The paper and associated database directly tackle the issue of quantifying economic growth in regions. BTRE derived regional economic activity indices for every Local Government Area in Australia from 1980–81 to 2004–05. The figures are based on Australian Taxation Office individual income data which have been reworked to allow easy comparisons between standard regions and over time.

• Focus on Regions No 3: Taxable Income
  
  ip_054.pdf
  (2.25 MB)
• Taxable Income Database [updated 23 Jan 2008]
  
  
  ip_054.xls
  (4.71 MB)

Social capital theory proposes that social networks and norms have a role to play in influencing a community's development. This paper presents and analyses statistical information relating to social capital in Australia and its regions, using a set of 33 social capital indicators for 2001–02. It also explores the relationship between social capital and the economic and social wellbeing of Australia's regions. The paper is accompanied by the BTRE's Social Capital Indicators Database.

• Focus on Regions No 4: Social Capital
  
  ip_055.pdf
  (9.47 MB)
• Social capital indicators
  
  
  ip_055.xls
  (987.5 KB)

This report presents the results of BTRE's eighth annual review of the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme. It covers the operation and impact of the Scheme up to (and including) 2003–04.

• BSPVES Monitoring Report 8
  
  mr_008.pdf
  (932.48 KB)

This report presents the results of BTRE's ninth annual review of the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme. It covers the operation and impact of the Scheme up to (and including) 2004–05.

• BSPVES Monitoring Report 9
  
  mr_009.pdf
  (452.43 KB)

Back issues of About Australia's Regions from 2003–06

• About Australia's Regions 2006
  
  stats_002_ar06.pdf
  (561.94 KB)

• About Australia's Regions 2005
  
  stats_002_ar05.pdf
  (893.08 KB)

• About Australia's Regions 2004
  
  stats_002_ar04.pdf
  (351.06 KB)

• About Australia's Regions 2003
  
  stats_002_ar03.pdf
  (1.46 MB)

FUELtrac has been commissioned by AAA to collect petrol price data in each capital city and major regional centres around Australia.

• Petrol Prices

The first edition of the Guidelines (ATC 2004a) was produced by the Guidelines Assessment Methodology Working Group (endorsed by the Standing Committee on Transport). It incorporated a generic framework, with an initial focus on non-urban land transport (road, rail, inter-modal).

In 2005, The Australian Transport Council (ATC) established a Guidelines Implementation Committee (GIC) to review, update and improve the Guidelines in line with learnings and feedback received during their implementation. The ATC also asked the GIC to extend the Guidelines to urban transport.

This second edition of the Guidelines has been produced by the GIC in response to the directive of the ATC. The Guidelines have been restructured to make them more concise, accessible and user-friendly, while maintaining rigour. The Guidelines have also been extended to urban transport.

The restructured Guidelines comprise five documents, with each document focusing on the needs of a particular audience:

• Volume 1: Introduction to the Guidelines and Framework–a brief overview of the direction and content of the Guidelines and Framework.
• Volume 2: Strategic Transport Planning and Development–a detailed description of the Framework.
• Volume 3: Appraisal of Initiatives–a comprehensive guide to appraisal of transport initiatives.
• Volume 4: Urban Transport–supplementary material on urban transport, covering the appraisal of public transport initiatives and urban transport modelling.
• Volume 5: Background Material–contains detailed background material that underpins the methodology outlined in Volume 2 and Volume 3 of the Guidelines.

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Dr. Rothengatter is an internationally recognised authority on the application of transport theory to policymaking. He is head of the Institute of Economic Policy Research and the Unit of Transport and Communication at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

To be included on the 2008 Colloquium mailing list, please email btre.colloquium@dotars.gov.au

• BTRE 2007 Transport Colloquium–Program
  
  other_001_colloquium07.pdf
  (1.06 MB)

This report presents the results of BTRE's tenth annual review of the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme. It covers the operation and impact of the Scheme up to and including 2005–06.

In order to maximise the value of urban transport modelling as a tool for improving urban congestion interventions, a National Workshop on Urban Transport Modelling was held in Canberra on 5 March 2008. It was co-convened by the Urban Congestion Management Working Group and the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.The workshop brought together nearly 60 participants, including urban transport modellers, decision-makers, research bodies and transport and planning agencies.

The initiative to organise a national workshop on urban transport modelling derives from COAG's consideration of the Urban Congestion Review in April 2007. COAG tasked the Australian Transport Council of Ministers (ATC) with establishing arrangements to improve urban congestion data, modelling and performance information for decision-making and to report back to COAG by June 2008.ATC subsequently asked the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT), through the SCOT Urban Congestion Management Working Group, to progress this agenda. The proposal for a national urban transport modelling workshop was one ofa small number of actions endorsed by SCOT to assist in developing improving information for urban congestion decision-making.

Presentations

The morning consisted of a series of papers presented by experts in six key urban congestion management intervention areas. Keynote papers were also given by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Secretary, Michael Taylor AO, and Professor David Hensher. The afternoon consisted of a series of small group workshops to propose a number of possible future action areas.

Presentations in the morning sessions were as follows:

• Professor David Hensher, Keynote Address, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney
• Rod Tudge, Traffic Management and Microsimulation, Traffic and Transport Modelling, Roads and Traffic Authority, New South Wales
• Lindsay Oxlad, Road Pricing, Road Transport Policy and Investment, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, South Australia
• Professor Graham Currie, Public Transport, Public Transport, Civil Engineering, Monash University
• Associate Professor Geoff Rose, Passenger Travel Demand Management, Institute of Transport Studies, Civil Engineering, Monash University
• Fotios Spiridonos, Freight and Business Sector Transport and Victoria's Freight Movement Model (VicFMM), Transport Modelling and Analysis Policy, Intergovernmental Relations Division, Department of Infrastructure, Victoria
• Frank Milthorpe, Integrated Transport and Land Use, Transport Model Development, Transport Data Centre, Ministry of Transport, New South Wales

Please see below for links to presentation slides and photos of the day.

Outcomes

The workshop recognised that modelling is capable of informing urban congestion management interventions but that currently policy and modelling are not well coordinated. Improvements need to be made for policy makers and modellers to work collaboratively in framing appropriate urban congestion management questions. The socio-economic impact of urban congestion interventions, for example, is an area which needs to be better modelled and understood.

The following five key areas summarise the proposed areas which received most support for further action:

1. Time of travel and behaviour shifts (i.e. how people make travel decisions) are not adequately modelled: New models need to be developed for peak spreading/time of day choice. Current models often exaggerate modal shift, compared to changing time of travel.
2. Socio-economic impacts of various interventions are not modelled to an adequate level: For example the distributional impacts of road pricing on different socio-economic groups; willingness to pay; ability to pay and access to alternatives, need to be captured.
3. Freight/Light Commercial Vehicles: A cost-effective way of getting data for freight and business sector transport modelling needs to be found. The establishment of a Freight Movement Working Group to develop and implement a better data framework for freight and business sector transport was recommended.
4. Reliability modelling: Better modelling is needed to assess the role reliability plays in mode choice and how reliability affects patronage, compared to other aspects of travel choice.
5. Collaboration to improve methodologies: There has been a lack of communication and collaboration between agencies, academics and decision makers and this makes maximising the uses of modelling for national urban congestion strategy difficult. Informal networks need to be strengthened and 'best Australian practice' needs to be documented. A clearing house for modelling resources needs to be established.

• David Hensher
  
  
  other_003_01_DHensher.ppt
  (1.61 MB)
• Rod Tudge
  
  
  other_003_02_RTudge.ppt
  (650 KB)
• Graham Currie
  
  
  other_003_04_GCurrie.ppt
  (3.85 MB)
• Geoff Rose
  
  
  other_003_05_GRose.ppt
  (362 KB)
• Fotios Spiridonos
  
  
  other_003_06_FSpiridonos.ppt
  (2.45 MB)
• Frank Milthorpe
  
  
  other_003_07_FMilthorpe_SCOT.ppt
  (15.8 MB)
• Photos from the workshop
  
  other_003_Workshop_Photos.pdf
  (911.24 KB)