Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I have three questions for the minister. I do not presume that he will be able to answer all of these tonight, but he may be able to extend the answers in writing. Firstly, I congratulate the government on two feasibility studies that are being carried out at the moment. One is in relation to the north-south rail link, which also incorporates the Sydney link between Melbourne and Brisbane and, obviously, Sydney and Melbourne and Sydney and Brisbane. Another feasibility study is in relation to the Liverpool Range tunnel, which is in the Gwydir electorate but also has an impact on the New England electorate.

In relation to the north-south link, though, there have been a number of submissions put to the consultants. But there seems to be some confusion in relation to the freight task on those various routes—that is, Melbourne-Brisbane, Brisbane-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane. There is confusion over the numbers and actual tonnages by road and rail that are travelling between those destinations. I think they are very important in determining a route. It has importance in the Sydney-Brisbane part of that route as well. I was just wondering which figures your department uses in relation to the freight tasks between those particular destinations. Also, what is the government’s program in relation to the examination of the data that the consultants bring back on the Melbourne-Brisbane rail link? Is there a view as to when the government may act on that particular project?

I have another two questions. The minister would be aware of the issue before the parliament at the moment in relation to the taxation of compensation of water. A Regional Partnerships program grant was allocated to the Long Point channel near Gunnedah where a number of ground water users who were losing entitlement were actually granted funds to overcome that loss of entitlement by way of a channel to get water into a particular hot spot that was a problem to those people. I do not expect the minister to do it today, but could the minister inform me in writing of the taxation status of that grant in the hands of those recipients? The third and final question is: are you aware of a commitment by Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile to the Mayor of Tenterfield in relation to the funding of the Tenterfield bypass?

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