People Power Required

[craigb]

No I can't say that I did. Is that because it's slow to catch alight?

[silentC]

Not if you pour petrol on it. See, right on track

[bitingmidge]

Actually even if you pour petrol on it, the petrol will burn off, and the timber will form a charcoal insulative layer, inhibiting further combustion.

(I made that up, but it's based on fact.)

P

[LineLefty]

So why do we have to pay so much more for fuel? Perhaps we should get ours subsidised because of the lack of an alternative.

Silent,

As part of my work with the Bureau of Transport and REGIONAL Economics, The dept PM John Anderson was always keen to get us looking at the various costs of living in rural and remote areas and ways to overcome them. e.g higher public transport and fuel costs, communications and food etc etc.

If someone ever mentioned that perhaps there were offsetting benefits for those living in the country, you were quickly told to put that opinion back in it's box.

It seems though that higher fuel prices and a lack of PT is a small price to pay for living in a place like Merimbula, Eden or Moruya where you have:

Cleaner air and water
No traffic congestion
Cheaper housing
Closer proximity to local services
A better sense of community(?)
The opportunity to live on larger acreage and still be reasonable commuting distance to work.

So please, no subsidies on your petrol.
One day, we will agree on something 1+1=2?

[craigb]

Not if you pour petrol on it. See, right on track

Well seeing as we're going to have to have Thanksgiving now, shouldnt that be pour Gasoline on it ?

[silentC]

Cleaner air and water - perhaps.
No traffic congestion - hmmm, not in Merimbula at the moment. I should send you some clippings from the local paper.
Cheaper housing - Hah!! Try nothing under $400,000
Closer proximity to local services - Services? Sorry, they were closed down by the State Government. They want to close our hospital too. You have to DRIVE to Canberra for most of them.
A better sense of community(?) - Yeah well, not the way things are here lately. Too many sea changers with their city ways.
The opportunity to live on larger acreage and still be reasonable commuting distance to work. - OK, we agree on that one...

[LineLefty]

Can I ask you a direct question then? What are the benefits of living in Merimbula? Do they outweigh the higher costs and lack of services? I can understand that housings not that affordable in places like that. Away from the coast its a bit different though.
I was flabergasted at the rpices of houses in Kiama. A basic 3 beddy going for 350k!

[Groggy]

First, good on you for trying to do 'something' Rod!

1. I vote for the ACCC guy being given a free visit to the proctologist.

2. The Government will just get the tax from elsewhere or cut services, wrong thing to do.

3. We should be regulating the profit the companies are making, they are too clever by half and spend a fortune (of our fuel money) thinking up ways to dodge the intent of legislation. A fair profit by all means, but not collusive or monopolistic behaviour (industry wide).

[silentC]

What are the benefits of living in Merimbula?

For me they are:

1. I grew up here. Family and friends etc.
2. I don't have to catch a train/bus to work. No more 1 hour there and back.
3. Our kids get to grow up in a more kid-friendly environment and with their grandparents and cousins nearby. This is the main reason we moved back.
4. Generally less people about so going to the beach, shops etc. isn't such a nightmare (though it still is in holidays)

Not really anything financial. I took a huge salary cut to come here (about 30%) and not much, if anything is cheaper. Probably the only real saving was commuting costs. I ride my bike to work.

[bitingmidge]

4. Generally less people about so going to the beach, shops etc. isn't such a nightmare (though it still is in holidays)

But if we had to pay more for fuel, then there'd be fewer people there (here) on holidays as well.

P

[silentC]

Or we could follow Byron Bay's example and introduce a holiday tax.

[bitingmidge]

Or we could follow Byron Bay's example and introduce a holiday tax.

Then everyone would KNOW we were wankers!

P

[Sturdee]

Wow, 2 pages and this thread has stayed on topic. Is this a record?

Actually, Craig not many replies are on topic as the question was mainly about organizing online petitions about fuel costs.

Not many replies on the merit of an online petition.


Peter.

[Iain]

Can I ask you a direct question then? What are the benefits of living in Merimbula? Do they outweigh the higher costs and lack of services? I can understand that housings not that affordable in places like that. Away from the coast its a bit different though.
I was flabergasted at the rpices of houses in Kiama. A basic 3 beddy going for 350k!

The rest of the world is not isolated hence more expensive housing, and I don't know where you get the idea that people in Melbourne spend 2 hours driving to work.
In July we have to travel to Perth for the National Showjumping championships, we do that most years and travel to Sydney (about $500 with horse), Brisbane ($800), Adelaide (also about $500), how much to Perth, wow $6000.00, we are really impressed, can't tow myself as it's too far away with too much nothing in the middle, all the other places have stops and services along the way. This one we have to fly the horse across and ourselves.
I for one love Melbourne and everything it has to offer culturally and having lived in Perth for 2 years I have never had the urge to return.
I, like most other residents from Vic are not nailed to our State and can move anytime we wish but chose not to, and we do not consider ourselves hard done by.
We live in a rural setting, no neighbours and several acres and I can get to Mlebourne in an hour easily, and the roads are sealed too.

[beejay1]

A very interesting post there Rod which fuelled a very lively response.
Not sure youre going to get your petition though as usually people will always put up with price increases.
Over here when this happens people tend to seek out the lowest price available which is usually always one of the major supermarkets like Tesco, and buy from there as a protest to the oil companies. Believe it or not it has been effective in the past.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9