New era for Inland Rail
A SIGNIFICANT Inland Rail milestone was announced in Qld this week with the BHQ joint venture entering into a collaborative framework agreement for the Northern Civil Works Program.
It was significant for a number of reasons.
Firstly, Queensland-based joint venture BHQ anchored the agreement to undertake what will be the first construction work in this state pending environmental and planning approvals from the Queensland and Australian governments.
A Queensland joint venture will see a very firm focus on jobs for locals and the Inland Rail will bring an expected 11,800 jobs to the State at the peak of construction – for many that will be a life changing opportunity.
Secondly, it will give certainty to many of the landowners across the Darling Downs who have experienced years of upheaval as debate has raged in some sectors over what was the best route across the flood plains of Southern Queensland. This has been a stressful time for some and I am hoping that this announcement will start the healing process for many.
Building major infrastructure, particularly infrastructure the size and scope of Inland Rail, is a complex task. There is no project like it in Australia.
Across its 1700kms from Brisbane to Melbourne, Inland Rail runs through 13 federal electorates, 35 state electorates and 36 local government areas. There is incredible diversity across these communities, and I have personally witnessed the impact the project has had on some affected landowners and residents.
Since 2017 ARTC has been consulting with landowners and affected communities on a range of issues and opportunities that Inland Rail brings. In just the past financial year we held almost 14,000 briefings with community members including doorknocks, meetings and phone calls. We’ve also run face-to-face briefings for key advocacy groups and held 33 community consultative committee meetings.
Where possible, we’ve acted on community feedback to improve design and achieve better outcomes, including providing safe access for livestock and machinery between properties, avoiding or mitigating farm severance, replacing level crossings with bridges over the rail line to provide safer local road access and mitigating noise impacts on communities.
We’ve acknowledged that some stakeholders expected more from our early engagement and we’ve continued to listen and build on these lessons as the project has progressed.
We have learnt there is no easy or quick way to do this and there’s no simple solution for many of the concerns raised with us, and while this project has an overwhelming national benefit and is critical to our future as a nation – we are very conscious of the local and regional impacts this project has on the communities along our alignment.
On the Darling Downs and in the Lockyer Valley, we are in the Qld Government’s Environmental Impact Statement process and our team of dedicated professionals are responding to the questions and issues raised in these reports. Our teams live and work in Inland Rail communities and are often at the forefront of difficult and sensitive conversations with landowners.
We have been focused on working with landowners first and foremost as we finalise the rail corridor and move towards construction. It is instilled in our people to work with landowners and residents respectfully, sensitively and fairly.
Our people each day balance their own feelings of “community” against the obligations we have to build the Inland Rail project in the best possible way in line with the scope, time frame and budget provided by the Australian Government.
This is not always easy for either party. Some may ask why have we announced this agreement with BHQ while the EIS process is still running. It’s a good question.
Quite simply, we believe that this decision will have a beneficial effect.
It allows BHQ JV to start meeting with businesses to secure the skilled workforce such as transport operators, fencing, quarries, earthworks and electrical companies so they can hit the ground running when the project begins.
Our consultation process has tried to strike a balance. I can only hope for the majority of people that the process has been beneficial and has allowed an opportunity to articulate their concerns and identify the appropriate responses and solutions to problems that affect them.
I can assure you that your input has been valued. I can assure you that our people care.