November, 2010

As I’ve argued before (here) there are a number of reasons why buying food locally is probably the least sustainable basis on which to base your food buying preferences. First, transport is only a small component of the total carbon emissions from agriculture. Second, most food can’t be grown locally without resorting to potentially environmentally [...]

According to Paul Austin in The Age (29/11/10), there’s little doubt that infrastructure inadequacies weighed heavily on voters’ minds in last Saturday’s election. His list of problems includes overcrowded trains, congested roads, the Myki debacle and long hospital waiting lists. The pressure to “fix” these problems from voters in the eastern suburbs and sandbelt electorates [...]

We all use the term “inner city” but I doubt we’re all talking about the same geographical area. For some people, the inner city means the area where cafe society thrives – probably a 10 km circle around the CBD in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Or it might mean the extent of medium density [...]

In his new book, Disconnected, Dr Andrew Leigh argues that social capital, defined as the level of trust and reciprocity between people, has declined in Australia. I’m not convinced, however, that one of the culprits he fingers for this loss is guilty. Several measures indicate social capital is on the wane – organisational membership, church [...]

This simple but extraordinary chart (see first graphic) is from a paper written last year by one of the country’s leading transport researchers, Dr Garry Glazebrook, of Sydney’s University of Technology. In the paper, the author estimates the total cost of different transport modes, taking account of both private and social (i.e. external) costs. The [...]

One way to answer this question is to consider what else the money could be spent on. One possibility is the 1,235 people with disabilities in Victoria who, according to this article, are registered with the Department of Human Services for supported accommodation. One of them is David Graham, a 44 year old who is [...]

The Age editorialises (21/11/10) that Melbourne 2030 is effectively dead and I agree. The latest nail in the coffin in The Age’s opinion is the apparently burgeoning growth of housing in townships and hamlets located in the peri urban area outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). I’ve argued before that this sort of “decentralisation” is [...]

I think some aspects of the Victorian Opposition’s clumsily titled Plan for Planning are doubtful, especially their proposal for ensuring 25 years land supply within Growth Areas and their intention of levying the Growth Areas Infrastructure Charge at the time of development. But there are also some good ideas that I want to discuss, notably [...]

Yesterday’s promise by the Victorian Opposition to build a $250 million rail line to Avalon Airport – with an unambiguous commitment to spend $50 million over the first term if elected – confirms how powerful the idea of rail is in this year’s election. A new line is such a potent idea that Ted Baillieu [...]

The editorial writer in The Age today reckons many teachers and parents will be underwhelmed by the Government’s new $208 $258 million Education for Life promise. The writer bemoans the lost opportunity for the Government to advance some “big ideas”. I agree that Education for Life won’t rattle the windows of most voters, but the objectives [...]