Reinventing the wheel: Greens pledge $1bn for bike paths

Pedalling promises a plenty.

2 June, 2016

Rudd steers High Speed Rail pledge at Coalition

By Paul Hemsley Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made an ambitious bid to get Labor’s trailing electoral fortunes back on track on the East Coast by pitching the big-picture infrastructure vision of High Speed Rail against Tony Abbott’s smaller target Paid Parental Leave scheme as a better use of taxpayers money. Mr Rudd yesterday committed […]

27 August, 2013

Newman laps-up Abbott’s $10 billion promise of Bruce Highway aid

By Paul Hemsley Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has warmly welcomed a funding pledge from federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott worth up to $10 billion to flood-proof the state’s Bruce Highway should the Coalition win government at the next federal election. The flood-prone Bruce Highway is a major artery stretching 1,700km along the Queensland coast from […]

19 July, 2013

Quigley calls time on NBN

By Julian Bajkowski The chief executive of the National Broadband Network Co., Mike Quigley has pulled the plug on his role at the top job of the $37.4 billion government infrastructure provider, a move that paves the way for a senior executive restructure most likely to occur following the federal election. In an announcement this […]

12 July, 2013

Referendum teeters as Rudd makes King latest Local Government Minister

By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley Australia’s 565 councils and shires have been handed their third federal minister for Local Government in as many months on the back of an inevitable reshuffle following the second incarnation of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. Member for Ballarat, Catherine King has been elevated into Cabinet under a simplified […]

2 July, 2013

Albanese stokes fire on High Speed Rail

By Julian Bajkowski Federal Labor might be a train wreck, but that hasn’t stopped Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Local Government and Regional Development Anthony Albanese from trying to keep industry and states and councils on track with bold plans to build a $144 billion high speed rail line between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The grand, […]

27 June, 2013

Infrastructure Australia head rails against bureaucratic ineptitude

By Julian Bajkowski The head of Infrastructure Australia, the Commonwealth’s chief advisor on national rail, roads and ports policy, has delivered a blistering critique of all three layers of bureaucracy, openly accusing elements of the public service of putting their own self-interest before that of the nation’s. In a speech on Tuesday to the Committee […]

25 June, 2013

Albanese shells out another $150m to share between councils

By Paul Hemsley Councils across Australia have warmly welcomed federal Minister for Local Government Anthony Albanese’s injection of $150 million to share between councils and shires to help build and renew community infrastructure. Formally announced at the National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) in Canberra this week, the funding measure formed the centrepiece of […]

20 June, 2013

Liberals support for referendum shatters

By Julian Bajkowski Bitter factional infighting has torn apart public Coalition support for a Constitutional change that would guarantee federal funds can flow directly to more than 500 local governments after key hard-right elements publicly railed against the case for a ‘yes’ vote in a torrid Senate debate. After more than a year of publicly […]

19 June, 2013

‘No’ camp accuses Albanese of abuse of process over referendum funding

By Julian Bajkowski Opponents of Constitutional recognition for local government have accused the federal minister leading the multi-party push for a ‘yes’ vote of trying to buy the referendum result by giving $31.6 million to supporters and just $500,000 to opponents of direct funding for councils. Conservative dominated group ‘No Power Grab’ claims that the […]

18 June, 2013

Federal leadership turmoil weighs-on referendum

By Julian Bajkowski A referendum that could give financial uncertainty to federally funded local government projects like Roads to Recovery is again in doubt after another outbreak of internal attacks within the Labor that threaten to topple Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Less than week after crucial legislation to hold a referendum finally cleared the House […]

11 June, 2013

Bureaucrats roasted over referendum education progress

By Julian Bajkowski The Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sports has come under fire from the Opposition during Senate Estimates over the rate of progress in its efforts to mount a civics campaign to inform Australians about the looming referendum on whether or not to give financial recognition to local government in […]

30 May, 2013

Referendum text released amid Coalition cleavage

By Julian Bajkowski The Gillard government has finally released the text of the proposed Constitutional amendment to give financial recognition to local government, with Opposition spokesman on local government Barnaby Joyce emphatically backing the case for change in the face of a fresh Coalition rupture on the issue. After weeks of intense horse-trading, Local Government […]

17 May, 2013

Referendum green light appears imminent

By Julian Bajkowski A referendum on the financial recognition of local government in the Australian Constitution now appears to be highly likely after both federal Local Government minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Local Government Association strongly hinted that a positive announcement is imminent. Sources close to the process have hinted that a formal announcement […]

3 May, 2013