Six of the Riverina’s 13 federal election candidates gave their final word on what they believe should happen with the controversial Inland Rail project in Wagga. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
With the federal election set to be decided this Saturday, six candidates running for the seat of Riverina have given their final word on one of the region’s hotly debated topics – the federal government’s controversial ‘nation building’ rail project and whether it should pass directly through Wagga.
Inland Rail is a 1600-km freight rail-line project that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via the Riverina. Due to begin this year, it is being constructed by the Federal Government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). The project is aimed at helping companies send their produce to big cities and ports faster and more efficiently.
But the fact it passes directly through Wagga CBD has caused concern, with fears the increased volume of trains will cause traffic disruptions and impede access to the hospital.
During Committee 4 Wagga’s recent candidates forum, Labor for Riverina candidate Mark Jeffreson, Australian Citizens Party’s Richard Foley and independent candidates Barbara Baikie, Grant Hardwick, James Gooden and Jenny Rolfe all weighed in on what they would like to see done.
Here are each candidate’s thoughts:
Mark Jeffreson – Labor
“Labor is committed to spending $30 million on working out how to do that (deliver a bypass),” Mr Jeffreson said.
“Originally, there was no advocacy given at a local level for a solution to Inland Rail. That was left for people outside of the then parliament to decide.
“It left people asking, ‘How’s this going to work if there’s going to be 18, 19, double-stack trains coming through a day? How’s it going to work coming through the middle of Wagga?’
“We’ve [Labor] spent a long time advocating for the Inland Rail bypass. We did that just by door knocking, by really ringing people up, like Senator Deborah Neil, and we are starting to deliver a report on how to deliver a bypass.”
James Gooden – Independent
“One hundred per cent, I’ll be advocating for a bypass,” Mr Gooden said.
“The current plans for Inland Rail has set people behind. We will have trucks sitting and waiting as trains go by and this will be detrimental to businesses.
“The planning didn’t bring people in from the region. Advocating for those people should have been the incumbent’s first priority as well as representing the regions.
“The other part of this is, it [the track] doesn’t go anywhere. It doesn’t go south, doesn’t go to the north. This is something that should have been thought of years ago.”
Grant Hardwick – Independent
“I absolutely support a bypass,” Mr Hardwick said.
“I do think this major infrastructure project is good, and I have actually worked for a company that is already upgrading bridges in different parts of the area.
“But, if the bridges in other parts of the area are already being upgraded widely, why are we only talking about a bypass now? That’s my question.
“So I do support a bypass, and I’d like to see it happen. But again, this problem could have been solved many, many, many years ago.”
Jenny Rolfe – Independent
“The current state of Inland Rail is a perfect example of poor strategic planning,” Ms Rolfe said.
“They’ve been talking about this Inland Rail since the 1980s. Who thought it was a good idea to have double-decker freight trains coming through the largest inland city in Australia?
“The incumbent should have been out there advocating for a bypass well and truly before this point.
“It’s not just about a bypass, which absolutely should have been on the plains, right from the beginning. It shows that a lack of consultation with the community with people like those who are living along that rail line, who had no idea this was happening, and those who did, thought, ‘Oh, it’s passenger trains’; it is not.
“In 2018, it was estimated the cost of Inland Rail would be $10 million. It’s now going to be at least three times that at the taxpayer’s expense. This kind of large infrastructure project needs to be planned properly.”
Richard Foley – Australian Citizens
“When I came to [Wagga City] Council and was elected on the Henderson ticket, I went on that committee (ARTC) and blew this right out,” Mr Foley said.
“I saw what was going on, and I just held the committee to account for hours. They wanted to get in and out of there in an hour, but I asked question after question.
“I blew this thing right up in the media, so everyone started to learn and form an understanding. So I was actually, I carried the torch on this, I must say.
“I have a written legislation on my website where you can see how we can fund the bypass if I hold the balance of power.
“[Before I was on Wagga Council], they were absolutely spineless and weak. They didn’t stand up on this matter. We are told it’s going to cost $1.5 billion. Well, I can tell you it’s going to cost 50 times that by the time it is finished.”
Barbara Baikie – Independent
“I absolutely support it [a bypass]; it is ridiculous that we have gotten to this stage,” Ms Baikie said.
“There are a whole range of issues, like in Wagga, trying to get those long trains through. There are safety issues because it blocks the hospital, and we need to get trucks off the roads.
“I think it’s a prime example of a lack of really good planning consultation.
“I just think that this is something that, as an independent, we can monitor closely. It should be the first question when something comes up. You should ask, ‘What’s the plan? Where’s the consultation?’
“I know that they don’t always do evaluations, so that seems to be something that we need to look at. Did it work, and if not, why not?”
Note: Seven candidates running for the seat of Riverina did not attend this candidates forum. Michael McCormack (Nationals), the incumbent, was attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. Other candidates who didn’t attend were Mark Craig (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation), Desiree Gregory (Shooters, Fishers and Farmers), Mark Burge (Family First), Pheonix Vaxlori (Greens), Christine Onley (Libertarian) and Jake Davis (independent).
