The Nationals WA have labelled the Cook Labor Government’s plan to ‘buy-back’ WA’s rail network as desperate and disingenuous.
Opposition Leader and Shadow Transport Minister Shane Love MLA said the uncosted commitment was nothing more than a hollow promise from a Government which has failed to deliver for regional WA over the past eight years.
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and WA Labor doesn’t care about regional WA except in the weeks leading up to the election,” Mr Love said.
“Labor’s empty announcement offers no details on the cost to taxpayers, how it will be funded, or how it will facilitate the long-term management of the network for its various stakeholders, including our vitally important grain freight network.”
Mr Love said Labor’s light-touch regulatory approach to the freight rail network in WA had failed, but buying back the rail network was not the only solution.
“There are clearly changes needed to facilitate more freight on rail,” Mr Love said.
“The Cook Labor Government has done nothing over the past eight years to improve the regulatory framework to allow easier rail access for freight users. This knee-jerk reaction to promise a buy-back without addressing that underlying issues does not provide a solution.
“This announcement indicates an abject failure by Rita Saffioti as Transport Minister over the past eight years to put in place the correct settings to improve access to the rail network and maximise this important resource.
“The Transport Minister has been singularly obsessed with Metronet while failing to do a single thing to improve freight efficiencies and road safety outside of the metro area.”
Mr Love said current rail contracts were not set to expire for almost 25 years, with proponent ARC Infrastructure on record saying it will not hand back any part of the rail network.
“This makes the Government’s announcement not only unrealistic, but misleading.
“This Government has a history of making grandiose election promises which it fails to deliver on when they become too difficult – including a raft of abandoned legislation and broken promises in regional health – and this will be no different.”
Mr Love said Labor has shown no genuine plan or investment in WA’s vital road and rail infrastructure since coming to power in 2017.
“This is particularly evident in the Mid West, where freight which should be moved by rail is instead burdening regional roads. The Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road, for example, is seeing 170 movements of 60-metre quads daily, with this figure set to skyrocket to 500 per day.
“This is causing significant damage and making Mid West roads unsafe for all users, but despite this, the Cook Labor Government has sat idle.”
Mr Love said The Nationals in Government would work with all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive, informed plan that prioritises investment in rail infrastructure, maintenance of our regional road networks, and collaboration between government and private industry.
