Bazz, Taking up your point on energy, are we foolish to allow our coal, oil and gas to be exported when we will need it in the future? Should we just do without the export earnings and keep these resources here. It would make a dent in jobs. But if we kept all the coal here, wouldn’t we reduce world pollution as Aus is just tiny in its use of coal compared to the amount burned by some of our customers. By keeping the coal we would have it for our use later and cut pollution? Good idea or bad one?

Banjo, We just love your rural town, wherever it is. Nothing like the bush and we’ve plenty of links with it. But we could do with a bit of growth because of past losses. NO benefit in all the jobs going and taking the kids with them, banks, pubs and retailers shutting, etc. If we just added that 1,500 to each regional city each year it would probably still be nice but country kids would enjoy more opportunities. Even without the NBN I can send Votergrams (Votergrams@voterland.org )from anyone, to all the MPs in any state or federal parliament from my place in the bush. Many people would love the country lifestyle along with the ability to earn a decent living. The internet will give this generation of children and teens that ability. Would you accept that sort of slight growth which brings some benefits as well?

Well Voterland, it would just be desirable to keep our coal & gas but
if we do not we will likely have disastrous economic effects.
However politicians would prefer that they give us circuses instead of
cutting back on party time for the sake of our future and children.

No one seems to take into account that if we started 20 years ago we
might just be able to transition to alternative energy systems, using
our coal and gas, and be able to avoid really bad economic conditions.

The Hirsch report to the US Energy Dept pointed this out but the US
government closed down further research and hid the report.
Some school kids in the US hacked the dept web site and found it.

www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/pdf/oil_peaking_netl.pdf

The point of that is that our government did exactly the same stunt.

www.manicore.com/fichiers/Australian_Govt_Oil_supply_trends.pdf

This report was on the dept web site but was removed shortly after
but a French journalist had downloaded in the time it was up so it escaped.

I don't think it is a conspiracy more of a wink wink knudge knudge.
amongst most governments.

Hasbeen

you are right! Dividing up NSW into more states would take forever- ask the folks in New England. Why don’t we list out the government departments then allocate them each a regional city (with some logic if possible). Some have already moved – tax office to Albury & Newcastle; mapping to Bathurst; Agriculture to Orange. Next we could lobby the government to make the moves. It is far easier to make it happen than many believe. We have been doing that through FairGO (www.fairgo.org )for 26 years in every Australian parliament on every conceivable issue. Don’t win them all but do win over 90%. Your input would be great.

Ah yes transfer all depts around the state.
I agree a good idea. Even the NBN will make it easier.
However branches of most would still be needed in the capital cities.

Modern rail systems, not "High Speed Rail", would be needed and would
have an increased customer base.

Are any of you aware that the 7 km two station SW Sydney branch line
cost more than the line from Alice Springs to Darwin ?
I have tried to find that article again but no go. It was on here.

http://crudeoilpeak.info/

It was about the high cost of rail building in NSW.

<< Trouble is, "the planning and regulatory roles of government" are merely a cover for buck-passing and inactivity. >>

Wow, you do have the most dismal view of government, Pericles!

<< There is a mass of literature available that explains how, in the best-run companies, decision-making is most efficiently accomplished at the lowest possible level within the organization - by the folk who understand best, the implications and outcomes of any action. >>

Decisions on the nuts and bolts operating procedure of a company can perhaps be best made by those who are actually doing the stuff rather than the somewhat detached board of directors. Actually, good nuts and bolts decisions would still get made by the top echelon, but with plenty of understanding of and input from the workers.

Major decisions about future planning which require a full understanding of finances, markets, competition, etc, must be made by those at the top level, whose specific job it is to have a full understanding of this stuff and direct the organisation accordingly. They can’t be made by those at the lowest possible level.

And so it should be with government. And it is… but it’s just not done very well a lot of the time.

continued