#ausvotes L/NP: infrastructure policies

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> North Queensland to evolve into martime powerbase and highway to China

NORTH Queensland will evolve into a maritime powerbase and highway to China under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's election elixir to spiralling regional unemployment.

Mr Turnbull will today announce two major projects for Cairns and Townsville that will create hundreds of jobs and help diversify their transitioning economies.

Returning to Queensland just a week after he left, he will unveil a strategic $24 million upgrade of the Cairns Marine Precinct, which will secure extra maintenance work for the Royal Australian Navy.

The upgrade to wharves, docks, workshops and reconfiguration of shipyards next to the HMAS Cairns naval base comes as Australia faces growing regional instability.

Boosting national security capabilities in north Queensland will build on the 1300 people employed in ship building and repair in the region, and comes after Cairns lost its bid to build patrol boats.

Mr Turnbull will also reveal his Government will aim to soak up lost jobs through the resources downturn by investing $150 million towards a freight rail corridor in Townsville, which will also spark urban renewal.

The plan to build Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor will remove freight trains from Townsville suburbs, which will ease congestion but also help the regions access one of the biggest ports in Australia. The project has been on Infrastructure Australia's priority list for about five years.

Mr Turnbull will declare Townsville will become a transport, logistics and trade hub between Australia and Asia.

The corridor will be able to move 1.4km-long freight trains, increasing the amount of produce, such as sugar and beef, and minerals that can be taken to the Port of Townsville. Member for Herbert Ewen Jones said he would lobby to siphon-off jobs for locals, so cash from the projects stayed in Townsville.

The Government left the door open to contributing funds to the Townsville stadium project but it is now less likely to match federal Labor's pledge of $100 million. It will not be unveiled today.

Wow, only on the IA list for 5 years!  Rocking ... 

[ozbob]

7 News --> Turnbull makes rail pledge for Queensland

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's first promise to Queensland during the official election campaign is for a Townsville project - but it's not money for the northern city's high-priority football stadium.

Mr Turnbull on Wednesday pledged $150 million towards the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor.

He says the investment will provide a new 8km rail freight line to the city's port, and address an existing bottleneck in the supply chain.

The project will deliver about 300 jobs during the construction phase as well, he said.

But as he campaigns in the state's north, voters will likely be hoping he follows Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's lead and matches the state government's commitment of $100 million for a new Townsville stadium.

Nevertheless, Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has welcomed Mr Turnbull's rail corridor commitment.

"Upgrading the rail line into the Port of Townsville is an incredible commitment to the region, maximising productivity at the port and creating much-needed jobs for Townsville," Mr Nicholls said. "It's encouraging to see investment in key economic infrastructure for North Queensland after what has been a tough period for Townsville."

The community is still reeling after mass job losses at Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel refinery.

The push for a new stadium in Townsville comes after the NRL champion North Queensland Cowboys last week threatened they might need to leave the city if the new infrastructure wasn't built in the near future.

The coalition government had made some announcements for Queensland in its budget just before the election, including road funding, but there was no mention of a stadium.

[ozbob]

This is in the ' I kid you not ' category ..

Just heard Premier AP on the radio bemoaning the fact PM Turnbull has said they will put $150M towards the rail freight line in Townsville rather than put $100M to the footy stadium.  She said the business case for the rail corridor is not finished, but the business case for the football stadium is, so that should be funded.   

It largely seems irrelevant to our Premier that the BCR for the stadium is in the order of 0.21.

Following her logic, then the calls for CRR funding are not valid then either as no business case.

Yep, won't be long now I reckon before we have a new state govt  ....

[James]

This in the ' I kid you not ' category ..

Just heard Premier AP on the radio bemoaning the fact PM Turnbull has said they will put $150M towards the rail freight line in Townsville rather than put $100M to the footy stadium.  She said the business case for the rail corridor is not finished, but the business case for the football stadium is, so that should be funded.   

It largely seems irrelevant to our Premier that the BCR for the stadium is in the order of 0.21.

Following her logic, then the calls for CRR funding are not valid then either as no business case.

Yep, won't be long now I reckon before we have a new state govt  ....

Yes, Curtis Pitt was in the media last night complaining about the federal government "dictating" to Queensland what it can and can't build. Perhaps it is because a new stadium is well down the list of priorities.

It is akin to buying chocolate when you can only afford to buy one thing at the shops. You wouldn't do that with your own budget, why is the state government buying chocolate (Townsville stadium) while the rest of the state is malnourished (doesn't have the infrastructure it needs)?

The state government should invest in some infrastructure that is actually going to benefit the state, rather than be a short-term sugar rush.

[nathandavid88]

The state government is seriously complaining over a $150 million investment in Townsville, because it's not on the stadium they want wanted but is more expensive, more useful rail investment??? 

[Stillwater]

Turkeys.  What are they saying? "We don't want $150m for Townsville, we want only $100m."?

Curtis Pitt's comments are contradictory.  He says the Townsville rail project does not have a completed Business Case (and therefore should not be funded), yet the State Government argues that CRR (no Business Case) should be funded by the feds.  At every opportunity, Madam Trad screams through bright red lips: "SHOW US THE MONEY".  All this episode shows is that Queensland is woefully behind in preparation of business cases for major infrastructure projects.  It's an own goal for Curtis Pitt.

A sports stadium for Townsville is a Labor State Government commitment that it should go ahead and fund, and build.

The project that the feds have committed funding to is the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor (TEARC).

In promising federal money for this project, Mr Turnbull has been reading the Queensland Infrastructure Plan, which identifies the Port of Townsville re-development as a high priority, with the Townsville State Development Area strategically located in close proximity.

These words are from the Dept. of Transport and Main Roads website:

"The region surrounding the Mount Isa rail system produces 75 per cent (by volume) of Queensland's non-coal mineral output, including copper, lead, zinc and fertiliser, which are also the primary exports from the Port of Townsville.  TEARC is expected to improve access for bulk freight traffic to the Port of Townsville by providing a direct and uninterrupted corridor.

"TEARC will be a new 8 kilometre rail link from the North Coast Line near Cluden, through the State Development Area, and to the Port of Townsville. TEARC will be a double track configuration and will require a fixed bridge over the Ross River. The main benefit of TEARC is enabling 1400m trains providing substantial savings in train operating costs and passing loops (relative to 1000m train operations which requires more passing loops to handle more frequent, shorter trains for the same freight task). Contestability of Townsville Port
versus Abbot Point is a factor of rail haul distance, train lengths and shipping size. The haul distance is 180 kilometres further to Abbot Point. Train lengths are currently constrained to 1000m for the Mount Isa System and 650m for the North Coast Line. Port of Townsville is constrained to fully laden Handymax and Panamax ships7 whereas Abbot Point, with its deep harbour, can handle significantly larger Capesize ships. The economies of scale gained by using 1400m trains for TEARC and Panamax ships from deepening the Port of Townsville is competitive with Abbot Point."

It sounds as though Malcolm Turnbull is thinking strategically when it comes to federal investment in Townsville.

More information:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/T/Townsville-Eastern-Access-Rail-Corridor

This project has arisen out of several studies, among them:

Communicating the Imperative for Action (Infrastructure Australia 2011);
Mount Isa Line Rail Infrastructure Master Plan 2012 – Consultation Draft, Nov 2011 (Queensland
Rail 2011);
Mount Isa System Rail Infrastructure Master Plan (QR Network 2009);
Mount Isa System Information Pack (QR Network Access 2007);
Port Development Plan 2010–2040 (Port of Townsville 2010);
Townsville Port Eastern Rail Access Order of Magnitude Cost Estimate (Maunsell 2008); and,
Townsville Port Access Impact Assessment Study – Environmental Assessment (Kinhill 2000).

The Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor supports the viability of the Queensland North-West Mining Province and Mt Isa – seat of the Katter Barrons.

[ozbob]

Premier AP et al are getting some very sad and bad advice I suspect.   Looking very very silly ...

NRL can chip in for the stadium.  Football stadiums are not IA priorities ...

The Blight Govt went the same way, a gibbering nut-house in the end ..

[verbatim9]

Premier AP et al are getting some very sad and bad advice I suspect.   Looking very very silly ...

NRL can chip in for the stadium.  Football stadiums are not IA priorities ...

The Blight Govt went the same way, a gibbering nut-house in the end ..

I believe in that too that the footy codes should contribute to stadiums. Why do footy stadiums have to be heavily subsidized by the governemt anyway?


Anyway Fed Lnp have made it clear right from the beginning that national rail, ports and roads have priority on funding, so no surprises there!

[Stillwater]

Nooooooo, says Labor.  We don't want that Townsville Port railway line creating jobs for Queenslanders in the city hardest hit in recent times.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-has-second-highest-unemployment-rate-20160519-goyred.html

We want a new stadium with footy fans downing beers and scoffing meat pies while watching the beloved Cowboys on the few weekends when they have home games -- and we want a return of 21c for every dollar spent on its construction.  Bugger the export dollar earnings and freight efficiencies through the Port of Townsville and provision of the necessary infrastructure for the Townsville State Development Area, not to mention support for Mt Isa and the North-West Mining Province (where the Katters rule and keep Labor in power through cross-bench support).

Hello!

[ozbob]

^

[ozbob]

The ' control ' group  (Premier, Deputy Premier and Treasurer) are protected by an elaborate  ' filter ' firewall of staffers  media adviser army etc.   They live in an artificial world.  It is generally pointless to write to them (control group) as this filter-firewall intercepts and blocks most things.  They spin back replies signed by Premier or another leading light but they haven't actually been involved in the correspondence chain at all.  This happens to a similar degree with most Ministers as well of course.

This is how you get to this ludicrous situation were the Premier is chastising the Feds for Townsville rail money.

The Blight Govt had the same disconnect from reality. 

The Newman Govt had the same issues but also an extreme degree of pure arrogance that compounded their demise.

The Harding campaign for BCC Votes was also disconnected from reality, and got its just rewards.

Consultation, jobs etc. is all just meaningless spin.  You think they would have learned by now to actually listen to the punters and not just to the advisers.  They don't so the end result is political oblivion.

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Turnbull commits $150m to Townsville rail link

A rail link will connect Queensland's North Coast Line directly with the Port of Townsville under a $150 million investment announced by the Turnbull Government on May 18.

Prime Minister Turnbull, now well into his election campaign, was joined at the north Queensland port by infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester and local member Ewen Jones to make the announcement.

He said the $150 million commitment would address an emerging bottleneck in the supply chain, as well as removing freight trains from Townsville's suburbs, increasing safety and reducing congestion.

"Here in this great port, this port city of Townsville, 11 million tonnes are being exported [annually] at the moment, rising to 40 million tonnes in the decades ahead," Turnbull told the media.

"The new rail corridor is going to enable that to happen."

Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads says the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor (TEARC) will allow 1400-metre trains to access the port. Train lengths are currently limited to 1000 metres on the Mount Isa line, and 650 metres on the North Coast line.

As of its May report, Infrastructure Australia had the upgrade of the Mount Isa to Townsville rail corridor – which includes the TEARC – listed as a medium term priority initiative, in the business case development stage.

"In its current form, the rail line does not have capacity to cater for the projected increase in demand for rail haulage from mines in the Mount Isa region to the Port of Townsville," Infrastructure Australia said in February.

"Future demand on the line is, under the moderate scenario, estimated to be 20 million tonnes per annum."

As of 2011, the line only had a theoretical capacity of 7.5 million tonnes per annum, Infrastructure Australia added.

A 2012 preliminary evaluation of the TEARC estimated a cost of $221 million for the main project, and $160 million for consequential works, including the extension of crossing loops on the Mount Isa line to cater for 1400-metre trains.

While the study is clearly not final, that would bring the total cost of the rail project to a rough estimate of $381 million.

Turnbull said the Commonwealth estimates the $150 million commitment made on Thursday will make up half of the cost of the project.

"We are committing $150 million to it and we expect to be working with the Queensland Government to make it happen," he said.

"Putting that money on the table means the project should now go ahead. This has been a top priority. Anna Bligh has talked about it. The current premier has talked about it.

"This is a project that will be built at some point. It is one of those projects that has to be built."

[ozbob]

Queensland Times Editorial 20th May 2016 page 12

Townsville project must be rejected



Now online > http://www.qt.com.au/news/townsville-project-must-be-rejected/3029767/?ref=hs


=================

Just goes to show, people are not as silly as some in Govt think.

This is labor heartland ...

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> $6.5 million for Puffing Billy, $10 million for Metro

[Stillwater]

Is this still the federal Coalition's transport infrastructure plan?   

http://lpaweb-static.s3.amazonaws.com/13-09-05%20Coalition%202013%20Election%20Policy%20%E2%80%93%20Better%20Infrastructure%20Planning%20%E2%80%93%20policy%20document.pdf

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> $187 million funding promise for Bruce Highway

IT'S not new money, but $187 million of the Coalition's $6.7 billion, 10-year 'Fix the Bruce Highway' plan will be brought forward from the ether into the 2019/20 financial year.

Planning works originally not expected to begin until at least 2020 will now commence in 2017, with construction to begin after that, while feasibility studies are also being conducted on six-laning of the Bruce Hwy from Pine Rivers to Caloundra Rd and now the Sunshine Mwy-Maroochydore Rd Interchange stretch.

Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester said the fast-tracking of the funding would help save lives.

He said bringing forward the $187 million works on the interchange would help reduce congestion and improve safety on one of the region's major intersections.

Mr Chester acknowledged there was frustration that work couldn't happen sooner, but noted there was significant planning and approval processes that had to be worked through, with the fast-tracking of funding to enable work to get underway once planning processes are complete ,,,

[#Metro]

He said bringing forward the $187 million works on the interchange would help reduce congestion and improve safety on one of the region's major intersections.

These roads are black holes. When an election comes around, I guess the powers that be just look at an electoral map, see where a motorway passes through a marginal electorate, and then propose an intersection 'upgrade' or lane widening there.

A regional rapid rail service would be significantly safer than any road project because trains are stuck to tracks and are the safest mode of transport. It would be 2x - 3x faster than what cars could ever legally do on a motorway, winning hands down on speed, and the capacity would be 10x that of a motorway lane.

Regional Rapid Rail is actually the logical choice in terms of safety, speed, and capacity. You could even throw in a buffet car if you wanted to. The car will never ever be able to compete with a service structured like that.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Federal Election 2016: Coalition promises $215 million for M1 traffic upgrade

[Stillwater]

Will we see an actual 'transport policy', or is the policy just a table of the spending commitment made during the election campaign?  This applies to both sides of politics.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/20/moving-right-along-coalition-and-labor-map-out-their-transport-policies

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Opinion: Turnbull's M1 upgrade offer more like highway robbery

WHEN it comes to infrastructure projects, the Commonwealth has long been the "all care, no responsibility" level of government.

They're like the carefree uncle who mixes unsolicited parental advice with cash splashes on the kids before returning to the sanctity of their bachelor pad.

Federal administrations of both persuasions have long produced grand plans about their "nation-building" priorities. With these blueprints inevitably comes promises of independent decision-making and heady rhetoric about "driving economic growth". But in the end what do we get from federal governments? Invariably, it's commitments driven by political expediency. And that triggers the predictable bunfight over funding with the states.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was at it again this week with his promise to fix the M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Two stretches, including the notorious Gateway Motorway merge, would share in $215 million in funding.

The Palaszczuk Government was supposedly going to gleefully fall over itself to stump up it's share of the funding. However, the problem was that what Turnbull was promising was a 50/50 funding split.

This is despite the M1 being part of the Commonwealth's self-stated "National Land Transport Network", where 80/20 commitments are the norm.

Turnbull insisted the State should pay as the M1 was "their road". It was a fair deal, the Federal Government claimed, because the route is predominantly used by commuters rather than freight, which it takes responsibility for.

However, the M1 is specifically described in National Land Transport Network mapping as "non-urban". And it wasn't freight being addressed but the much more politically-popular issue of "people travelling to and from work".

Even the RACQ warned the State Government would be "crazy" to take what Turnbull was offering.

The State has accepted 50/50 deals before. They've done so for the Rocklea to Darra stretch of the Ipswich Motorway.

But that was only after the Federal Government removed itself from any responsibility for this much-maligned section of the motorway and chose the better-maintained Logan Motorway for the national network.

Of course, the State can't have it all its own way.

They want the pick-and-choose approach when it comes to big-ticket public transport projects such as the Cross-River Rail.

However, federal governments should just drop the facade about being committed to projects and planning if it's just going to constantly rewrite the rules whenever.

Little wonder a national infrastructure authority made such a good topic for the satirical comedy Utopia.

The whole thing is a joke. And it's on us.

Steven Wardill is The Courier-Mail's state political editor