Formic Academic Essay Writing - Government business relation (GBR) Assessment Answers

Formic Academic Essay

Essay 1: Formative Academic Essay

The following essay questions, in academic essay format, drawing on the ideas and concepts taught in this unit:

1. Has the recent change in Prime Minister from Mr Abbott to Mr Turnbull changed the nature of the relationship between the federal government and major businesses in Australia? If so, how? If not, what has remained the same?

2. Can the Commonwealth take over responsibility for funding public transport in Australia? Why or why not?

3. Is the ACT Government's Capital Metro light rail system proposal more about improving public transport

or

increasing land tax revenue through increased property values along the route? Discuss.

4. Using one of the four main political ideologies taught in this unit, critique government's role in funding higher education in Australia. Given the increased focus on graduate employability, discuss the efficacy of state funding of skills training that will ultimately benefit businesses.

5. Increasingly, free trade agreements include clauses that allow foreign investors to sue governments when a law or policy harms their investment. What are the ramifications of such clauses for the power of national governments in making policy?

Public Transport in Australia

One of the main problems facing the Australian cities is the issue of traffic congestion. Traffic has been a problem for quite some time and there has been an obvious need to improve the public transport sector. This has been a problem for the major cities in Australia which is bound to make them economically crippled since they work internationally. In addition to that, people have been voicing their complaints on the bad services they are receiving for a costly amount. They claim that they need to see the value for their money (Edwards, 2012). If the same conditions are experienced in Australia, it is estimated that there will be a gap of about 50 million dollars in infrastructure of the country which is very bad for the economy of the nation.

Other than poor investment in the transport sector being a cause for transport problems, there is also the increased use of passenger cars. This not only leads to traffic congestion but leads to an increase in pollution in an already congested area. The federal government is in charge of the public transport system in Australia and has taken to increasing the number of roads. This has been observed to be of no use since the passenger cars keep increasing as much as the population (Hensher, 2000). The most recommended solution would be to expand more on the ideas of infrastructure rather than focusing on one particular from of transport. The metro would be the most effective form of transport based on the fact that it covers a bigger area and is faster with respect to other forms of public transport. It is also not prone to congestion, especially the case of public transport.

It is evident that the issue of public transport threatens not only the environmental aspect of Australia but also its economic development. The federal government which has taken some initiatives in improving the system seems to be getting nowhere. Reports indicate that the expense incurred in improving the public transport is large and will only increase with time hence the need to act fast and effectively. There have been a number of developments done within some areas but these do not seem to be enough. More resources are required which is bound to pressure the financial sector of the federal government. This calls for assistance from other sources that have access to the resources and finances needed hence the suggestion of bringing in the Commonwealth.

Reasons why the Commonwealth can take over responsibility for funding public transport in Australia

The commonwealth, which is a group of countries that have been brought together in order to promote trade and development would be a good source of financial support for the Australian government. Based on the fact that Australia was one of the founder members of the Commonwealth, it would be a great show of respect and gratitude by assisting in the transport sector. In addition to that, being a founder member makes it one of the key foundations of the existence of the commonwealth which helps in development. The development of Australia’s public transport is something that would affect the economy of Australia which would in turn have an effect on the economies of the common wealth countries in one way or another since the country deals on an international basis (Andrew, 2010).

The Commonwealth can also take responsibility of the public transport in Australia in regards to the Technical funds department in the organization. This department has been set to make available funds for the member countries based on the demand for a need. The funds are provided for definite projects which have been set up for specific purposes and to solve an ongoing problem (Howe, 2016). Having identified the problem of public transport, it is advisable to come up with a project that would not only lead to development of the public transport but also to positive economic development of one of its member states. Funds from the common wealth would also be important due to the fact that they involve experts in that particular problem who come up with many ways of dealing with it hence giving an opportunity to discover more resources.

Since most of the people have been complaining about the high cost of public transport, funding from the Commonwealth would not force the government to increase taxes in order to make up for the funds used in development. This means that the transport system could be made accessible to all members of society in Australia without having people go through a hard time due to lack of enough funds (Ruth, 2008). Being an organization with a structure where countries are helped materially, it is evident that the Commonwealth has other ways of generating revenue to keep it running other than getting it from the public. When this is the case, the funds set aside are rightfully accessed by any member state hence making Australia a qualified beneficiary of the Technical Funds. The commonwealth is also in reach of a variety of resources since it covers a variety of countries which have different resources that could be important for different projects.