Re: Sale of Westrail Freight

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

"Donald R Smith" <drsmith@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
396add45$0$16464@motown.iinet.net.au">news:396add45$0$16464@motown.iinet.net.au...
> The legislation to allow the sale of this part of Westrail's operation
(not
> much else left) has been passed in parliament.
> There appears to be no particular rush and no particular group is
preferred.
> All of the above comes from a very reliable source.

It is no great secret - the bill - the "Rail Freight System Bill 1999" -
received royal assent on 8 June 2000 and is therefore law as soon as it is
proclaimed (don't know when this will be if it hasn't already happened).

>From the Parliament of WA website (http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/)

"Bill Synopsis
The purpose of this Bill is to provide the legislative authority for the
Government to sell Westrail's freight business and the associated assets
other than the freight railway corridor. To achieve this, the Bill provides
for -

* the establishment of a Rail Corridor Minister to exercise powers on behalf
of the State in respect of the freight railway corridor, including the power
to dispose of interests and right of use no greater than leasehold;

* the conferral of powers on the Minister and Westrail to dispose of the
rail freight business;

* the removal of the freight railway from the control of the Government
Railways Act 1904, designating it as "corridor land" or "land other than
corridor land" and placing it under the control of the Rail Corridor
Minister;

*the cancellation of the designation of corridor land if the agreement
permitting its use is terminated. There is provision for the land to be
redesignated as a government railway in such a case;

* placing the rail corridor on an equal footing to a road corridor with
respect to exemption from State land taxes and local government rates; and

* extending the application of the State rail access regime to a private
operator of the Westrail network, and amending the Government Railways
(Access) Act 1998 accordingly."

As the legislation providing for the sale cannot be seen to be favouring any
one bidder, it would have been neutral in this regard, if only to prevent
the government from being locked into a bidder by law and that bidder then
decides to play silly buggers.

Dave