Why should we pay for roads?

road

By Visiting Research Fellow Darryl Gobbett in conversation with SACES

If you are just catching up with our Doctor Who series鈥.some background.

Doctor Who has been travelling听through space and time for more than half a century since the start of the BBC television series of the same name in 1963. The much-loved Time Lord has had many guises, most recently played by Jodie Whittaker.

The Doctor has seen a lot of social and economic change as he/she has time-travelled in the听trusty Tardis, a space-craft resembling a Police phone box. So, The Doctor is now well-placed to make pertinent and perceptive judgments on many current issues, including the laws and regulations that are confronting business and constraining the local economy.

The Doctor has been accompanied recently by a fellow called Paul, who carries the same name as three winners of the Nobel Prize for Economics, Paul Samuelson, Paul Krugman and Paul Romer, and听arguably Australia鈥檚 finest Federal Treasurer,听Paul Keating.

Every now and then, The Doctor and Paul drop in to see Bruce, a long-time observer of South Australia鈥檚 politics and economy who struggles to make sense of the vagaries of the State鈥檚 rules and regulations.

Episode #3

1960s

BBQ chatter interrupted by goats bleating.

Belinda:听鈥淏ruce and Paul, Aunty Mable has arrived. She鈥檚 brought Uncle Bert and Aunty Mavis and some eggs.鈥

Aunty Mable:听鈥淥h hello Bruce and nice to see you here Paul. And you must be The Doctor. Soon we might even get to have some female Prime Ministers.鈥

Paul:听鈥淚 can hear you are still getting around in your goat cart.鈥

Aunty Mable:听鈥淲ell, I know it might seem a long time ago to you when the Government introduced registration fees on the motors and put the excise and sales tax on petrol. And while they say the money gets used for roads, there hasn鈥檛 been much bitumen up near us and I still don鈥檛 agree that I should be paying for roads I don鈥檛 use.

I was going to get the old charcoal gas car out but they said that would need to be registered. So, if I can still get around with the goat buggy that suits me.

I share it with a couple of the other CWA ladies though that got the Taxi Board upset even though we don鈥檛 have a taxi in the Mid North. But it means we don鈥檛 have to worry about having too many shandies or hock, lime and lemons as the goats know where to go home. And they are very clever and feed themselves, particularly with all the nice roses in town. So none of us need a driver鈥檚 licence and we鈥檙e not paying that terrible excise.鈥

While Aunty Mable was unpacking her eggs, butter and potatoes, The Doctor had the chance to ask a rhetorical question. She hadn鈥檛 had much chance for one since the Romans substituted law for Greek thinking.

The Doctor:听鈥淏ut if everyone shared their goat buggies and no one paid any excise or licence fees, how would the roads get built? Not really my problem as I sort of fly everywhere but South Australia could end up with a limited road system and a lot of traffic congestion.鈥

Aunty Mable:听鈥淲ell perhaps the Government might start charging people when they actually use the roads, including those Victorians who use our roads for free but we have to pay their tolls whenever we use their roads. That would raise the money to improve the roads and make people think about whether and when they should drive, or buggy pool or catch the bus or walk. Less delays for people getting to work might help increase the productivity thing Bert keeps talking about when he鈥檚 in Canberra. And if poor people need some support to travel, it can be given directly to them.

The Doctor picked up an egg.

The Doctor:听鈥淎nd how are your hens? Still in court over having too many.鈥

Bert and Mavis rolled their eyes.

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