Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is currently a very fierce debate underway on the Sunshine Coast about a mass transit system with multiple options being considered, from light rail to high-speed buses and trackless trams. The consultation process, which is being run by the Sunshine Coast Council, still has a long way to run—in fact, the surveys finish this week. But I suspect this indeed has a long, arduous road ahead of it, and with that will come ongoing divisiveness within the community, which is awfully sad.

But, amidst all of the noise and that divisiveness, there does lie a solution around which there is unity. That solution involves heavy rail connecting Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. In particular, I'm talking about two heavy-rail projects that unite the three tiers of government on the Sunshine Coast—each of those tier's local representatives—together with the business sector and the community at large. The first of those two rail projects is for a fully duplicated rail line from Beerburrum to Nambour, which would involve a change to stage 2 of the Beerburrum to Nambour project so it would have two tracks—full duplication—from Landsborough all the way up to Nambour. There's unity among local representatives, the business sector and the community at large for that project. The second project around which there is unity is the idea of having fast heavy rail all the way through to the Maroochydore CBD, bringing rail along that coastal strip for the first time, using the CAMCOS corridor. Again, local representatives of all three tiers of government, the business sector and the community at large are on a unity ticket when it comes to having fast heavy rail using the CAMCOS line all the way through to the Maroochydore CBD.

These two projects are not unrelated to the mass transit system that is being looked at—indeed, they are interrelated. The mass transit system is an intraregional system within the Sunshine Coast, but whatever eventuates through that exploration will have to connect with these two other projects. The heavy rail connection from Brisbane all the way through to Maroochydore CBD and from Brisbane all the way up the north coastline to Nambour, together with the Bruce Highway, represents the spine of the Sunshine Coast's transport system. Any intraregional system or mass transit system must connect to the spine, so it makes sense that these two projects, around which there is unity, should come first for the region. Indeed, it will help inform the mass transit scheme as we move forward.

These two rail projects also have something else in common, which is that rail is ultimately owned and operated by the Queensland state government. The immediate next steps for both projects ultimately require the Queensland state government to come on board with the local community so that we can progress both ideas. For the duplication to Nambour, the state government is being asked to match the $5 million that has been allocated by the Morrison government to assess the feasibility of full duplication. When it comes to fast heavy rail through to the Maroochydore CBD, the state government is being asked to publicly express its willingness to consider the possibility of heavy rail through to Maroochydore and to be the proponent—as the owner and operator of the network—for such a project. I call on them again today to join with our local community.