I live in Mosman Park now, and often go into the city by train. When heading back I've noticed that after Claremont Station the transit cops pretty much always check the passengers' tickets and SmartRiders. Every now and then you see some poor bugger get nabbed for not having a valid ticket and thereby copping a fine.

Cynics would no doubt argue that the reason they're so assiduous about this is because the Government wants to raise revenue. And I think they'd have a point.

But there's also a cultural element at work here. Public services in Perth just seem to be managed in a more disciplined manner than over east.

Sydney has an extensive rail network. I lived there for 7 years all up and used it most days. But I can't actually remember having my ticket checked the whole time. And there were comparatively fewer officers on duty there than here, too.

Sometimes I'd wonder why they even bothered with them because they didn't seem to do much good. In the main railway stations like Central and Wynyard I'd often see bogans brazenly jumping the turnstiles in front of these officers, who never did anything to stop them. I don't think I've seen that happen at Perth Station even once since I came back a couple of years ago.