Cost-of-Living Politics: How Sustainable is Policy Momentum for Affordable Public Transport?
By Denis Bright
In Australia’s motorized society, most householders still turn their ignition keys as a reflexive response to their transport needs. Transport black spots are particularly evident in outer metro districts of Brisbane and adjacent regional areas. These localities attract householders in search of more affordable housing prices and lower rents. There would be similar examples in the other states and territories. The examples from Queensland strengthen the case for similar campaigns interstate and are not meant to promote parochial agendas from the Deep North.
In Queensland, quite legitimate allocation of government financial support for integrated public transport still attracts only 6.2 percent of commuters on their journeys to work in Brisbane according to the latest estimates from Translink. Queensland Government subsidies cover 83 percent of the running costs of Translink services according to Michael Berkman, the state member for the inner western electorate of Maiwar. This electorate is well served by regular train, bus and Citycat river services within the Translink network. The transport available to outer metro and nearby regional areas does not offer similar luxurious transport infrastructure.
Even with the concessions available for Go Card use after eight journeys in a week, travel costs for commutes offset many of the savings from the selection of more distant residential addresses. It costs a notch under sixty dollars a week to travel by train from Karalee to Brisbane by making use of the extensive car-parking facilities at Dinmore Station, just a few kilometres away.
A bus trip from Karalee, Chuwar or Barellan Point by bus into Brisbane’s CBD could not be generated on Translink’s online journey planner. There are no bus services from Karalee or adjacent suburbs to by the road link through Karana Downs.
The outer metro suburb of Karalee is just across the Brisbane River from Moggill. There is no direct road link for cars or buses across the river. From Moggill, buses operate every fifteen minutes to the Brisbane CBD. Buses from the Ipswich area could operate a limited express service into the Brisbane CBD. Collapsing existing bus routes from Yamanto to Ipswich CBD then onto Karalee Turnoff, Karana Downs and into Brisbane CBD is also another possibility as a limited express service. Buses from Beaudesert and Logan City currently operate into the Brisbane CBD and are quite popular with commuters.
These logical options are bipartisan plans which are highly compatible with the Climate Council’s suggestions for sustainable transport. Political forces are at work to dampen commitments to integrated public transport. The results of the recent Ipswich West by-election on 16 March 2024, show how populist electioneering strategies with Tough on Crime Agendas can easily trump legitimate concerns about the environmental costs of a motorized society as presented in the latest carbon emissions data (Department of Climate Change: DCCEEW Emission Profiles 2005-30).
Planning controls on the clearing of forests and rural landscapes show up positively in controls on land clearing in this profile (LULUCF profiles).
Metro Brisbane has an extensive electrified rail system as part of the broader Translink network with supporting buses and frequent Citycat river services. The Cross River Rail Project (CRR) should be up and running by 2025 with additional support from the Brisbane Council’s Metro Bus System. However, for residents in outer metro areas and nearby regional areas like the Lockyer Valley, the costs and inconvenience of public transport combine to reinforce more private car use.
Public transport assets in SEQ are heavily invested in the electrified Queensland Rail Network which is supported by Translink buses, Citycat river services and light rail networks on the Gold Coast.
Translink supports bus services in regional areas through subsidies to urban networks and even regional commercial services beyond towns and cities.
By chance, even some regional bus networks are quite accessible to tourists who seek exotic destinations. This is the case with Trans North Buses in the Cairns Hinterland. Frequent travellers’ passes could add a hop-on and off dimensions to these routes for both locals and for tourists during the cooler months.
Despite the challenges imposed by the tyranny of distance to North-West Queensland, bus services do operate between Cairns and Normanton three times a week. A new tourist loop from Normanton to Burketown, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) Gorge, Mt. Isa and Cloncurry could be added for the winter tourist season with the support of state government subsidies.
Transport-oriented projects (TODs) delivered by the corporate sector or even the Queensland Government’s own Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) might ease the financial burden on the state government for future co-investment in the extension of new transport and community development initiatives.
While much of the QIC’s infrastructure and real estate portfolios are in Queensland or in other Australian locations, there are also lucrative investments in overseas locations. Capital gains from these ventures helped to generate $4.1 billion in profits using data from the latest annual report from QIC. The QIC has just sold its 50-year lease on CampusParc at Ohio State University which was purchased for $US 200 million in 2012 and just sold for $US 850 million (Bloomberg 7 March 2024).
Meanwhile, back in town, Translink’s kangaroo mascots have been talking up the value of affordable public transport.
The most logical option is to move towards free public transport within the Translink networks.
This would at least reduce dependence on the US corporate firm Cubic with its global networks for electronic fare collection and technological support for US Global Military Alliances.
Staying with commitment to integrated public transport is a worthwhile public policy. Those old-school commitments to unplanned urban sprawl will take decades of innovative planning to extinguish.
Denis Bright (pictured) is a financial member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Denis is committed to consensus-building in these difficult times. Your feedback from readers advances the cause of citizens’ journalism. Full names are not required when making comments. However, a valid email must be submitted if you decide to hit the Replies Button.
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14 comments
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Even Stephen -
Burleigh Waters -
Leila -
Laura -
James Robo -
Tessa_M -
rubio@central coast -
Ivy -
Even Stephen -
Burleigh Waters -
Even Stephen -
Even Stephen -
Clakka -
Denis Bright
Return to home pageThe shadows of the motorway era are still the predominant forces in shaping a sprawling suburbia throughout Australia. Brisbane is just an example of the big pic across Australia. Labor needs to be more proactive on these issues as the environmental consequences of urban sprawl become more obvious. More disadvantaged families seek refuge in nearby regional towns where rents and home prices are lower but these savings are offset by travelling costs.
We need some more invest in public transport infrastructure – long term strategic planning! ! !
There’s pockets of good work being done but we need more.
Thanks so much Denis! ! !
Thanks Denis for taking up the environmental issues which justify alternatives to a motorized society
Traffic gridlock justifies more commitment to public transport with more financial support for urban and regional planning. More could be done to make sure that bus stops are always indented off the road so a whole line of traffic is not halted whilst a bus stops to let off and take up passengers.
I was pleased to sign a petition to restore rail services from Sydney to the Gold Coast.
The freedom of the motorway becomes more constrained as the years pass. Expect more tollways on motorways and road tunnels in the future as in Sydney today.
NSW Opal Fares are capped at fifty dollars a week. Travel to the Central Coast takes up to 2.5 hours including the bus connections from Gosford. This is a pleasant trip on that capped fare which does not seem to prevail in Queensland. I would not use a car on the motorway and then pay for parking in Sydney.
Thanks for a well-researched article. Improving public transport options and bike pathways will reduce pollution and road upgrades needed.
Good commitment Rubio: Living on the Central Coast and using public transport to Sydney
Difficult to commute from the Northern Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, Rubio. There are no caps on weekly fares in Queensland. Each commute by Translink bus and train through Nambour takes over three hours from Noosa. Naturally, few people take up this public transport option which costs almost $43 for a return trip using a Go Card. Also buses serving the Sunshine hinterland to places like Maleny are not part of the Translink network. This affects the availability of concessional fares.
Let’s hope that Premier Miles strengthen Queensland’s financial commitment to the new SEQ Plan with more funding for Transport Oriented Develop which is in fact state government policy, Burleigh Waters. Very little was achieved in the SEQ Plan 2016 which was mere rhetoric over genuine commitment to those suburbs on the margins of Brisbane and its nearby semi rural areas. Action on your rail link to Coolangatta Airport is so important for the 2032 Olympics to give Brisbane a second major airport, Burleigh Waters.
Let’s hope that Premier Miles strengthen Queensland’s financial commitment to the new SEQ Plan with more funding for Transport Oriented Develop which is in fact state government policy, Burleigh Waters.
In Melbourne, now the most populous capital in Oz, and throughout all of Vic, public transport (trains, trams, buses) are planned, scheduled, and majority operated by the state via PTV. Fares are capped, with concession fares about $5 per day, short haul, and $10 per day to / from anywhere in the state. Routes and schedules are designed to link with interstate services, and booked through PTV are also well priced, eg. Melb-Adelaide $30 concession. – 10.5hrs (to drive would be min, 8hrs to fly 1hr20 at $230min). All trips to / from Melb to inner regionals and within urban Melb can be made by the Myki automated ticketing system. Outside that, tickets can be purchased through local outlets such as newsagents, manned train stations etc. (or booked e-ticket via PTV online). Within Melb CBD, all public transport is free.
Some intra-regionals, not radial via Melb, eg. Bendigo-Geelong, can be infrequent and time-consuming, but I guess demand and time will tell.
A good system, being improved continually.
Once a motorized commuter / traveler, now, I mostly leave my vehicle at home. Last May I traveled central western Vic to Cairns return (used freq flyer points for airfare) total of all other fares, $50, took half hour to book via PTV and Skybus (CBD to Airport). Total one-way trip 9hrs door to door.
I have always used public transport in overseas travels. The jaunts have been equally pleasant from the USA to China, Vietnam and across Europe. I was fortunate enough to travel in Italy last year. Day trips are more fun. I really liked the trip on the Amtrak service from Flagstaff, Arizona to Lamy New Mexico with a short connecting bus trip to Sante Fe. The train arrived early so I was able to walk around Lamy Junction to take pics. Not many tourists come here I was told. My reply: I am an Australian spy. That’s a cue for my next article which was prompted by this morning’s DW News from Berlin in English. It was a damp day here again so I had time to work on this topic.
Good to find out that you like public transport Clakka. NSW Countrylink has excelled with its trial bus services from Broken Hill to both Adelaide and Mildura. I hope that these were sustainable.
I recommend bicycle travel too. Brisbane is a very friendly city from ground level. I know that people welcome progressive changes from my daily interactions and recall having an informal interview with staff from a strategic state ministry out on a cigarette break by the bike track. The staffers had an excellent grasp on what was going on in their portfolio.
The ministers themselves might be more popular if they could interact at such an informal level. Stuffy people make poor leaders I might say to send the post. I knew that I would not receive a reply locally to one controversial issue and was amazed to get a response from a phone call to WA which I used in one of my articles.If I find it, I will offer the threat for readers.