Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Protectionism and the Australian automotive industry 1896 to 2012 - a timeline


Ford Australia design studio late 1970's

Calendar of legislation and significant dates in Australia's Automotive manufacturing history. 

Note: This was prepared as part of research for a client. I thought it could be useful to share as I couldnt find anything similar online. Please credit this site and D.C. Haas if you use it in any research or papers. 

1896 – First car built in Australia by David Shearer

1898 – Internal combustion engine factory built by Harley Tarrant

1901 – Upon federation trade between former colonies becomes duty free, with tariffs imposed upon imported goods to provide the major revenue stream for the new Australian nation.

1902 – Tariff on imported car bodies introduced in Customs Tariff Act.

1903 – Local production of cars from a factory built by Harley Tarrant.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Honesty and humour in advertising - an advertisement for a Leyland P76


The Canberra and District Leyland P76 Owners Club President Alex Shoebridge sold one of his Leyland P76's in December 2012. It's OK, he has more (hidden away on a farm where they may in fact be breeding). How nice is this car? I would have bought it if I had any room to store it (I don't, I have 5 cars and a bus already - including three Leyland P76's). Some detailing and it would be a car show winner. Its an amazing car. 
It came to Canberra via a very unusual journey. A country NSW car since new, it was part of a deceased estate not advertised very widely A Canberra based Rover enthusiast bought the car to take the engine and transmission for his Rover 3500. He then contacted the club asking if anyone wanted a shell, very cheaply. Alex bought the shell. About a year later, the Rover gentleman contacted the club seeing if anyone wanted a P76 engine and transmission. He had run out of desire and time for his planned project. Alex reunited the engine and trans with the car and then spent time on and off repairing very minor age related issues. It has had some minor rust repairs and paint respraying, but really - its largely original

Monday, January 28, 2013

Hybrids outsell the Ford Falcon in 2012

'Motorists continue to shun green cars' - it's a great headline but a little misleading. Its slow and steady growth of a new technology. Even the article states that hybrid sales rose by 50% in one year. It is also valid to compare sales of 13,000 hybrid cars versus sales of 8,000 Ford Falcons in 2012. 

Which sector is being shunned? Hybrid sales are rising, Falcon sales are declining. 


Monday, January 14, 2013

Canberra: A spectacular transport policy failure


When an academic titles a chapter in his public transport policy assessment paper ‘Canberra: A spectacular transport policy failure’ don’t expect there to be too much good news in it. Paul Mees is an academic with a particular focus on public transport and has been following the issue in Canberra from a distance for many years.

Many of his assessments on public transport policy in this paper are correct. All governments since self-government have abjectly neglected ACTION and focussed on road construction. The lack of investment has seen the frequency of ACTION services decline, especially outside peak hour and off the major routes. This service failure has led to patronage declines.

In his executive summary, Mees concludes:

Canberra has experienced a sustained decline in public transport, and a steady rise in car driving, for the last two decades (apart from a temporary reversal during 2001-06). The current car driving rate is the highest ever recorded, something that has not occurred in any other capital city except Hobart. Public transport mode share actually declined slightly in the five years to 2011: Canberra was the only one of the seven cities where this occurred. The problems are the result of poor transport policies, which have focussed on road construction, while reversing the successful public transport approach employed in Canberra until the late 1980s.

Mees is also correct that the focus on investment on roads over public transport needs to be addressed, but its not one or the other - that’s a simplistic view which has led to the current public transport system failings. The ACT government needs to consider road and public transport funding as infrastructure. Improve public transport and car drivers may return to the public transport system. The ACTION system can be improved, but its future as a mass transit system is in the past.  

It is important when assessing this paper, to look at previous works from the same author. Mees has written papers critical of ACT Public Transport policy before, his most recent contribution on ACTION bus failure coming in 2012. He views investment in roads as bad, and investment in public transport as good.  

This simplistic approach doesn’t take into account changes in society and employment mobility. Canberra is a spread out city, and the ACTION bus approach has not served that geography well. As it grows, it is likely that employment centres may change from the present focus on Civic and the Parliamentary Triangle. Decreasing service frequencies outside peak hours and long circuitous routes that increase travel times are valid criticisms.

The public has sampled this service and voted with its cars. Arresting this decline in patronage has proved difficult by successive governments, reluctant to invest in changes to a public transport system that they can’t figure out how to improve. As the cost to acquire a car has declined, its become more viable for a person to buy one and bypass poor public transport. 

ACT Light Rail has long argued that the best way to improve public transport in the ACT is to build light rail as a mass transit backbone, increase local bus services to feed passengers to light rail, and properly integrate light rail and buses. Paul Mees’ main objection seems to be that there is only one light rail route planned.

This is not the case. There is only one light rail route under immediate consideration – from Gungahlin to Civic – but there is a plan for light rail to be the territories long term mass transit solution. It’s a massive change in policy direction from the ACT Government and Capital Metro is a plan that needs political and financial support.

If the Capital Metro plan receives funding and construction begins within the current Assembly term, then a future version of this paper may contain a vastly different assessment. Canberra has the potential to lead the way in showing how a medium sized city can reverse car usage and deliver sustainable public transport. 

You cant excuse government policy failure from the past, but credit needs to be given to present policy initiatives - and people need to ensure that these policies move from election platform promises to properly funded projects.

The major failing of Mees paper is that it doesn’t recognize that the policy shift has occurred, and that it requires support. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Summernats 2013 - Hot Rods!

As usual rockabillys and hot rod fanciers headed to Summernats and showed off their preferred form of transport. They do stick out amongst the street machines and even though Rat Rods aren't my bag, you have to appreciate the work that goes into the rods that cruise around EPIC all weekend, and the ones that are entered and win prizes. 

With the changes that have occurred in the last two years, maybe the Summernats organisers will invite Evil Elvis and Charlie Greaser to play at Summernats 2014 - a guaranteed way to get MORE HOT RODS attending. 




The owner of this car received a writeup in the local paper.


















Sunday, January 6, 2013

Summernats 2013 - Fords and nothing but Fords

So many cars so little memory space on the camera card... All day cars prowled around the EPIC roads snarling and grunting as they kept within the speed limit and avoided sombrero wearing spectators criss-crossing from spectacle to spectacle. This post contains an array of Fords - mainly Australian, but a few Yankee imports, that owners brought along to show off. 

Many cars were highly modified with thousands of hours of work devoted to them. Others were restored or stock. Many cars weren't even entered for prizes, just driven to the event to share with other auyomotive afficionados. 
















 photo by Billy










 photo by Billy

















photo by Billy
photo by Mikgan