Stop Go

In the last couple of days I've driven about 1000km on the Warrego highway.

I've also spent plenty of time parked on that same road behind traffic controllers. Working it out, the time involved was about two hours all up.

In other words, for two hours I was paid good money to sit on my backside. I think that's referred to as a loss of productivity.

The whole highway is under repair, and the damage is a consequence of exploding mine and exploration traffic which has well and truly buggered the road, most of it built across black soil country.

I've followed all manner of trucked machinery along this road, and actually watched the surface move and squirm under the massive tonnage of trucked dongas, drilling rigs, and all manner of gear heading for the Surat basin.

So who's paying for the repairs?

You and me - the Aussie taxpayer.

Our tax dollar is subsidizing the billion dollar earnings of the miners through making good the damage they do to local infrastructure.

It's about time the "user pays" principle was applied to these cowboys.