Australian House of Representatives Hansard for 23rd October 1997
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Railways
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Mr COBB--My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport and
Regional Development. The minister would be aware of the loss making
activities of Commonwealth-run railways under the previous government,
including the train services which run through my electorate of
Parkes. In the light of this, could the minister advise the House of
the new opportunities emerging in rail in Tasmania following the sale
of Tasrail? Does this have application to other areas of Australia?
Mr VAILE--I thank the honourable member for Parkes for his question.
He takes a great deal of interest in the rail reforms that the
coalition government is undertaking.
Mr Martin--Is that a train?
Mr VAILE--Yes, there is a train on the tie; that is exactly right. You
are very observant. As a result of the government's successful
privatisation process and the sale of Tasrail as part of the AN
process, there are some great opportunities developing in Tasmania
with the expansion of Tasrail and with the Australian Transport
Network, which bought the Tasrail outfit. They are creating the
opportunities for new investment and new jobs in Tasmania.
This contrasts with what happened in Tasmania under the regime of the
former government, when the Labor Party was in charge and more than a
thousand jobs were lost in the rail industry. Now the rail industry in
Tasmania has a very bright future with a new direction. I quote from
an article on 19 October in the Sunday Examiner headlined `Upgrading
planned':
The
Commonwealth sold the Tasrail operation for $22 million in August. The new
owner, Australian Transport Network, a consortium which consists of some of the
world's biggest and most respected narrow-gauge rail operators--plans to
`double freight carried within five years'.
An article in the Australian Financial Review on 13 October quoting Mr
Ed Burkhardt from ATN said:
ATN is committed to spending $20 million but plans to outlay $40 million
over the next four years, which will mainly be spent on locomotives, tracks and
wagons and other infrastructure. Some Tasmanian lines may be re-opened and
others upgraded.
Those ones they are proposing to re-open were lines that were closed
under Labor. Mr Burkhardt said:
I'd like to double the business over a five year period or even
two-and-a-half years. I am more comfortable with that number. If we double our
business, we'll more than double our employees.
That is what is going to happen in Tasmania following the positive
action of the coalition government with regard to rail reform.
I would also like to comment on the processes. As the member for
Parkes mentioned in his question, with the wider reform in rail across
Australia, I think it is to be recognised that the reforms which were
started by the former minister and which I propose to continue will
have great benefits for the economy right across Australia.
In conjunction and cooperation with the states right across Australia,
we propose to put together a national track authority which will
address the regulatory speed bumps that still exist in rail in
Australia. Taking that course of action, there will be a net benefit
to the bottom line of the Australian economy. It will provide a far
more competitive rail transport network right across Australia.
I highlight again that we are doing that in cooperation with the
states. This contrasts with what was done under the 13 years of Labor,
when we saw thousands of jobs lost in the rail industry, particularly
with AN and particularly in South Australia, where AN was
gutted--there were 7,000-odd jobs lost. We have turned that around and
we are seeing that private investment in rail infrastructure in
Australia is going to generate jobs, not lose them.
--
Arthur Marsh, telephone +61-8-8370-2365, fax +61-8-8223-5082
arthur@dircsa.org.au
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