Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I spoke earlier today, during my 90-second statement, about the importance of having a Melbourne to Gladstone inland rail project declared a project of national significance. I cannot stress enough how important this project is, not only to Australia but to the electorate of Flynn. Gladstone and the hinterland need to have projects such as this to ensure that there is a continuity of opportunity long after the resources boom has been and gone. We need sustainability of development. We all know that one day the demand for coal and LNG may diminish as countries around the world move to alternative power sources and even uranium.

The Port of Gladstone is ideally placed to receive imports from Asia and to act as a distribution point to the rest of Australia. The missing link is the inland railway. The project consists of three sectors. The first is the new track from Wondoan to Banana, popularly known as the southern missing link of the Queensland rail system. The other two sectors are existing Queensland railway narrow-gauge tracks at either end of the ‘missing link’. They are from Toowoomba to Wondoan and from Banana to Gladstone. The consortium has met all mandate deadlines to date and will achieve financial closure for the ‘missing link’ during the second half of 2011, provided that negotiations over the mining tax do not cause any further delays in the development of the Surat Basin coal mines.

The Queensland state government has a vested interest in making sure that the new line is a narrow-gauge line, but this is madness. It is 19th century logic, and we need 21st century solutions. Of course, a narrow-gauge line would serve to protect the interests of the Queensland government at a time when it is promoting the sale of its rail freight business. But it is not in the interests of Gladstone, Central Queensland or, indeed, Australia.

The only way to solve this problem is for the federal government to declare this a project of national significance. Gladstone and the hinterland towns of Central Queensland deserve better. The mining boom will not go on forever. We have the port. We need this new dual-gauge railway to future-proof the economy of Central Queensland so that we can have sustainability for the future.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 8 pm, the debate is interrupted.