Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This week I had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from the City of Ipswich in Southeast Queensland. They came to raise awareness of the need for a rail link between Ipswich CBD and Springfield, to the east of the fastest-growing city in Queensland. The Albanese Labor government is committing $3.4 million towards the business case. The rail corridor will service the fast-growing multicultural communities along the proposed route and ensure homes in the many greenfield sites are more affordable and attractive. It will link the Ipswich and Springfield campuses of the University of Southern Queensland and the Ipswich showgrounds. Without the rail corridor, the cost of congestion will go from $500 million to one billion dollars a year by 2036, with the average commute to Brisbane 2.5 hours.

I commend the delegation, particularly Councillor Jacob Madsen, the deputy mayor of Ipswich; Councillor Sheila Ireland, who, along with Jacob, represents Division One; Dan Heenan, who looks after major projects and advocacy within the Ipswich City Council; Christine Castley, the CEO of Multicultural Australia; Taku Hashimoto from Sekisui House, a major property developer in Ripley; and Darren Zanow, the president of the Ipswich Show Society. Thank you very much for making the commitment to come to Canberra.

I commend the delegation and thank my colleagues on both sides of the chamber for generously giving their time to accommodate the delegation from the City of Ipswich.

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