Canavan: Inland Rail could make Gladstone the ‘Chicago of Australia’

A political war of words has erupted over a planned meeting between Queensland politicians and the Gladstone Ports Corporation regarding Inland Rail. Here’s how it unfolded.

A Liberal National Party politician has indicated their party’s plans to extend the Inland Rail to Gladstone and the recently announced business case would be about examining options rather than whether it was possible.

It comes after Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced a $10 million business case to study the link from Toowoomba to Gladstone.

Member for Callide and LNP candidate for Flynn Colin Boyce said Gladstone had huge potential to become a container port in the future and all it needed were ship to shore cranes.

Candidate for Flynn Colin Boyce. PHOTO: Contributed/Matt Canavan's office

Incumbent member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd said the study was a ‘win-win situation’ and would link Central Queensland up with the rest of Australia.

LNP Senator Matt Canavan said the study was not about whether they wanted to build it, but how they would do so.

“This is a $10 million ticket to make Gladstone the Chicago of Australia,” he said.

“This is where train, road, port facilities will all merge into one in Central Queensland. This will bring more produce to Gladstone, creating jobs here in our town.”

More than 1300 freight, passenger and commuter trains pass through the Chicago region every day.

He said the container task would soon double from Australia and there were three options for the Gladstone link being considered, some of which might cut the distance from Miles to Goondiwindi.

“This is about making more money for Australians but it also means you’ll get your Amazon packages quicker,” he said.

Regional Development Australia Central and Western Queensland director Tony Gambling said items manufactured in Melbourne could be exported from Gladstone and the link would be built in half the time and at half the cost of Brisbane.

He said it cost US$50,000 to power a big ship every day and this was where some of the savings would come from.

“People will sing songs about us in 50 years when it gets up,” he said.

Mr O’Dowd said the line would not be dependent on opening Surat Basin coal mines and the project did not rely on only a single product.

“It’ll be a multitude of products,” he said.

Senator Canavan said however, coal would be an ‘important’ part of exports.

“We can actually see increased exports from Gladstone without any mines opening up,” he said.

“It does raise the question mark over whether the Labor Party is foot dragging here. Is it actually because they don’t want to see coal exports out of here?”

Political games

The Inland Rail extension has already sparked a political war of words between Labor and the LNP.

Senator Canavan accused Labor’s state Transport Minister Mark Bailey of ‘vetoing’ his opportunity to meet with the Gladstone Ports Corporation.

“What we need to see from the Queensland government is to co-operate on this study,” he said.

“I got word that no, no, Mark Bailey doesn’t like us meeting with the Gladstone Ports Corporation.”

The Observer sighted a message sent from GPC to Senator Canavan’s office on Wednesday afternoon, September 15, thanking him for his request to meet with them, however the correspondence said requests from elected officials to visit port facilities needed to be directed to Mr Bailey.

Mr Bailey said neither TMR nor his office received any correspondence from Senator Canavan’s office regarding requests to visit these port facilities, apart from a ‘ranting political letter’ that didn’t include a request to meet with GPC.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos September 14, 2021: Hon Mark Bailey speaks in Queensland State parliament. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

This letter to Mr Bailey claims that while Senator Canavan has met with Gladstone Port officials on many occasions, this is the first time the Queensland Government ‘barred’ him from meeting them.

Senator Canavan planned to have the meeting on September 20.

“Only at 8.54am [September 20] did I receive correspondence about it for the first time, and just one hour later Senator Canavan did a press conference demanding we support it,” Mr Bailey said.

It is understood this correspondence was from Mr Joyce.

“Providing my office with only an hour to consider something like this is keystone cops style, and shows how the Morrison LNP Government is slow to act and consumed with political spin with no interest in working cooperatively with state governments to get good outcomes.

“The Deputy Prime Minister’s letter will be considered by the state government now that we have received it.

“I look forward to receiving a request in the future from Senator Canavan for access to the Gladstone Port as he was advised nearly a week ago.”

Originally published as Canavan: Inland Rail could make Gladstone the ‘Chicago of Australia’