This Paper details how the scope and purpose of Commonwealth assistance to the States (and, through the States, to Local Government) for roads has varied over the years. Other issues addressed include the distribution of Commonwealth funds between States and between rural and urban roads, and the varying conditions which have been applied to Commonwealth assistance.

• Road Grants Legislation in Australia: Commonwealth Government Involvement 1900–1981
  
  op_048.pdf
  (5.34 MB)

This Paper presents a summary of preliminary statistics obtained from the fourth quarter of the National Travel Survey (NTS). The results cover travel during the months of April, May and June 1978. These statistics are preliminary in the sense that they represent the results of an analysis of only the postal survey results. No corrections for sample bias and so on have been made at this stage. The results from a supplementary household interview survey conducted in parallel with the NTS will be used to adjust the postal survey results. This adjustment will take place at the conclusion of the twelve-month NTS survey period.

• Guidelines for the Conduct of Urban Transport Corridor Studies
  
  op_032.pdf
  (6.67 MB)

This Occasional Paper reports on the basic characteristics of Australian General Aviation. Information on these characteristics provides an essential background to the understanding and interpretatian of General Aviation. In this Paper, attention is focused on the types of aircraft used in General Aviation, the size and geographical distribution of General Aviation operations, the various kinds of General Aviation activities undertaken; and the economic cost structure faced by General Aviation operators. In addition, a partial analysis of the demand characteristics of some users of scheduled commuter and charter services is presented.

• Basic Characteristics of General Aviation in Australia
  
  op_033.pdf
  (16.44 MB)

This Paper reviews the current practice for the design of conventional railway track. Current track design practice has historically developed slowly and is predominantly based upon years of operating experience. Consequently many of the developed design expressions are at best semi empirical in nature. The scope of this report is confined to the design of the track structure above the level of the formation, i.e., rails, sleepers and ballast.

• Railway Track Design: A Review of Current Practice
  
  op_035.pdf
  (13.15 MB)

This study represents the second part of a major research effort in the General Aviation area which was conducted with the objective of providing background material for the current Commonwealth Department of Transport review of General Aviation policy. This research presents results of statistical investigation into the basic characteristics of General Aviation in Australia and examines the economic and financial issues associated with General Aviation. Major topics covered in the study include an overview of the operational, financial and economic characteristics of General Aviation, the determinants of the demand for and supply of General Aviation services and the identification of appropriate mechanisms for cost recovery.

• Economic and Financial Issues Associated with General Aviation in Australia
  
  op_034.pdf
  (27.1 MB)

The Paper describes some of the basic financial considerations associated with entry into the trucking industry and details possible operational strategies. This study is aimed at entrants into the trucking industry but it is also expected to prove beneficial to current operators.

• The Road Transport Business: A Guide to Some Financial Aspects
  
  op_036.pdf
  (3.48 MB)

This Paper represents the second study into the estimation of the consumption of energy by Australian transport. The results of the first study were published in Occasional Paper 4 which was based on data for the year s 1970–71. The present paper covers the years 1975–76. Many problems concerning data and assumptions became obvious during preparation of the original paper. These were reflected in the present study by a considerable effort to improve the quality of the estimates and to underpin the supporting assumptions. As a result the present paper is considered to contain more accurate estimates than those in the original paper.

• Consumption of Transport Energy in Australia 1975–76
  
  op_037.pdf
  (10.89 MB)

This Paper presents the results of statistical analyses of ship characteristics which have been undertaken to provide input to models of ship costs and operations in particular trades. Standard least squares regressions were performed on the data to relate particular ship characteristics to deadweight. Deadweight was selected as the common denominator for the regressions because of its universal acceptance as a measure of ship size and because of its wide use in the reporting of statistical information.

• Regression Analysis of Ship Characteristics
  
  op_038.pdf
  (4.11 MB)

An examination of commodities carried and industries served by urban freight transport revealed that nearly half the tonnage moved is in the form of bulk products (sand and gravel, petroleum, cement, etc), though, in past studies, attention has been focused on the problems of general freight carriers to the exclusion of the others. The current review revealed that problems faced by carriers of bulk materials tend to be different from those faced by carriers of general goods.

• Utilisation of Urban Road Freight Vehicles
  
  op_039.pdf
  (5.2 MB)

This Occasional Paper compares road expenditure and road user taxation in Australia with that in five overseas countries (Canada, Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand and USA). These five countries were selected because they are federal systems, and/or because they have similar socio-economic backgrounds to Australia.

• Road Financing in Selected Countries
  
  op_049.pdf
  (8 MB)