Regional mayors and farming leaders joined senior Nationals MPs at Parliament House on Wednesday to demand the Federal Government reverse its decision to halt Inland Rail at Parkes, warning the move would devastate regional economies and leave communities stranded after years of investment and planning.
The delegation, led by Federal Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey, included mayors from across the proposed Inland Rail corridor, National Farmers’ Federation president Hamish McIntyre and senior Coalition figures including Nationals leader Matthew Canavan, deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie and former Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack.
The protest comes after the Federal Government confirmed Inland Rail would effectively stop at Parkes, abandoning plans for the freight corridor to continue north into Queensland. The original 1,600-kilometre project created a dedicated freight network intended to reduce truck traffic, improve supply chains and boost regional economies. However, after cost estimates ballooned beyond $45 billion, the Albanese Government announced it would “consolidate” the project and focus on sections already under construction south of Parkes, while preserving the corridor north of Parkes for potential future use.
Mr Chaffey accused the Albanese Government of abandoning regional Australia in favour of metropolitan projects after budget papers confirmed $4.4 billion had been removed from Inland Rail north of Parkes.
“I’m very proud to lead a delegation of some of the mayors and the councils that have been affected by this terrible decision from an Albanese Labor Government that only cares about metropolitan areas and they completely forget all about regional economies,” Mr Chaffey said.
“In the budget papers it says $4.4 billion has been taken away from that nation building project and we also see that $3.8 billion has gone into the suburban metro line in Melbourne.”
Mr Chaffey said local councils and businesses had spent years preparing for Inland Rail and regional development opportunities tied to the freight corridor.
Narrabri Shire Mayor Darrell Tiemens said the decision would force more freight onto roads instead of rail and represented a missed opportunity to improve freight logistics for Australian agriculture.
“Narrabri Shire is the second-largest producer of agricultural products in the entire country. We’re massive,” Mayor Tiemens said.
“Improving our freight logistics, getting our food and fiber to market was one of those things that so many farmers were actually banking on.”
Mayor Tiemens, who is also a firefighter, said the failure to complete Inland Rail would mean heavy freight continued to move by truck along major highways.
“The heavy traffic that was going to be on our rail systems is now destined for our roads,” he said.
“I have to pick up the pieces along with many others when some of these motor vehicle accidents happen, right up and down the Newell Highway and various others.”
Gilgandra Shire mayor Doug Batten said his council had already invested heavily in preparation for the project.
“We’ve just let a tender for the establishment of an industrial subdivision,” Mayor Batten said.
“We’ve just built four deepwater bores, three of them successful, that would provide water for the inland rail construction without impacting the groundwater of the stock and domestic supplies of our rural producers.”
Mayor Batten said farmers whose land had been impacted by the rail corridor had accepted disruptions because they believed in the long-term freight benefits of the project.
“The whole project was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our small community to take benefit of this life-changing project,” he said.
Mayor of Warrumbungle Shire Katherine Rindfleish said communities had been preparing for years for Inland Rail and hoped it would reduce truck traffic through towns including Coonabarabran.
“Our small town of Baradine have been ramping up for many years for this to happen,” Mayor Rindfleish said.
“We were hoping with the Inland Rail, it would reduce the accidents in New South Wales and fatalities on the roads.”
Deputy Mayor of Parkes Shire Marg Appleby said Parkes had spent the past decade planning around Inland Rail and the Parkes Special Activation Precinct.
“We’ve been planning for the last 10 years with Inland Rail with expectations what it will be able to deliver for our Shire,” Deputy Mayor Appleby said.
She warned communities including Peak Hill would continue carrying large freight volumes on local roads.
National Farmers’ Federation president Hamish McIntyre said Australia urgently needed another freight option beyond road transport.
“Trucks alone on our roads in Australia cannot handle all the commodities we’re producing on our farms,” Mr McIntyre said.
“We need rail as another option, an efficient option, to move these commodities.”
Mr McIntyre said Inland Rail had been critical to future productivity and export growth.
“We are just very disappointed that Inland Rail has been parked again,” he said.
Senator McKenzie said the Federal Government had ignored the “human toll” of cancelling the project.
“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,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Less than 2% of the Federal Budget’s infrastructure funding goes to the regions.”
Mr McCormack said regional communities had been “badly let down” by the decision.
“Inland Rail was going to open up so many opportunities,” Mr McCormack said.
“The businesses that they serve, their communities have relied upon for so many years, but also businesses which have made investments, taken risks … they’ve all been badly, badly let down.”
Senator Canavan accused the Federal Government of sacrificing regional Australia for political gain in Melbourne.
“The government overnight did crush the hopes and dreams of Regional Australia by cutting the funding to the Inland Rail.”
“The Government’s clearly made the decision to shore up votes in Melbourne and in doing so has dashed the opportunities that exist for regional Australians,” Senator Canavan said.
Mayor Tiemens agreed the decision was political and the Government was simply ignoring them.
“This is a lost opportunity for the nation.”
“Every Australian should be really bemoaning this decision, because it’s a silly one,” he said.
The Coalition has launched a “Rescue Our Rail” campaign and petition as pressure continues to build on the Government over the future of Inland Rail.
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