Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes

(i) that a Supreme Court action was lodged on Thursday, 10 September 2015, against the approval given by the Western Australian Minister for Environment (Mr Jacob) to the Roe 8 extension Stage 1 of the Perth Freight Link, and includes significant new revelations of bias and conflict of interest on the Environment Protection Authority board, potentially tainting the entire assessment process,

(ii) the opposition to this project by over 30 separate residents' and community groups, at least 3 local councils, and almost 15 000 individuals via petitions since 2008,

(iii) the well documented flaws in the federal environmental assessment process, including flawed surveys of the iconic Black Cockatoo, and

(iv) the failure of the Government to release key documents to inform public evaluation of this project; and

(b) calls on the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development:

(i) to reprioritise $925 million in federal funding allocated to this project to actual solutions to Perth's freight task, including investment in freight rail and the Outer Harbour, and

(ii) to urgently request That the federal assessment be delayed until such time as the judicial review in the Supreme Court has been completed.

I seek leave, without debating the issue, to make a brief statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave has been granted for one minute.

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Senate. Under the chairmanship of Senator Sterle and with quite good representation of Western Australian senators and others, earlier last week the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee sat in Perth and heard evidence from one very strong side of the argument that the Perth Freight Link should simply not be funded. The state government was given an opportunity to put their side of the case and they refused to show up. What the inquiry has established once and for all is that the Perth Freight Link should be set aside, and that there are strong counter proposals for how to deal with growing freight movements in the Perth metropolitan area.

This motion does nothing more than call on the minister to reprioritise the funding that former Prime Minister Abbott put into this project, sight unseen and without the state government even knowing where the project should go, and put that funding into actual solutions to Perth's freight task. I thank the Senate for giving it consideration.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave has been granted for one minute.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The $1.5 billion Perth Freight Link is a good project that will provide a world-class freight connection between Perth's strategic industrial areas and Fremantle port. It will also service any future outer harbour to the south. A summary business case is publicly available. It shows, overall, that the Perth Freight Link has a BCR of 2.8 and will deliver benefits of more than $3.9 billion to WA.

Infrastructure Australia has confirmed that the Perth Freight Link is the infrastructure solution that Western Australia needs to drive economic growth and boost the productive capacity of Perth's transport network. The project is expected to create 2,400 construction jobs, save around 10 minutes in travel time and save freight vehicles up to $8.15 per trip from Kwinana Freeway to Fremantle. It will also reduce traffic congestion on local arterial roads by removing 65,000 vehicles a day from the surrounding road network. The project is undergoing extensive and rigorous environmental approval processes.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business notice of motion No. 878 be agreed to.