ALP Conference Resolution – Urban Transport

Conference notes:

1. Australia's urban transport systems are under increasing demand pressures relative to their capacity. The costs of traffic congestion and road accidents are increasing. The costs have important consequences for Australia's well-being, the environment, Australia's efficiency and workers' standard of living. These issues include transport efficiency and effects on economic growth, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, health and social amenity.

1. Australia's transport greenhouse emissions are per capita the third highest in the world and it is estimated that by 2010 they will be 47% higher than 1990 levels
2. Urban transport congestion cost $12.8 billion in 1995 and is estimated to increase to $29.7 billion in 2015
3. Australia's major cities have clear 'transport rich' and 'transport poor' regions because of the creation of new suburbs without strong public transport infrastructure. 16% of the average household budget is spent on cars the same as is spent on housing and food.

3. Australia is the only developed country without a national policy covering urban issues, despite the need for innovative sustainable urban development programs. OECD research concluded that urban travel and land use problems are not just urban issues - their economic, social and environmental impacts are national.
4. There has been a significant shift globally in the way transport problems are framed and solutions implemented. There is a convergence of views, analysis and approaches around the world on how to deal with transport problems and transport investment.
5. The Howard Government's national land transport policy is focused on freight to the total exclusion of urban public transport.
6. In Australia there is a very strong case for a complete reorientation of national transport policy based on fairness, equity and transparency. It must deal with all modes in the same way and introduce public benefit / cost tests incorporating social, economic planning and environmental objectives.

Conference resolves that the next federal Labor government will:

1. provide appropriate financial assistance to State governments to improve and extend public transport systems in urban and regional Australia for employment, education and training, health, social justice and economic reasons;
2. achieve greater use of public transport, thereby contributing to reductions in emissions and congestion, such as that being pursued through the Growing Victoria Together strategy, which seeks to increase the number of trips on public transport from 9% to 20% by 2010;
3. integrate transport, land use and environmental objectives;
4. ensure public transport is available to new suburbs and developments;
5. improve integration of various public transport modes through development of inter modal interchanges; and
6. propose ways to reduce dependency on cars, including reform of the inequitable tax treatment of public transport as against employer provided car transport, and thus encourage public transport use for commuting to and from work.