Cooperative capitalism comrade!
Alan B,
Cooperative without negative gearing & Flat Tax all round Mate !
Inland Rail & flood Lake Eyre & shipping from Spencer Gulf.
Get all obese & unemployed including myself & Paul1405 onto pick & shovel for a few days.

RORO shipping relies on subsidies even on the one main route where there's no road based alternative (Victoria to Tasmania). So how do you imagine it could possibly be commercially viable on routes without a monopoly?

Unlike the protectionist USA, Australia allows cabotage on international shipping, so does not need its own coastal fleet for transporting goods around the country by sea.

Australian infrastructure planners need to look ahead for more than the next election. They need to start long-term, generational projects that may take 50 years or longer. Schemes like inland rail, populating inland Australia around Lake Eyre for example etc can be started now without much funding. The more detailed planning will eventuate as things progress & new technology becomes available. The most important factor is to START now ! Everything else will fall into place as people start moving in & jobs are fairly long-term or even permanent. Costing is a non-issue to start with as such projects will very quickly become more revenue than expenditure. Keep bureaudroids & consultants at bay & all will work out ! Ideal opportunity to lick off a new kind of National Service !