LATEST NEWShttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/en-AU2012-02-24T02:27:39ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Heavy Vehicle increase imminenthttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/2012/2/1/heavy-vehicle-increase-imminent.htmlAndrew Waddell2012-02-01T07:24:39ZThe Barnett Governments failure to secure the future of the State Grain Freight Network will directly affect those living in the Forrestfield electorate, putting a greater number of trucks on our roads.

The closure of major rail links in the Wheat Belt will put thousands more trucks onto local roads. It is a bad decision for the economy, the environment, local communities, road safety and will cause greater congestion.

In July 2011 three regional grain lines were closed, and while that decision was temporarily overturned it was not overturned in time for for funding to be allocated and work completed before the commencement of a massive harvest. That harvest is now heavily impacting our local roads on its way to the Forrestfield Grain Terminal.

The Barnett Government need to realise how important it is to keep the 700km of rail open for both regional and metropolitan communities.

Road safety is of particular concern, with Grain Trucks already rolling over in Forrestfield, and on unsuitable road between Quairading and York as there were no trains avaliable for the harvest to be moved to Forrestfield.

]]>2031 is a long way awayhttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/2012/1/13/2031-is-a-long-way-away.htmlAndrew Waddell2012-01-13T05:18:49ZTransport public transportI remember growing up in the 1980’s, and looking forward to the 21st century. I was inspired by movies like 2001 A Space Odyssey, and had visions of shiny suits, flying cars and video phones. Well, very little of that has eventuated and what has is a little disappointing. But it was fun to speculate what the distant future would look like.

Today we sit in 2012, and the Barnett Government wants to roll out a rail line to the foothills sometime after 2031. I am fairly certain that the 15 year old me, of 1981, would have assumed that by 2031 the flying car would have made the train redundant, now I am not so sure.

President Kennedy announced the project to land a man on the moon in 1960, this was achieved by 1969. Colin Barnett cannot get a train to the foothills in 20 years. I think it shows just exactly where, we, in the foothills stand in his list of priorities.

2031 is so distant, it is difficult to judge what our transport needs may be. We need something more than a vague promise that something will happen in this far distant future. We need a detailed plan on how the existing bus services will be expanded to cope with the burgeoning population in the foothills. We need a detail plan on how the public transport network will be altered for the opening of the Midland Health campus in 2015. These are things that are necessary to put in action in the next 5 years.

The fact of the matter is the Barnett Government left the eastern suburbs and foothills almost entirely out of its 2031 planning document. This needs to be addressed, and we need a comprehensive plan that will ensure that our transport needs are met now and in the near future.

]]>Merry Christmashttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/2011/12/22/merry-christmas.htmlAndrew Waddell2011-12-22T05:42:46ZI would like to offer my best Christmas wishes to everyone. Regardless of your beliefs, it is a time when many of us get together with friends and family in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s also a time when we take stock of the year’s activities and begin to plan for the next. These are the things I will certainly be doing over the Christmas period as I look forward to a very eventful 2012. I hope you and your family have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year and am looking forward to working with community in 2012.

]]>Andrew attends TAGS Evening at Lumen Christi Collegehttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/2011/12/2/andrew-attends-tags-evening-at-lumen-christi-college.htmlAndrew Waddell2011-12-02T02:28:22Z

]]>Extreme local laws outrageoushttp://www.andrewwaddell.com.au/home/2011/12/1/extreme-local-laws-outrageous.htmlAndrew Waddell2011-12-01T03:57:47ZIt is increasingly brought to our attention the need for the State Government to reign in local government laws after local governments continue to go above and beyond the test of common sense.

The Joint Standing committee on Delegated Legislation has investiagted and rejected the City of Gosnells Waste Local Law 2011 for this very reason.

The City of Gosnells Waste Local Law 2011 moved to criminalise acts causing no harm, including;

- Leaving bins lids open, even when empty

- Having a bin visible from the street or public place (for example in a carport or behind a picket fence)

- Not having your bin in a particular position by a particular time on collection day

- Putting Marks on the bin (eg. Cricket wickets painted on the front)

- Having a dirty bin

These laws show a local government that doesn’t truely understand the potential impact of their laws on residents everyday life.

It is shocking to think you could be fined $150 for putting a ‘Slow down for Kids’ sticker on your bin on residential streets, or that the wind blowing you bin over or the lid open could also hand you a $150 fine.

The City of Gosnells did not necessarily see the laws being used in this manner, they were concerned about Health and Safety, but these Waste Laws are not the answer, they need to use common sense when developing their by-laws.

The State Parliament has rejected these council laws.

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