Queensland Election 2017: Labor to give $150m train upgrade work to Maryborough firm Downer

LABOR says it will give $150 million worth of work upgrading faulty trains to a regional Queensland firm in a bid to hold on to one of its most marginal seats.

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MORE than $150 million worth of modification work needed on the state’s troubled new train fleet will be funnelled to a Maryborough firm as Labor fights to keep the marginal seat at the November 25 election.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Transport Minister Jackie Trad will travel to the Wide Bay area Thursday to announce Maryborough firm Downer will be handed the contract to undertake the new generation rollingstock work should Labor win a second term in office.

Labor’s Bruce Saunders holds the seat with a margin of just 1.1 per cent and is facing a fight to hold on the electorate against a resurgent One Nation.

A Maryborough firm will receive the contract to fix the State Government’s Next Generation Rollingstock trains if Labor is elected.

The “Save Bruce Strategy” brings to more than $350 million the amount of State Government work promised to the manufacturing company, one of Maryborough’s largest employers, in less than two years.

The company was handed more than $70 million in modification work in September as part of a $200 million slice of a $400 million Queensland Rail contract.

The modification work includes at least $100 million to fix disability access problems.

Train manufacturer Bombardier is understood to have been asked to work with Downer on the modifications with the two firms previously engaged in work together.

Member for Maryborough Bruce Saunders and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Robyne Cuerel

Instead of a tender process the firm will be asked to undertake an open book audit.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took a swipe at the former Newman government’s decision to hand the original contract to Bombardier to build the new fleet of trains in India in announcing the new work for Downer.

“When he was Campbell Newman’s treasurer, Tim Nicholls signed the contract for these new trains to be built in India and for jobs to go overseas, but under Labor these trains will be fixed in Queensland by Queenslanders,” she said.

“We’ll require that this work is done in Maryborough because my government believes that jobs should stay in Queensland and not go overseas – that’s why we introduced our Buy Queensland policy”

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said Downer would be subject to an open book audit to ensure the money is being spent well.

Ms Trad said the bill for the modifications would be covered within the NGR budget.

“Bombardier and Downer have been in discussions on the modifications to the NGR trains and Downer has responded with a willingness to undertake the work locally,” she said.

“Downer wants to do this work in Maryborough and a re-elected Palaszczuk Government will make sure that happens.”

She said the firm would, however, need to be subject to an open book audit “so that we ensure value for money for the taxpayers”.

The ALP needs to hold on to seats like Maryborough if it has any hope of gaining the 47 seats it needs to govern in its own right in the new Parliament.

Fraser Coast councillor James Hansen is running for One Nation against Mr Saunders while Maryborough Chamber of Commerce vice-president Richard Kingston is running for the LNP.

Wide Bay Conservation Council member Roger Currie has put his hand to run as an independent in the seat as well alongside Greens candidate Craig Armstrong.