Queensland Rail fail: MPs line up to fill gap left by Stirling Hinchliffe
AS QUEENSLAND commuters face further years of pain on the rail network, jockeying has begun to replace the fallen transport minister.
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PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Cabinet reshuffle following Stirling Hinchliffe’s resignation will be minor.
Ms Palaszczuk today would not be drawn on who would be given Transport and who would win Mr Hinchliffe’s spot but said all would be known in a couple of days.
Ms Palaszczuk announced Jacqui Walters, a Brisbane-based “change management specialist” had been appointed to head the new Queensland Rail watchdog, the City Train Response Unit.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls says Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk should take on the Transport portfolio following the resignation of Stirling Hinchliffe yesterday.
“She said the buck stops with her. She should take it on,” Mr Nicholls said.
OVERNIGHT: THE battle has begun to replace Stirling Hinchliffe in State Cabinet after his resignation over the Queensland Rail debacle.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is set to announce a reshuffle in coming days, with the frontrunners among Mr Hinchliffe’s Labor Right factional colleague likely to include Linus Power, Jennifer Howard, Scott Stewart and Mark Furner.
The newcomer is unlikely to be handed the troubled transport portfolio, however, with a senior minister to be given the politically fraught task of fixing the rail fail mess.
Mr Power, the Member for Logan, is serving as the senior government whip and is a popular choice among Right MPs, while Ms Howard, the Member for Ipswich, is Assistant Minister to the Premier.
A senior Labor source said Mr Power was a loyal, steady hand while Mr Furner, a former senator, could also handle the pressure.
Promoting Mr Stewart, the Member for Townsville, would send a positive sign to the state’s north.
There is speculation Education Minister Kate Jones could once again be handed Commonwealth Games.
Mark Bailey and Mick de Brenni have been named as potential transport ministers.
Mr Bailey already holds Main Roads but may have to lose Energy, Water and Ports to take on the responsibility.
If Mr de Brenni was given the transport nod, the newcomer could pick up his Housing and Public Works portfolio.
Watchdog to oversee clean-out
A NEW watchdog will be established to ensure Queensland Rail pushes ahead with reforms recommended in the Strachan Commission of Inquiry to fix the timetable crisis, which could take two years.
The damning report found QR had a toxic culture and bloated bureaucracy and driver training needed to be opened up to external applicants.
Fixing the cultural issues and training enough new drivers to deliver the number of services originally scheduled after the Redcliffe Peninsula Line went into operation could take up to two years.
The report found no drivers recruited to fix the shortage had been fully trained.
The time required to fix the mess at QR could put at risk services for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games — and commuters should expect more cancellations.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there was no quick fix.
“As Commissioner Strachan identifies, such a (two-year) schedule falls well short of the travelling public’s expectations,” she said.
“That’s why today we will be commencing talks with the rail unions immediately (to accelerate driver recruitment and training).”
Regular train commuter Ana Trovato, 23, said the timeline to fix QR was a “cop out”.
“They can build toll roads and spend millions of dollars on road infrastructure, so why can’t they fix it quicker when so many people use the service?” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk pledged to set up a CityTrain Response Unit – recommended in the commission’s report but called a “Rail Review Office” – to ensure the rail operator followed through on the reforms recommended.
“It will, in effect, be a watchdog for Queensland Rail ensuring it stays on track and on time in delivering these vital reforms that the public expect,” she said.
The commission’s report was scathing of QR’s management and also highlighted declining productivity due to restrictive deals made with unions.
“There was a culture within the operations team of intuitive decision-making, complacency, and reluctance to sharing bad news,” the report said.
Commissioner Phillip Strachan said a major restructure was needed to reduce top-heavy management.
“We’d like to see in the recommendation that there is three layers removed ... so there is a much better line of sight from the chief executive to the frontline workforce,” he said.
The report found that between October and December last year drivers were driving for 29 per cent of their shift, a 7 per cent decrease on 2014.
“Other complex rules that may adversely affect driver productivity include additional meal breaks, restrictions on the sectorisation of train crew and rostering practices,” the report said.
The report cleared former transport minister Stirling Hinchliffe – who resigned in a shock move yesterday – and QR’s other shareholding minister, Treasurer Curtis Pitt.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the commission has concluded that the responsible ministers were not appropriately informed of the risk of a train crew shortfall prior to the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line nor of the magnitude and longevity of the issues faced from October 2016,” the report states.
But it criticised the “complex and ineffective governance” at QR and the relationships between Transport and Main Roads and the two ministers.
One of the recommendations was to investigate setting up a more integrated public transport network similar to Transport for London, which includes surface trains, underground services, roads, taxis, buses and ferries.
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