Management of change

Abstract

Western Australia was the first portion of the Australian continent to be ‘discovered’ — it was also the last to be opened for settlement. The early Dutch navigators of the East India Company, blown off their course by the gales that periodically sweep across the Indian Ocean, were the first known Europeans to touch the western shores of that continent, and the first settlement was founded in 1826. Western Australia's first railway was built in 1871 and was a privately‐owned timber line. Today the system operated is approximately 3 800 miles, partly on standard gauge railway and partly on narrow gauge. The former is modern and up‐to‐date whilst the narrow gauge is both expensive to maintain as well as to operate. Less than 1 000 miles of the entire system is on the standard gauge — this section however does carry over 50 per cent of the entire traffic. It can be said that the most useful car in Australia is the railway freight car for upon it is based the whole national marketing system and in it is carried virtually everything the Australians eat, wear and use. The Western Australian Government Railway (WAGR) Department employs a large number of professional men, technicians and unskilled labour, as well as providing work for thousands more in the supply of materials in every shape and form — and upon the Department to some extent has depended the development of the State. The railway system is divided into six districts namely — Metropolitan, Central, Eastern, Southern, South Western and Northern. Each is administered by district officers. In the districts there will usually be at least three senior officers of the operating branches, and this duplicates the management at district level and indeed at head office level. As in our own railway system, one finds that this hierarchy contributes very largely to the inefficiencies of the operation.