpins its operations. Overview The NSW freight network is an extensive series of rail lines, roads, ports, airports, and intermodal terminals. In 2011, the NSW freight network carried 409 million tonnes of freight, comprising over 72...

Outlines the potential impact of the fuel excise on the environment and on lower income Australians. Summary Treasury anticipates that the reindexation of the fuel excise will collect $2.2 billion over the forward estimates. From 2001 when the excise was deindexed from inflation by the Howard Government to today, the budget has lost more than...

The Office of the Auditor-General has investigated the state of the infrastructure, the maintenance done by local authorities, and what is needed to ensure the provision of roads and the “three waters” (water supply, wastewater, and stormwater) in the future. Introduction A key responsibility of local authorities is the management of infrastructure delivering essential services...

On 22 May 2014, the Northern Territory hosted the National Remote and Regional Transport Infrastructure and Services Forum in Alice Springs, attended by 120 industry, government and community representatives from all areas of Australia. Following the Forum, the Council agreed for the Northern Territory to lead the development of the National Remote and Regional Transport...

The National Cycling Strategy aims to double, by next year, the number of cyclists in Australia. Recent figures suggest about 16% of us have ridden a bike in the past week. Cyclists come in many forms: the ‘Lycra brigade’, hipsters with their fixies (fixed gear bikes), commuter riders, and casual weekend cyclists. But is there...