This morning, I heard that a migrant I know who didn’t validate on a crowded tram, and co-operated with ticket inspectors, and is an Australian citizen, was subject to racist treatment. When they asked to verify her address, they asked to speak to a family member, they said “and speak English”. Which she does.
This casual racism is not acceptable in Australia, least of all in a public space.
But that’s just the beginning of the Myki debacle.
Yesterday I was on a tram. It was packed in, and there was only one exit to leave through the sea of bodies. This was at lunch time, and validating a myki was also difficult. I managed to touch on.
Earlier I was on a tram, and a man with some disabilities, who was very heavy-set was having great difficulty getting off the tram, as people rushed to get on and validate Myki tickets.
Myki in 3 Days
For those outside Melbourne, Myki is a touch card, which requires a high degree of proximity to the reader. The card has had numerous issues and is over-budget.
Earlier that morning, I was on a tram, with all the readers not working. I could see no way of validating on 4 machines, so when I changed trams, I validated on the next tram.
1 day before, 2 visitors stood at the door trying to touch off a tram (not required, but confusing for tourists). I told them not needed.
Later that day, I was told that a Myki user in Zone 2 had his card credited with each journey, not debited. i.e. with each trip he made a profit, and he only ever needed to keep the same money on the card.
2 days before no ticket readers were working on a tram for a 20 minute journey. Many people tried more than 2 readers, causing more confusion.
So that is just 3 days experiences as a public transport user.
Given that experience, I have to ask why Ministers are not forced to catch trams and trains on sitting days?
Systemic Problem
I tap on, and my own estimate would say, whilst holding the card steady, and tapping on (not waiving) and maintaining contact (this card should come with instructions!) I will normally fail to tap on 1 time in 8. That is slow. And cumbersome.
The Myki decision (and the current government’s flawed non-sunk costs reasoning to continue it) was a huge mistake.
Myki is fixable, but to get to this point, the government (both of them) had to ignore a lot of warning signs about the system.
Sydney is certainly no better. Their trains are unsafe and unclean. And buses require you to prepay to travel 600 metres down George St. Hardly tourist or commuter friendly.
Nobody gives a damn!
Has anyone in actual government thought how this total lack of investment in, and competence in managing, Human Infrastructure is costing entrepreneurial, retail and business activity?
Australia now has far lower productivity than the U.S. (and higher costs), and still we soldier on ignoring the empty shops, and praising the one-sided ‘high GDP growth’ caused by the hidden surcharges on electricity prices, rocketing rents, and sending coal on boats for others to pump into the atmosphere. (Spot the lack of logic here?)
And the U.S. considers it has a productivity problem.
There are only 2 ways to economic growth long term — productivity and innovation (think PCs, networks, internet, iPhones). Innovation is actually easier, if you understand the process…
The Innovation Economy is being damaged every day, as each interaction is taxed like a riverboat passing a series of toll gates. Taxed in money foregone and time foregone.
It’s no wonder small businesses in many segments of the economy are screaming. It seems beyond belief that no one cares, and we blunder on with failed projects that burn billions and create a few overpaid jobs, whilst reducing overall full time employment in the economy.
It seems once again, no one in government understands this. And it seems if they do, their voice is drowned out by all the ‘no row boat rockers’ (i.e. ‘don’t rock the boat with ideas’!)
It’s not just Melbourne many cities around the world suffer problems. I had similar issues on London’s often excellent transport network, and although I have had no issues in Paris, others have. We can’t all have the Moscow Metro.
Which Ministers Care?
It seems to me that the as users of this dysfunctional system that no one in either the current or preceding State seem to actually care. When I say dysfunctional system I mean both Myki, and the current arrange of support services provided by the Transport Authority and Yarra Trams.
In Australia, I have met Ministers who care. But I have also met many who don’t, and are just in it for the power and perks. I have met ministers who are smart ministers, and ministers who are competent, and ministers who have guts. Sadly there are far more MPs who are far from those standards.
I recall Lindsay Tanner formerly on the Left, and now Joe Hockey on the Right as ministers who have guts and care. Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle is often on trams, and stands out as someone who also cares and has had the guts to get things done in the city.
When we vote for politicians we are all struck by the thought that none of them in the last 20 years (except Jeff Kennett) were able to improve the overall performance of the State for normal people. Left or Right, ideology hardly matters. A Left faction minister oversaw most of the Myki debacle of wasted money.
The only reasons I can think of for the Myki system are flawed job creation strategies, securing revenue streams and monitoring people’s movements. Which, quite frankly, is hardly in the interests of we the people, and more so in the interests of maintaining power.
Apathy about Politics. Blah!
It seems that many politicians on both sides have no respect for us. Craig Thomson you are duly called out as an example, for disrespecting your fee paying membership.
And I think when they are polling us about voting intentions, this explains a lot. Voters say: Why care if it’s the same old low standards?
And it might explain the Lowy Institute (think tank) survey showing disenfranchisement with democracy! Really. (Try a Communist / Dictatorship if you don’t like democracy! Churchill was right.)
So democracy is as Churchill said, the least worst system. But the ‘fixed’ nature of Tweedledum and Tweedledee candidates (choose Brand X) is causing our political choices to be limited, and keeping out change. Hence the fall in the Labor vote, and as it falls, more factions try locking in more Brand X candidates.
It’s not just media beat-ups. If anything the media is downplaying the profound widespread jaw-dropping level of mis-management occurring in government. A large part of systemic failure, is in I.T..
Failed I.T Driving This
There was an estimate that failed I.T. Projects (like Myki) cost 27 times Cyber Crime (over $3 Trillion!) — and the opportunity cost of that is much higher. That is why I have developed an innovation in project management course for 2thinknow.
The answer is in design and innovation, a large part of the course, and the process and tools is what I have been working on for 2thinknow and tried on select government client projects since 2008. Because the old methodology… well that’s not working.
The answer? Build an innovation economy.
Who cares? I do. You should. Join us!
Keep innovating™,
Christopher Hire