The federal Coalition has launched the Inland Rail petition after the federal government decided to cancel the Queensland section of the project. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Inland Rail petition follows Queensland cancellation
Inland Rail petition follows Queensland cancellation

Inland Rail petition and Queensland link

The campaign focuses on the Queensland part of Inland Rail. That is the section the federal government decided to cancel, as reported by Wangaratta Chronicle. Inland Rail had been planned as a 1600-kilometre freight project. It was also planned to connect regional areas across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

On Wednesday, Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie appeared in Canberra with a group of Nationals MPs. She pointed to one of the project’s stated aims: removing 200,000 trucks from major highways.

“This was a project to get 200,000 trucks off our freight route north and south, to reduce the human road toll, but importantly to also reduce emissions, something the government says they actually care about,” Ms McKenzie said.

Also, she criticised the federal government over broader infrastructure funding decisions.

“They didn’t just cancel the Inland Rail and its benefits, they also cut almost five billion dollars from road funding from every state and territory and they also jacked up the price of flying out of the country and the passenger movement charge.

“Less than 2 per cent of the federal budget’s infrastructure funding goes to the regions.

“We produce a hell of a lot of the wealth for this country through our mining and agriculture industry, through our brain and our hard work.

“For this government to somehow assume we’re going to continue to be able to do what we do in the regions for this country over the forward estimates but into the decades to come without Canberra recognising that and investing in us, just shows you how out of touch this government is.

“They talk a lot about intergenerational advantage or disadvantage.

“Well, the Inland Rail was an intergenerational project.”

Rescue Our Rail campaign

Ms McKenzie said businesses had already invested significant capital on the expectation that Inland Rail would connect with Queensland.

“On the back of that commitment over subsequent governments, these communities have invested,” she said.

“Their small businesses have ramped up.

“Councils have used ratepayers’ money to build precincts in these local communities to drive that economic advantage over the decades to come.”

Ms McKenzie said the Coalition would overturn the decision and rescue Inland Rail.

She urged people to sign the Coalition’s Rescue Our Rail petition.

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