Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Another fine contribution by the member for Riverina, if that's what you want to call it. For more than a decade Australians were promised a nation-building freight rail project that would transform the movement of goods across our country. What they got instead was delay, confusion, ballooning costs and a project that was fundamentally mismanaged from the very beginning. The fact of the matter is the Inland Rail project was bungled by the former coalition government from start to finish. Those opposite announced routes before proper planning had even been completed. They commenced construction without certainty around where the line would terminate, where freight would move or what the final cost to taxpayers would actually be. This was infrastructure by press release, not proper nation building.

When the coalition first announced Inland Rail in 2017, Australians were told the project would cost around $9.3 billion. By 2020 that figure had grown out to $16.4 billion. By the time we came to office in 2022, estimates had blown out beyond $31 billion—and even then there was no genuine certainty around the final cost or delivery pathway. What we inherited was a project plagued by uncertainty and poor decision-making. And perhaps the most remarkable part of this debate is that even senior figures of the former government now openly admit it.

Just 2½ weeks ago, on 2WEB Outback Radio, the former leader of the Nationals said this: 'The cost blow-out was because of a poor decision, and it was when we were in government. Barnaby Joyce was too weak to take on Malcolm Turnbull because of some local politics.' Those are not our words. Those are the words of their own side. It's an extraordinary admission that politics was placed ahead of sound infrastructure planning and, in turn, the Australian people.

That is why the Albanese government has taken the sensible and responsible approach to Inland Rail. When we came to office, we commissioned Dr Kerry Schott to undertake an independent review into the project. That review confirmed the extent of the problems we had inherited and highlighted the need for a more disciplined and sustainable approach. So we made the decision to reset the project and put it, like all sensible things related to rail, back on track. We have taken the practical decision to focus on delivering Inland Rail to Parkes by the end of 2027. We are preserving the corridor north of Parkes and protecting sites for future intermodal terminals in Queensland. Most importantly, we're ensuring future decisions are based on proper planning, proper consultation and proper value for taxpayers, because governments have a duty to ensure taxpayer money is spent responsibly, particularly at a time when Australians expect discipline, value and accountability from every dollar invested.

After years of neglect under the coalition, this government is investing $2.8 billion into the productivity, resilience and reliability of Australia's freight rail network. That includes a further $1.75 billion to improve freight rail infrastructure, alongside a $55 million incentive scheme to get more freight moved by rail and sea. This builds on the Albanese government's existing $1.04 billion commitment to upgrade the Australian Rail Track Corporation network. These are real investments that will strengthen supply chains, improve reliability and move more freight off our roads and onto rail.

Importantly, many within industry and regional Australia have welcomed this reset. Pacific National CEO, Brett Grehan, described the government's announcement as an important next step to program funding. Wes Judd, chair of the Millmerran Rail Group—

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