Australia correspondent
Australia desk
Bel McRae is The Gold Standard's Australia correspondent. McRae covers Canberra, the states, and the Roads desk: heavy vehicles, the NHVR, the freight task.
Govt priority: Beveridge VIC–Parkes NSW Inland Rail complete end 2027 for double-stacked freight. May 2026 scaled full Melbourne–Brisbane after ACIL Allen >A$45bn / ≥2036; A$1.75bn to ARTC upgrades. Inlandrail progress; Guardian/Railway Gazette.
One Nation’s Victorian leader admitted past speed, ecstasy and marijuana at a Melbourne press conference on Tuesday, a day after denying his former partner’s Australian interview. ABC and Guardian were asked to leave. Crime platform landed in the same room.
Marles–Hegseth in Washington: US force posture in Australia to grow; more detail with Wong in coming months. SRF-West, Virginia 2032 confidence, Henderson maintenance. ABC 3 Sep.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen named August’s BEV-over-petrol sales crossover a landmark. Toyota 19,712 still #1 brand; BYD #2; Tesla #3. NSW 515 fast sites, Vic 396; industry flags 30k+ extra Victorian EVs by Christmas. SMH 5 Sep.
One Nation’s Monday plan lets renters and mortgage holders divert 3 percentage points of the 12% super guarantee into take-home pay for up to three years. Chalmers calls it ending super as we know it; Hume calls it a headline.
ARENA/AECOM: MCS megawatt charging for articulated interstate trucks, staged hubs (up to 165), 11.5–16 TWh by 2040. Fleet EV News / ARENA. Path to electric freight on Australian roads.
Eyre/Nullarbor EV charger gaps are down to about 175–200 km for most legs; Stuart Highway Katherine–Tennant Creek still leaves a ~625 km hole. The Driven mid-2026 / EV Roadside. Roads as electrified corridor.
At the Latrobe Valley launch 31 Aug–1 Sep, Warren Pickering pledged to repeal Victoria’s Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983. National ban still a hurdle. ABC and Latrobe Valley Express. Election 28 November.
One Nation Victoria’s campaign site names Princes Highway and Bass Highway upgrades, the regional maintenance backlog, a second Bass Strait interconnector, Geelong fuel storage, and scrap Metro Link. Election 28 November.
The NHVR and Transport Certification Australia have a new Electronic Work Diary framework. Drivers on an approved system keep the one they have.
One Nation won Secret Harbour on 29 August, but the Guardian Essential poll puts the party at 23 percent nationally — down five points since May — while Labor falls to 26 and Albanese hits his lowest approval as PM.
