State dithering risks stopping inland rail line

Construction of the $10bn inland rail line could be delayed because of the Queensland govern­ment’s reluctance to sign off on a crucial agreement.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Construction of the $10 billion inland rail line could be delayed because of the Queensland govern­ment’s reluctance to sign off on a crucial agreement.

Sources close to the landmark project say if the deal with the federal government is not signed within months, “it will start to impact on delivery timelines”.

The Palaszczuk Labor government has been reluctant to approve the agreement, citing a lack of willingness by the federally owned Australian Rail Track Corporation to address community concerns.

Lobby groups have ramped up the pressure on the Queensland government to sign the agreement, while community groups, particularly in rural areas, have continued to criticise the proposed route.

Inter-governmental agreements were signed in Victoria and NSW early last year, providing certainty for the delivery of the project and a commitment to negotiate a new long-term lease with the ARTC over the rail ­corridor.

Infrastructure Association of Queensland chief executive Steve Abson said the state was miss­ing out on jobs while the government dithered about the project, which is estimated to boost gross state product by $7.3bn.

“That level of financial benefit is an outstanding return for the state, which invests next to nothing in the project and simply has to agree to co-ordinate planning functions with ARTC,” Mr Abson said.

Australian Railway Association chief executive Danny Broad urged the government to sign the agreement to “give the ­certainty required for this level of investment”.

Former state Nationals MP Ian Rickuss has slammed the project, describing its financing through public-private partnerships as “questionable” and its planning “poor”.

Mr Rickuss recently resigned from his role as co-ordinator of the ARTC’s consultative committee responsible for community engagement on the Too­woomba to Brisbane stretch of the line, saying the ARTC would not act on community concerns about flooding, loss of farmland and cost blowouts.

He criticised the expensive final leg of the 1700km rail line because the current design means trains would have to load or unload in the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge — 38km from the Port of Brisbane.

It would also cut through the fertile food bowl in the Lockyer Valley.

Mr Rickuss has lobbied for the rail line to end in Toowoomba, 100km west of Brisbane.

The steep Toowoomba range has upped the cost of the rail line, with the Toowoomba to Acacia Ridge leg expected to cost about $5bn.

“Development without consideration of the public is foolish and politically untenable,” Mr Rickuss said.

“The ARTC proposal is flawed — it will cost taxpayers billions of dollars and deliver very few benefits for southeast Queensland and Australia.”

Acting Transport and Main Roads Minister Steven Miles said on Sunday the ARTC needed to better address community concerns.

“We’ve consistently said on inland rail that the federal government must deal with the concerns that have been raised by farming communities and those living near the proposed corridor,” Mr Miles said.

“Those concerns include loss of agricultural land, floodplain ­issues, noise and social impacts.

“We want the best deal for Queensland, and one that considers and responds appropriately to those issues before the project proceeds.”