‘Let’s get on with the job’

Groom MP urges State, Federal colleagues to finalise Inland Rail agreement

GROOM MP Dr John McVeigh will use his address at tonight’s Inland Rail Conference welcome reception to urge his colleagues in State and Federal Government to “get on with the job” and get the $10 billion project up and running in Queensland.

The State Government has for some time now been refusing to sign the key inter-governmental agreement that would pave the way for land resumptions along the project corridor, on the basis that the Federal Government had not sufficiently addressed the concerns of farming communities.

But Dr McVeigh said a “chicken and egg argument” kept getting used.

“Federal bureaucrats and state bureaucrats have been wanting to sit down and sort out those details for quite some time,” Dr McVeigh said.

“They simply need Mark Bailey or the State Government to sign the inter-governmental agreement and work can proceed with everyone sitting at the table.”

The Inland Rail Conference, jointly presented by the Australian Logistics Council and the Australasian Railway Association, will be held at the Empire Theatre tomorrow and Thursday and bring together close to 450 delegates to explore all aspects of the historic project.

Dr McVeigh said he was looking forward to welcoming attendees to the conference in Toowoomba as a representative of the area he believed would form “the most important part of the entire Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail link”.

He said the area was important because of the level of expenditure that would happen in the region as a result of the project, the need to finalise the design of the Condamine floodplain crossing - which traversed “one of the most significant agriculturally productive regions in the country” - and because Toowoomba was the largest inland private sector city in Australia.

The Inland Rail project, together with the international capabilities of the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, and the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, means the city is poised to become a significant freight hub.

But the challenges of finalising the route’s crossing of the Darling Downs, and finalising the inter-governmental agreement remained, Dr McVeigh said.

He admitted there were people along the proposed route who were “cranky with ARTC, they’re cranky with me, they’re cranky with the Federal Government”.

“I get that. So we need to get them some clarity as soon as possible. That clarity will only happen now if the Queensland State Government signs the inter-governmental agreement on Inland Rail, which allows the State Government to come to the table and look at those land impacts,” he said.

Dr McVeigh said the delay in signing the inter-governmental agreement also meant a $15 million Toowoomba to Brisbane passenger rail study he had secured funding for in the 2018/19 Federal Budget was yet to begin.

“I’ve got colleagues and even the Prime Minister talking about Brisbane to Sunshine Coast, Brisbane to Gold Coast fast rail business cases announced in this year’s budget, with great fanfare and great excitement,” he said.

“For goodness sake, I announced and secured funding for the Toowoomba to Brisbane passenger rail study last year and still nothing’s happened.

“I’m giving the message not only to the State Government but also to my own Government, particularly the Deputy Prime Minister – who’s a good mate of mine. Come on guys, get your acts together and get on with the study.

“Unless we get that agreement and the passenger rail study under way, we’re missing out on a significant link and significant opportunity for transport in our part of the world.”