The SA Liberal Party is considering electrification of the rail network as a policy. This is a progressive step. The Labor Government says there is no money for that (but there is money for a desalination plant).

It would help if the feds would divert money into electric rail and tram infrastructure instead of highways and tax cuts. Would be short term economically neutral and long term very positive.

Too many powerful pro-car lobby groups.

There's just no public debate yet in Australia, despite the docos like Crude and Crude Awakening getting a showing on SBS or ABC.

I emailed the SA govt after watching the Tour Down Under and suggested we should use our motor race track for an EV sports car racing event. The Tesla is now hitting the roads in USA, the Lightning will this year in UK, and enthusiasts' all electric sports cars like X1, ThoRR and others are viewable on YouTube out accelerating Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes etc.

Putting up Petrol taxes would be hard politically, but making the sales tax on new vehicles a sliding one related to petrol consumption may be politically doable. Could even give tax rebates for hybrid cars.

I raised the issue of peak oil with my brother who is a senior bureaucrat for the Victorian government. This was 4 years ago. He said he was well aware of the issue but the government could not recognize the problem because of the very nature of politics. I am of the opinion that no matter how high oil goes governments will not intervene ever. Considering they have had forewarning of this for many years now perhaps they should be held accountable for their negligence. Essentially they are misleading the public for the sake of their own political lives. My brother knew beforehand that the issue was too hot for politicians to handle, so for the sake of his career he chose to say nothing. After all, it is a matter of survival, so the politicians best course of action is to do nothing until the public demand it.

PRT can be privately financed.