Government pulls the plug on Barnaby Joyce ‘pet project’

Inland Rail’s fate was sealed after a new independent study found construction of the Melbourne-Brisbane link would increase by about 450 percent.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the rail link would now terminate at Parkes in central NSW, about halfway to Brisbane, to save taxpayers’ money.

“The 2023 independent review has found major failings in the Liberals and Nationals’ governance and delivery of Inland Rail,” she said.

“We are making sensible decisions to reshape the future of Inland Rail and build a safe, efficient and reliable network for the future.”

Inland Rail has long been championed by former Coalition Deputy Prime Minister and current One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce.

Speaking on Sky News today, he condemned the federal government’s decision, saying it made no sense during the current fuel crisis.

“If diesel engines linked to drive motors that pull your groceries are turned off… we actually have an alternative, but they’ve decided to turn that off – it’s just unbelievable.

“These are real assets that are doing their job, and they have been thrown into the trash by a government that has no faith in regional areas.”

The NSW Peak Agriculture Organization has also condemned the government’s decision and questioned whether the minister knew the furthest point of the railway lines.

NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said his organization supported Inland Rail because moving freight more efficiently was important to farms and regional communities.

“But governments cannot ask rural and regional communities to bear the burden of disruptive construction and then simply change direction without accountability,” he said.

“If Inland Rail is to be ‘reoriented’ then fairness for landowners, clarity for affected businesses and real improvements in freight capacity must be the non-negotiables.”

Martin wondered if King was aware of routes already constructed to Narromine, and between Narromine and North Star on the NSW-Queensland border.

Farmers and communities along the northern part of the corridor continued to face significant challenges in getting produce to market

The federal government will retain the remainder of the rail corridor to Brisbane in case a future government restarts the project.

To improve existing rail freight services, the Australian Rail Track Corporation will receive an additional $1.75 billion.

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