transport inequalities in remote australia
TRANSCRIPT
Dr Michael Dockery
Principal Research Leader | Population Mobility
and Labour Markets,
CRC for Remote Economic Participation
Principal Research Fellow | Bankwest Curtin
Economics Centre
Program Leader Student Equity Data & Analysis
|NCSEHE
Curtin Business School
Dr Bruno Spandonide
Research Officer
Climate Change Adaptation, Energy Futures
and Carbon Economies
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote
Economic Participation (CRC-REP)
Transport Inequalities
in Remote Australia
Sally M Mulda (2013) Going to Titjikala
Ninti One Ltd and CRC for Remote Economic Participation
Mobility and Transport Research in Remote Australia
Objectives:
• The research on mobility focuses on understanding the driving factors and impacts of temporary mobility on economic participation and livelihoods.
• The transport futures research investigates a variety of current transport systems and future alternatives.
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Methodology
• Longitudinal surveys of 750 individuals in 25 remote communities to gather primary data on general and specific mobility patterns.
• Cost assessments, Multi-Criteria Analyses and targeted survey on transport futures preferences.
• Modelling and scenario building.
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Definitions
The transport systems in remote Australia consist of several vital components:
• Long distance transport (maritime, rail, air, and road services).
• City/local commuting (cars and buses).
• Community transport and special services.
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Kumanarra Burke (2012) Going Hunting in the Tractor
Grantourismo (2012) Australia’s
Great Train Journeys
Tourism Tropical North Queensland
(2014) Friday Island
Northern Territory Department of Transport (2012)
Significance of Transport and Mobility
• Mobility patterns are important driving forces for the remote Australian economy influencing economic participation, and the characteristics of resources and services which are delivered.
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Reasons for travelling
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Livelihoods Outcomes
• As a complex process transport activities impact different inter-related livelihoods areas on multiple levels.
Health
Employment
Community
Connections
Education
Transport
Systems Culture
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Transport Inequalities in Remote Australia
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent a very significant majority of the people affected by transport inequalities (>90%) as transport systems are not well adapted to their needs.
Northern Territory Department of Transport (2014) Alice Springs Bus Timetable, line 100/101
Eunice Yunurupa Porter (2012) Big Plane
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Key Barriers
There is a number of challenges that transport systems have to deal with in remote Australia:
Geographic (very long distances, extreme climatic conditions),
Historic (less developed regions, incomplete networks, history of segregation),
Socio-cultural (inequalities with direct impacts on transport access, differences of travelling needs, land and time uses),
Financial (low cost recovery, high costs of supply chain),
Operational models (coverage, frequencies, information access),
Technology (lack of access and design of appropriate technology/integrated infrastructures and services), and
Institutional (restricted coordination
coherence of political agendas).
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Transport Inequalities Causes in Remote Australia
• Transport systems are limited by shortages of appropriate vehicles and affordable fuel and gaps in infrastructures, services and regulatory frameworks.
Elena Martinello (2008)
Elena Martinello (2008)
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Vehicle Use in Remote Australia
• There is a vehicle shortage for individuals’ uses. Ratios of one registered vehicle for 13 persons can be found in remote Australia compared to one registered vehicle for 1.2 persons in non-remote Australia.
• In contrast there is a heavy single use of governmental agencies and NGO’s vehicles with little or no coordination.
Jackie Singer (2010) Old Trucks
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Gaps in Remote Australian Transport Infrastructures
• The transport infrastructure networks in remote Australia are incomplete.
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Gaps in Remote Australian Transport Services
• Transport services suffer from limited integration, coverage, low frequency (operational issues).
FaHCSIA (2008) Prescribed Areas –
Aboriginal Land and Community Living Area
John and Ros Moriarty (1995) Nalanji Dreaming. Photo: Qantas
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Public Transport Regulation in Remote Australia
• In remote Australia a highly monopolistic environment tends to disconnect fare policies from public service obligations (nature and frequency of operations and fares) models.
• Registration and fuel excise costs are the same as in non-remote Australia but do not correspond in the same level of maintenance/road assistance facilities.
Alick Tipot, Queensland Tilt Traini. Photo: Queensland Rail
Paul Herzich (2010) Kardi Munaintya tram
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Transport Inequalities Consequences
• Transport inequalities are multi-scaled and increase with remoteness both in the magnitude of direct impacts and their wider impacts.
• Transport issues of access, safety, and affordability impact very negatively remote communities and enterprises.
Jean Burke (2012) Irrunytju (Ngaanyatjarra Lands)
Margaret Boko (2010) Travelling on Bush Bus
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Transport Access in Remote Australia
Transport reliability is a complex topic which includes:
• Transport accessibility: 18% of people in very remote communities do not have access to regular transport, (from NATISS survey, 2010).
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Vehicle Access
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Transport Safety in Remote Australia
• In very remote communities the road casualty rate is almost eight times the national rate (54.1/100,000 against 7.7 for Central Australia in 2011, 1/10 chance per vehicle to have an accident over 20 years).
• A high number of vehicles are not roadworthy.
• High emergency costs incurred.
Deepwell Road from Santa Teresa to Alice Springs
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Transport Costs in Remote Australia
• Transport costs are two to three times higher in very remote communities (Table 3).
• Infrastructures and services costs are high with fewer opportunities for social and business enterprises and rising living costs.
Transport costs
factors
Differences between average
remote and non-remote
annual transport costs
Access costs $2,000
Time costs $1,000
Fuel costs $1,000
Goods costs $1,000
Vehicle costs $500
Transport service
costs
$500
Safety costs $500
Social costs $500
Total $3,000 + $4,000 = $7,000
Table 3 Transport Costs Differences
in Non-remote and Remote Australia
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Transport Affordability in Remote Australia
Transport costs factors Non-Remote
($/year/person)
Very Remote
Average income $45,000 $22,000
Average market costs $4,000 $7,000
Average income after transport costs $41,000 $15,000
Transport budget 9% of the income 32% of the income
Average non-market costs $4,500 $8,500
Loss of productivity and wellbeing
caused by ineffective transport systems
10% of the income 38.5% of the income
• Transport costs are higher in remote Australia than in the rest of the country while average incomes are substantially lower.
• For the most disadvantaged households in very remote communities the transport weekly budget can be up to four times the national average (50% of the total budget) (Table 4).
Table 4 Transport Costs compared to Annual Income in Non-remote and Very Remote Australia
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Maladaptation of Transport Systems in Remote Australia
• In current conditions, transport systems are not adapted to the current and future needs of remote Australia.
• The regional mobility needs of the ATSI population contrast with the intense population turn-over of the non-ATSI population.
• In Central Australia and Central Queensland a large proportion of the population is composed of people facing reduced mobility.
• There is still a number of culturally inappropriate or ineffective transport system designs/policies.
Stephen Codrington. (2005) Alice Springs ridge,
Planet Geography 3rd Edition
Toby Hudson (2011) People in need of assistance
in a core activity as a percentage of the total
population, subdivided by statistical local area
from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian
Census of Population and Housing from the Basic
Community Profile.
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Unsustainable Transport Systems in Remote Australia
• In current conditions, transport systems are highly unsustainable in remote Australia.
• At a local level, transport inequalities magnifies the poverty of disadvantaged remote communities and exacerbates socio-economic exclusion.
• Numerical data do not effectively capture the complexity of the network of social relations which structures the offer and demand for transport.
Access Proportion in Employment
With driver’s licence 62%
Without driver’s licence 22%
High vehicle access
(always/most of the time)
50%
Low vehicle access 27%
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Towards Sustainable Transport Systems in Remote Australia
Remote communities, service providers/delivery, policy makers and employers can benefit from an increased awareness of transport needs in remote Australia.
Research can support informed choices for:
• Planning schedules and routes for public transports
• Improving models of service delivery such as health and education
• Input into community decision making
• Input into infrastructure planning/policy
Doris Thomas (2012) Homeland near Titjikala
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Acknowledgements
This research is conducted by Ninti One and the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation. Many thanks to Tangentyere Artists, Warakurna Artists and Iwantja Arts and the artists who generously supported illustrating this presentation.
Contacts:
Michael Dockery Principal Research Leader | Population Mobility and Labour Markets, CRC for Remote Economic Participation Principal Research Fellow | Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Program Leader Student Equity Data & Analysis |NCSEHE Curtin Business School Curtin University Tel | +61 8 9266 3468 Email | [email protected]
For further information: Mobility Report CW015 http://www.crc-rep.com.au/resource/CW015_ReconceptualisingMobility.pdf Dockery M.A. 2014 Reconceptualising mobility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. CRC-REP Working Paper CW0017. Ninti One Limited. Alice Springs. Transport Futures Report CW017 http://www.crc-rep.com.au/resource/CW017_TransportCostsInRemoteCommunities.pdf Spandonide B. 2014. Transport systems in remote Australia: Transport costs in remote communities. CRC-REP Working Paper CW0017. Ninti One Limited. Alice Springs.
Bruno Spandonide Research Officer Ninti One Limited Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation Phone: +61(0)879055530 Mobile: +61(0)431335025 Email: [email protected]
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