Paper title: Travel demand modelling in Australia - reviews of practice and promise in Perth and Adelaide

words): This paper describes two recent reviews of travel demand modelling undertaken by the Transport Systems Centre (TSC). These reviews were instigated by two state transport departments, who sought advice about the state of practice in modelling in their respective states (WA and SA) and who also sought to define future directions for the development, enhancement and use of models for metropolitan transport planning. The reviews also required base information about modelling practice and developments in other states and beyond, so that a reasonably complete picture of travel demand modelling in Australia emerged, as did indications of developments in modelling in New Zealand and North America. The paper focuses on the salient issues found in the two reviews, and especially on their common features - which included the chronic shortage of skilled modellers and expert model users, and the poor understanding of the capabilities and limitations of contemporary travel demand models amongst transport planners and the wider community. The reviews provide positive advice and guidance on how to improve the understanding and use of models in transport planning practice.