‘Get your act together’

Politicians urged to get on with the job or risk losing rail and Olympic events

By Mitch Gaynor
and Sonia Isaacs

FEDERAL member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace is urging politicians and stakeholders to “get our act together” over the future of the Sunshine Coast Rail, saying the region is risking the right to host any events at the 2032 Olympics as well as losing the entire rail project.
At the same time Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli is also calling on the federal government to work with the state and extend the rail line to Maroochydore by 2032.
“We reaffirm Council’s commitment to, and strong support for, the heavy rail from Beerwah to Maroochydore, and we are asking the political parties to commit to funding and delivering the Mooloolah River Interchange upgrade,” Mayor Natoli told an infrastructure delegation (pictured) on Monday, Feb 3.
“The Sunshine Coast deserves a transport system that works for locals now and leaves a legacy for future generations.”
The call to action comes after Infrastructure Australia removed the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line (DSCRL) from its priority list, throwing the future of the mass transit project into doubt. Deputy Premier, Jarrod Bleijie, who had made an election promise to build the line to Maroochydore by 2032, said the removal of the project from IA’s priority list threw the project into doubt.
He also used an Olympics infrastructure submission from advocacy group Sunshine Coast 2032, quoting a $20 billion construction cost, to question the project.
Mr Bleijie said the figure was “alarming” and promised to “look at all of it because we want to deliver it”.
But Mr Wallace dismissed the $20bn figure, saying the entire project could be built for far less and also be completed by 2032.
“If we as a community do not band together and sing with one voice, governments may take their funding elsewhere,” he writes in this edition of GC&M News (p23).
“Worse still, if we don’t get our act together, the Sunshine Coast might just lose the chance to host Olympic and Paralympic events to another region within South East Queensland – robbing Sunshine Coast families and their businesses of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Mr Wallace added that the “whole idea of bidding for and securing the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games was to use them as a catalyst for legacy infrastructure on the Sunshine Coast”.
“We have just one shot at securing heavy rail. This is it.” A state government-led business case completed in March last year found the project would cost $12bn in total and should be staged to ensure a line reached the coast by 2032.
The $5.5bn Stage 1, which is fully funded, would extend from Beerwah to Caloundra is due to be completed by 2032 and still has the backing of the federal government.
“Any amendments to IA’s Priority List will not impact the delivery of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project,” Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said.
“While the Queensland Government is ultimately responsible for delivering the project, the Federal Government’s commitment remains firm.”
When Mr Bleijie was asked if he could confirm that the State Government would deliver Stage 1 of the DSCRL to Caloundra, and if he still supported the line to Maroochydore by 2032, he said: “Our election commitment for Sunshine Coast direct rail was clear and stands as strong today as it ever has.”
Mayor Natoli said Council strongly supported heavy rail from Beerwah to Caloundra for which the detailed work had already been done.
“The Sunshine Coast has a high dependence on car travel,” she said.
“To maintain our liveability, we need to provide safe and accessible transport options.”
“The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure lasting transport improvements for our region.
“This isn’t about choosing buses over rail.
“This is about getting the best transport solutions in place for our community, both short-term and long-term.”
An IA spokesperson said they were still “currently consulting on its Infrastructure Priority List” and would continue to work closely with states and territories to identify nationally significant infrastructure proposals.

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