Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to speak on a project which, if implemented in its entirety, could deliver major economic benefits to my electorate of Mallee, the rest of Victoria and, indeed, the whole of Australia. This is the Murray Basin Rail Project. Commenced in 2016 and with an expected completion date at the end of 2018, this project intended to convert a substantial portion of the Victorian freight rail network from the historical broad gauge to standard gauge. The project is in paralysis, with cost blow-outs, poor quality project management, and substandard and incomplete works. The Murray Basin rail is a state-owned asset and the federal government has in good faith contributed $240 million to a $440 million project. The investment and subsequent current outcomes are unacceptable in anybody's terms.

What we have is an appalling mismanagement from the Victorian state Labor government. With approximately two million tonnes of grain and 1.5 million tonnes of mineral sands transported out of the Murray Basin each year, it was hoped that this project would meet the growing demand for efficient freight services in the region and remove an estimated 20,000 trucks from our roads each year. A section of one of the most important arteries in the system, the line from Maryborough to Geelong, is yet to be updated to the proposed dual gauge, which can support both broad and standard gauge. This corridor is vital, as it connects the Mildura, Manangatang and Sea Lake lines to the Geelong ports.

An efficient rail system in Mallee is something producers continue to speak to me about regularly. While we support our road transport industry, Mallee roads are experiencing accelerated degradation and, therefore, increased safety concerns. We can reduce these outcomes by getting more freight onto rail, and we will get more freight onto rail if the Murray Basin Rail Project is completed. I call on the Victorian Labor government to complete this project in good faith and to work with the federal government to achieve this end. Growers in my electorate need these upgrades. Victorians need these upgrades. Indeed, the Australian economy needs these upgrades.