Australian railways run at a loss. That's because they have hardly been upgraded since they were built, are slow and even electric trains are still powered by coal-fired power stations.

It's all so 19th century! And not assisted by a national sovereignty that's hardly still ours or Australian. The theory being, if others own it, they will defend it.

The national fleet is just a memory and a disgrace on missing/AWOL Australian "leadership". If we owned more of our economic sovereignty, we could do more to ameliorate the disaster season.

Rapid rail could serve to evacuate areas at risk/or ground zero and decent undergrounds could double as air raid shelters, even if we were attacked with nuclear warheads.

Transmission lines that crisscross the country are extremely vulnerable to attack and or natural disasters.

And without power we are all but defenceless.

Our leaders seem to be trapped in a time warp and still think and act as if this was the 1950s.

Insurance companies make those who have taken sensible decisions about where they live, to pay a premium to support those that didn't!

Thus, insurance costs are part of inflation. As is the ever-rising cost of energy/fossil fuel!
Alan B.