TRANSPORT Minister Michael McCormack has announced the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Warren Truss as Chair of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
Mr McCormack – currently the Acting Prime Minister - said Mr Truss would bring experience and energy oversighting the Australian government owned interstate rail network company.
“As a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Truss was a driving force in the delivery of significant Australian government infrastructure investments, including the early funding for Inland Rail,” Mr McCormack said.
“Mr Truss brings a wealth of experience to ARTC with knowledge of the complexity in Australia’s growing freight and passenger task, leadership in the delivery major infrastructure projects and a strong understanding of regional Australia.”
Mr Truss resigned from federal politics at the 2016 federal election and from the Nationals leadership earlier the same year, replaced by Barnaby Joyce before Mr McCormack took over in late February.
In 2015, when he was the Transport Minister, Mr Truss was handed the Inland Rail Implementation Group’s report to government, by Committee Chair and former Nationals leader John Anderson who said the $10 billion project’s business case was “robust” and had been subject to significant, independent validation.
Mr McCormack said Mr Truss as a former Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Transport Minister was “pre-eminently” qualified for the new appointment.
“He understands logistics, he understands the need for negotiation between stakeholders, between local government and state governments and he’s got that level of expertise needed for complex budgets and projects,” he said.
“Warren Truss is just the sort of person this project needs to take the next steps.
“He stood out as somebody that I felt, when I took over the role, could do the job and was needed to ensure the inland rail was delivered.
“He’s got the job for three years and he has the time and expertise and the experience to make it a success.”
Mr McCormack rejected any criticism of the appointment given Mr Truss’ connection to the Nationals, saying he spoke to the Shadow Labor Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and there was no “pushback”.
“People who know Warren Truss know that he’s got that level of experience and expertise that’s needed,” he said.
“There should not be any discussion whatsoever or pointing any fingers because he’s best qualified to take this project, where it needs to go.
“He was always across his brief and worked diplomatically to resolve any issues and that’s what we need.
“I’m more than confident he’ll be able to negotiate what needs to be done, through that process.”
Today, Mr McCormack also thanked Mr Truss’s predecessor Dr Helen Nugent and said that under her leadership the ARTC had delivered “significant improvements” to the efficiency and competitiveness of Australia’s interstate rail network and driven the early stages of the Inland Rail project.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said he was looking forward to again working with Mr Truss who was appointed to the role of ARTC Chair for the next three years.
Senator Cormann said under Mr Truss the ARTC would have a renewed focus on stakeholder engagement and delivery as “we work towards construction this year”.
“ARTC manages the nation’s interstate network and is responsible for the delivery of the Inland Rail, to which the Australian government has invested $9.3 billion, including $8.4 billion equity in the 2017-18 Budget,’ he said.
“I also thank Dr Nugent for her service and contribution to ARTC.
“I am looking forward to seeing how Mr Truss can shape the ARTC’s ongoing delivery of key rail projects the Australian government is delivering.”
Mr McCormack spoke about the inland rail’s benefits to farmers and regional communities yesterday during his address to the National Press Club in Canberra saying he wanted to “be very clear why we are building it”.
“This is the largest Commonwealth investment in a rail project in 100 years and it took a Liberal and Nationals government to build it, to get it started, to make it happen,” he said.
“We are building it because it is infrastructure that will underpin strong economic growth for business and agriculture alike by opening our regions to new domestic - indeed, international - markets.
“It will attract new businesses to regional Australia and it will drive new investment by existing regional businesses, and in the process it will create local jobs.”
Mr McCormack said he had heard criticism that the inland rail was “a project for regional people and admitted it was “unashamedly”.
“But he said anyone who wants to take part in this opportunity is welcome to join in,” he said.
“But it will also bring enormous benefit to our capital cities: Melbourne and Sydney; Melbourne and Brisbane; Melbourne and Adelaide; Brisbane and Perth.
“I keep mentioning Melbourne and Brisbane because that's where it goes to and comes from, but certainly the Adelaides, the Perths, and all the other cities around our great nation, they're all going to benefit from Inland Rail.”
Mr McCormack said the inland rail delivered $16b of additional economic activity at a fair return on investment of $2.63 for each dollar government invested.
“That's a great return on investment,” he said.
“I recently visited north western NSW with (Nationals MP) Mark Coulton and we met with small business people, with farmers, with agribusinesses, local residents along the rail line in Moree and Narrabri who understand the benefits it will bring their region.
“Those people understand that over the next 20 years, the Australian freight task will double and if Inland Rail is not built, there will be an additional 200,000 trucks on our highways and byways by 2040.
“Now, Inland Rail is exactly the type of logistics investment we need to make sure and to safeguard our freight resilience and to help grow our economy, most importantly.”
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