No more repeats of councilmen behaving badly The Magpie Whisperer
From
the Editor Planes, Trains & Automobiles This week I went on a journey up to Brisbane for one of my other businesses. I spent Sunday night in Sydney and then flew to Brisbane, spent 3 days working, then headed back. The journey from Lithgow to Brisbane is an interesting one, 3 hours on the train to the airport, 1.5 hours on a plane to Brisbane, then a 20 minute cab ride to the office. This got me thinking about travel and how there must be a better way. As we travelled up to Brisbane I enjoyed the view out of my window seat of essentially - nothing. That’s right, inland, there is almost no civilisation between Lithgow and Brisbane, or at the very least there is plenty of space to install a high speed rail line. Australia is a land where we only populate a small percentage of the coastal fringe, and even out here in the Central west there are 1000’s of square kilometres of open space. Rather than a second Airport in Sydney, why not eliminate the need to travel by air domestically and develop a high speed rail network, or even better still pave the way for a new technology such as the Elon Musk inspired Hyperloop. Hyperloop is a theory of using tubes to encapsulate transportation modules that are propelled by air compressors and linear induction motors. In theory, the top speed would be 1200 kilometres per hour, with average speeds of about 900 kilometres per hour. Imagine that! Brisbane, 1 hour from Lithgow. Perth in
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. Buckminster Fuller 3.5 hours. Trains have served us well and Lithgow has a very proud rail heritage, however, new technology is coming at a rapid rate, and there is an opportunity for a government with a true ‘innovative’ vision to start thinking in longer term ways. Upgrading our rail down the mountain will never see the efficiency gains of creating something entirely new. The best we could hope for would be an express service like the Bathurst Bullet that only has a few stops, and a train that goes a bit faster. While I am dreaming of better ways to travel, how about we start researching the Star Trek beam me up Scotty technology - OK, that may be a step too far, but I firmly believe we should never say never. For now I am grateful that all my travel was safe, and I arrived at my destination in one piece. I arrived home on Wednesday night at 10pm, still in one piece, and exceptionally tired. If the future of interstate travel is to improve, we need to stick up our hands and make sure that our region is included in the thinking of how that could happen. Perhaps a new multi line interstate high speed interchange at Wallerawang Power Station…? All the best Rich Evans
The NSW Electoral Commission has now called for nominations from candidates seeking election to Lithgow City Council. In latter years, it’s been the negative behaviour of some councillors, rather than the positive achievements of council, that’s garnered the most attention. We can only hope that the bullying, stupidity and arrogance of a few may soon be a thing of the past. That said, what’s in store for a newly-elected, first-time councillor? Local authorities can be labryinthine places to navigate. Different departments and officials, as well as a good amount of red tape, means it can be daunting for outsiders. And a big learning curve for the council newcomer. But working in a council is like working in any large business - you have to work with people to get anything done. For a newly elected councillor, the challenge is knowing what powers you hold. Councillors may not have as much power as some think, but one thing councillors do have power over, is policy. Being on the council you get to know what does what and who can solve what problems. You also have to work behind the scenes; start talking to people and learn what they can do to help constituents. When you become aware of a problem in your own area, you ensure it’s listed and prioritised, so that when the budget is there it can be done. It’s likely that some election candidates have no council experience whatsover, and may never have been to a council meeting. They might just like the idea of being a councillor and being on a council. It’s largely a thankless job, and the best councilllors are often those who come with community work experience. The hours are long for what is a part-time job, and the remuneration isn’t great, either. So why do it? Well, when you do get things done it can be very rewarding - and you are in a position to get things done. They may not be huge, but they are important, because they affect your community. All candidates need to realise it’s not just about an election. You have to talk to people and listen to them - and stay with them for the duration. Many in the community don’t know what councillors can and can’t do on local issues. So it’s crucial that you’re realistic about what you can achieve. You might not change the world, but what you do achieve can have a big impact on many peoples lives. (The Lithgow City Council election is on Saturday, 10 September 2016).
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