W.A roads

[Not enough!!]

Went to W.A 2 weeks ago for a 50th, I couldn't believe how good their roads are, we Victorians should be launching a class action - in regards to the shocking dangerous conditions of our "goat tracks" that are called roads!

Absolute disgrace, especially in the country regions.

You guys in W.A are very lucky.

[tonzeyd]

Where'd you go?

We do pay a price for having nice roads and thats constant road works, everywhere you go these days there is someone doing some road repairs/upgrades etc, in fact we have one of Australias largest road projects happening right now.

[Not enough!!]

Airport to Wanneroo, then Freo (have your wits about you walking through that foreshore park) onto Ellenbrook then Kings Park (well worth a visit at night, but don't loiter in the carpark) back to Wanneroo then to the airport.

The construction of the roads had my attention, thick rock base, then limestone, then a REALLY thick "hotmix" cap, over here (country roads) we get a thin rock base and 10mm of Bitumen and "bluemetal" spread onto the bitumen, with the amount of trucks that traverse on these roads, the roads break up within weeks. But of late there have been hotmix patches being put down, better than what they had before.

[rrich]

You blokes are approaching summer. If Australia is anything like the US, summer is when they close the roads and open the detours.

[Sturdee]

You guys in W.A are very lucky.

That's because the tax payment sharing arrangement of the states and Commonwealth where smaller but populated states pay for the infrastructure of the larger but less populated states.

Thus Victoria pays for WA roads.

Peter.

[ian]

Went to W.A 2 weeks ago for a 50th, I couldn't believe how good their roads are, we Victorians should be launching a class action - in regards to the shocking dangerous conditions of our "goat tracks" that are called roads!

Absolute disgrace, especially in the country regions.

You guys in W.A are very lucky.

ha!

and you didn't even leave Perth -- hardly a fair comparison.
you too can have a freeway to Portland, but only if you're prepared to pay for it.

[BobL]

That's because the tax payment sharing arrangement of the states and Commonwealth where smaller but populated states pay for the infrastructure of the larger but less populated states.

Thus Victoria pays for WA roads.

Peter.

Err . . . . shall we talk about WA current share of their GST??

[derekcohen]

The state of the WA roads and freeways is in inverse proportion to the ability of the drivers!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[ian]

Err . . . . shall we talk about WA current share of their GST??

we can, but GST revenue is mostly used to fund health, education and policing.

Road funding comes out of a different "pot" and is distributed in approximate proportion to the number of Federal lower house seats and how many of those are marginal.
Over the past 15 years NSW and Vic have been loosing Federal seats and WA (and Qld) gaining seats so proportionally more dollars have gone to roads in Perth's suburbs.

[BobL]

we can, but GST revenue is mostly used to fund health, education and policing.

Road funding comes out of a different "pot" and is distributed in approximate proportion to the number of Federal lower house seats and how many of those are marginal.
Over the past 15 years NSW and Vic have been loosing Federal seats and WA (and Qld) gaining seats so proportionally more dollars have gone to roads in Perth's suburbs.

Sure, but when WA gets only 34% of the GST it raises so it has to take from its own "other, including roads" pots to keep "health, education and policing" afloat.

Pre the mining boom era WA has been a net beneficiary over the other states of Federal Govt funding of states but nowhere near the current 34% GST funding levels. The designers of the GST had no idea their formulas would disadvantage a state to this degree hence the need for some kind of floor level.

WA has benefited from extra Fed Govt Roads grants as an indirect recognition they have been shafted by the GST situation and because the LNP are worried about losing WA seats at the next election.

That aside the WA Govt should have banked some of the mining related income in the good times to cover for the bad times but no one predicted the degree in the drop in mining income, The Barnett Gov was too busy building trophy stuff like Elizabeth Quays and the the new stadium (also during a high cost building environment cause by the mining boom) to look good.

The sheer size of WA and the lengths of roads involved need to be considered.
This table might be of interest which shows that WA has the highest state/fed expenditure on roads, It also has the highest (state+local)/Fed road expenditure.

RoadexpAUS.jpg

[ian]

Bob, this is not the forum to discuss road funding in any detail.
Suffice to say I worked in the area for over 30 years and if you look at Federal revenue from fuel excise tax, you will see how little goes back to the road and rail system.

[Sturdee]

That's because the tax payment sharing arrangement of the states and Commonwealth where smaller but populated states pay for the infrastructure of the larger but less populated states.

Thus Victoria pays for WA roads.

Peter.

When I posted that, I thought I was stating a matter of fact about the nature of our Commonwealth. Which means that all of us irrespective of whether we live on the more populated east coast or the larger and underpopulated west coast look after the whole country rather then where the populations are.

This principle is part of what makes our country great unlike many other countries.

This was not to be a start of a great debate on taxes raised and spent.

Apparently I got someone's nose out of joint and for that I sincerely and unreservedly apologize.Btw without being asked to do so. I also wonder why I even bother to post as a simple statement is taken as a starting point for a great philosophical debate.

Maybe I should go back to watching woodturning on FB to settle me down.

Peter.

[ian]

When I posted that, I thought I was stating a matter of fact about the nature of our Commonwealth. Which means that all of us irrespective of whether we live on the more populated east coast or the larger and underpopulated west coast look after the whole country rather then where the populations are.

This principle is part of what makes our country great unlike many other countries.

This was not to be a start of a great debate on taxes raised and spent.

Apparently I got someone's nose out of joint and for that I sincerely and unreservedly apologize.B

Peter
if you are referring to my nose, it is I who should be apologising. I had no intention to insinuate that I was disturbed by what you wrote.
Perhaps being from NSW I'm more aware than I should be that former Premier Jack Lang (the first Australian lower house leader sacked by a Queen's representative) considered that "Federation was a conspiracy against NSW"

a quote which I hope will be taken in a light-hearted manner


of course we all contribute to the pool from which the Commonwealth distributes funds to the states and despite its flaws the system we have seems to work fairly well compared to some other federal systems.

[dusteater]

Went to W.A 2 weeks ago for a 50th, I couldn't believe how good their roads are, we Victorians should be launching a class action - in regards to the shocking dangerous conditions of our "goat tracks" that are called roads!

Absolute disgrace, especially in the country regions.

You guys in W.A are very lucky.

I`ll keep it simple and say "Yep I agree with you."

[Sturdee]

Peter
if you are referring to my nose, it is I who should be apologising.

Not you Ian, I believe you were baited.

Peter.