MAJOR AUSTRALIAN RAIL TRANSPORT PLAN FINALISED.

Major Australian Rail Transport Plan Finalised.

While there seems to be a fair amount of talk in Australia about the prospect of construction a high-speed rail link between Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney and Brisbane, the proposals, as they seem to be progressing, appear to have been just about the high-speed corridor in its own right rather than taking into account the totality of the various options and opportunities.

A number of factor need to be realised and be taken into account.

The current Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane corridor is, as it stands today, is a disgrace losing Australian industry and Australian taxpayers about $30billion a year on lost revenue, wasted fuel costs, environmental damage and lost revenue at the various regional centres spread along Australia’s east coast. The total corridor has been tarted up a bit over the years but in overall terms it still belongs in the steam age costing Australian taxpayers $billions for what is more of less a patch-up job that has very little nett effect.

Then there is the high-speed rail proposal which was essentially one thought of by the Australian Greens without that political entity really thinking through as to what they were doing and without doing even some of the basic research. The result is that the Government-sponsored research is now focused on the high-speed corridor only and virtually nothing else meaning that, as the proposal currently stands, it will not be viable.

The proposal that I am putting, without giving away too much to the likely political copycats, revolves around a whole package between Melbourne and Brisbane via Canberra and Sydney including airport linkages and freight utilisation. I have though the precise route of where the high-speed rail corridor would be located and what engineering would be required and where.

Starting in Melbourne, the high-speed line would travel via Tullamarine Airport, Seymour, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Canberra Airport, Southern Highlands, Wilton Airport past Sydney (with link into Sydney), Newcastle, Newcastle Airport, and then along the coast more or less along the same route as the current current Sydney-Brisbane railway line to Brisbane. Trackage would be multi-purpose as to allow for 200kph freight trains as well as 350kph passenger trains. Freight links would be available at various major freight centres as to allow for full integration of the current as well proposed infrastructure. Freight trains would be high-speed types as currently used and proposed in various EU countries. Regional centres would have loop-lines and stations where demand exists. Trackage would be fully ‘protected’ as to safeguard it against collisions with wildlife and livestock. Freight linkages in the major Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane would be available.

The total cost of the proposal is $93b total the cost of which would be paid for partially by Government and partially by private industry. Traffic will be on a ‘pay-as-you-use’ basis as is currently happening on ARTC-operated trackage.

The current corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane via Sydney could used for bulk-freight as it currently is but the line would see full electrification as to reduce overall fuel costs and environmental damage. Electrification would save about $12b per year.

Construction would in stages with the Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne corridor to be constructed first followed by the Sydney-Newcastle-Brisbane corridor.

With all the benefits in terms of savings, expanded regional activities, the complete corridor would have paid for itself by 2035.

So there it is, in a not too complicated form.

That’s The Way It Is.

Henk Luf.

OPPOSITION TO DUTCH NEW NATIONALITY LAWS TAKES HOLD.

OPPOSITION TO NEW DUTCH NATIONALITY LAWS TAKES HOLD.

The opposition to the new proposed Dutch nationality laws are beginning to have a major impact on both the Dutch economy, already in recession, as well as the credibility of the Dutch Government and their extremist PVV allies.

The legislative laws, designed to appease the extremist PVV Party and its leader Geert Wilders, will stipulate that dual-citizenship will no longer be allowed in the Netherlands and while these are laws are essentially anti-muslim, anti-Polish, anti-Turkish,  anti-Rumanian and anti-Morroccon and perhaps everything else that is not Dutch, they will also have a major effect, unintentionally or otherwise, on Dutch-born people with generations of Dutch heritage who emigrated to countries such Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and countries such as South Africa, the majority of those doing so during the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s and there are hundreds of thousands of those. Most of these people, adopted the nationality of their adopted countries either by choice or necessity while still maintaining their Dutch heritage often through them keeping and renewing their Dutch passports. The maintaining of those ties mostly had nothing to with any financial benefits or financial gain but more to do with maintaining ties with the country of their birth and heritage and their status should thus be seen as more of a sentimental value rather than for any financial considerations.

What is essence this legislation means is that, in order to appease a bunch of PVV extremists, the Dutch Government decided to essentially dump hundreds of thousands of Dutch-born people who want nothing off Holland apart from maintaining their ties with the country as well as maintaining their heritage.

The reaction to these laws by Dutch people living overseas has been immediate and very strong with Dutch people voicing their disgust world-wide and this sentiment is likely to grow on a daily basis.

Another immediate reaction has been more substantial in purely financial terms by Dutch-born business people either dumping their Dutch investments or moving them elsewhere. Major projects worth billions of Euros are or will also be at risk of either being dumped, as some already have been, or being moved to elsewhere in Europe. As one Dutch-born Canadian investor put it “Why should I, as a Dutch-born person, invest in the The Netherlands, when the Government of the country in which I, and generations before me, were born, no longer wishes to recognise my heritage”. He could not have put it more bluntly than that. Other investors, including some very major ones, have come to the same conclusion and are now in the process of divesting their Dutch assets. The longer-term effect will be that the Dutch economy will suffer substantially as people move their investments out of the country.

The legal aspects are also interesting. These new laws may well breach international laws and EU laws and the likelihood of them being challenged through international law processes is now better that 99%. In fact, some of these processes are already taking place.

The options for the Dutch Government are fairly simple. Should they wish to maintain their legislation in its current form, grubby as they are, they should expect the Dutch economy to take a major dive into a deeper recession. Should they wish to avoid international legal action as well as Dutch people applying their own boycotts against Dutch goods and services as well as people taking their often major investments elsewhere, then the laws will have to be changed as to recognise people of Dutch heritage.

The choice is theirs and the Dutch Government can take it of leave it at its own peril.

Like it or not.

My name is Henk Luf, That’s the way it is.

 

BOTCHED DUTCH NATIONALITY LAWS TO HAVE MAJOR CONSEQUENCES.

Botched Dutch Government Nationality Laws To Have Major And Wide-Ranging Consequences.

In a move seen by International Law and human rights experts as being highly reactionary as well as illegal, the Dutch Government has introduced and passed ‘single nationality laws’ that were basically designed to pander to the extremist PVV Party headed by Geert Wilders, the Dutch politician who has put Dutch extremism on the agenda in recent years.

The new, rather ill-defined and badly drafted laws are basically designed to exclude dual-passport holders from countries (mainly muslim countries) from Dutch society by dictating that those with dual passports must make a choice between either being Dutch or being a citizen of another country.

Having botched the legislation and having not properly thought through the processes, the new laws will however have wide-ranging consequences for the Dutch Government and indeed the Dutch economy with many thousands of Dutch born dual-passport holders living in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada being caught up in this farcical legislation.

International Law and human rights experts have classed the requirement that Dutch-born dual-passport holders hand in one passport (the Dutch one presumably) as being in breach of international law as well as EU citizenship provisions thus leaving the door open for this rather stupid legislation to be challenged though human rights processes as well as through the courts. As one international law expert put it “Dutch-born Dutch people living overseas have an automatic and legal right to be regarded as being Dutch regardless of how passports they may or may not have”. “It is simply a nonsense to suggest that people who’s Dutch heritage may date back generations, can simply be told that they are no longer Dutch and to hand back their passports” he said. “This legislation was clearly designed to satisfy the desires of the lunatic and extremist PVV party without their being what the consequences might be” he added.

Some of the comments coming from Dutch-born people living in Australia, New Zealand and Canada were rather interesting, if not blunt. Said one Dutch-Canadian “Being Dutch and running a large company importing large volumes of European products, my preferences have always been for product from the country in which I was born” “It the Dutch Government now says that I am no longer Dutch, then I will say that importing Dutch goods into Canada will no longer be my priority” he said. A Dutch-born Australian said that the many thousands of Dutch people living in Australia should boycott Dutch goods and services until such time that the laws were changed. Other comments from Dutch-born people were also highly critical of the legislation.

Clearly the Dutch Government now has choices to make in relation to this legislation as it will face legal challenges by people born in Holland as well as being faced with trade and commerce boycotts by companies run by Dutch-born people and Dutch individuals, costing the Dutch economy billions. The situation also proves that listening to extremists such as Geert Wilders was perhaps not such a good idea after all.

And like it or not.

My name is Henk Luf.

That’s The Way It Is.

 

 

 

TRAVEL ADVISORIES JANUARY 2012 (FIJI)

TRAVELWISE “DO NOT TRAVEL TO FIJI”  TRAVEL ADVISORY TO BE MAINTAINED.

While Fijian despot, Frank Bainimarama, may have announced that his ‘emergency rule’ may have come to an end, TRAVELWISE announces that the “Do Not Travel To” travel advisory will be maintained until such time that fair elections have taken place and until such time Bainimarama is off the political scene.

In essence, TRAVELWISE recommends that people do not travel to Fiji, do not travel with Air Pacific and do not engage in commercial activities that may involve regime involvement.

TRAVELWISE will advise should this advisory be changed at a future date.

Henk Luf.

TRAVELWISE.

TRAVEL WARNINGS / ADVISORIES 20-12-2011.

QANTAS “DO NOT FLY WITH” ADVISORY LIFTED, PROVISIONALLY.

The Qantas  ‘Do Not Fly With’ advisory has been lifted, provisionally, this following an agreement between the various unions and the airline.

The lifting of the advisory is of a provisional nature. This will remain until I am satisfied that reliability and service levels have improved.

Further information will be forthcoming if / when the status changes.

Henk Luf.

TRAVELWISE.

 

TRAVEL ADVISORIES 2012.

Travel Advisories 2012.

Witt the year 2011 to an end Travelwise is able to provide a fairly basic overview as to the destinations that are not viable in terms of destinations that are regarded as either unsafe or non-viable. The list also includes some transport-related operators.

Unsafe countries listed are Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, PNG, parts of the Philippines, Burma, Laos, Cambodia. There are other countries that are marginal in terms of traveller safety but official Government travel advisories are often a guide.

Not recommended destinations for a number of reasons including human rights abuses are Israel, Fiji.

Operators that are not recommended for various reasons including safety issues, industrial relations uncertainly or being connected with regimes that carry out human rights abuses are as followed.

Qantas: ( Industrial relations uncertainty and maintenance and reliability issues ) Jetstar: ( International only. Unreliable = Domestic Jetstar services not included= ) Tiger Airways: ( Caution Advised )  Garuda Indonesia: ( Has been known to be unsafe and unreliable ) Air Pacific: (This airline has a clear connection with the Bainimarama regime and is thus on the ‘do not fly with list. )Travellers should be cautious in relation to the various cut-price (cut-throat) airlines in Europa and travellers should be cautious in relation to travelling with some airlines in both Africa and South America.

During 2012, Travelwise will constantly update these travel advisories and travel updates. Anyone uncertain about various destinations should simply ask and we shall advise.

Henk Luf.

Travelwise.