Commission of Inquiry New Generation Rollingstock Trains

[ozbob]

https://www.traininquiryngr.qld.gov.au/submissions.aspx

Submissions

Submissions to the New Generation Rollingstock Train Commission of Inquiry are invited from all interested parties.

All submissions must be made in writing. Submissions should take careful note of the terms of reference.

In providing a submission, please identify the issues you are addressing and provide reasons and supporting details for your responses.

Please provide any submission by 31 August 2018.

By email

commissioner@traininquiryngr.qld.gov.au

By post

New Generation Rollingstock Train Commission of Inquiry
PO Box 15106
City East QLD 4002

Due to time constraints, we cannot guarantee that submissions received after the closing date will be considered.

Please note the procedure guidelines regarding submissions and publication of information and confidentiality.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1027592115054817280

[ozbob]

I will be writing to the COI today outlining the background to our inquiry and expressing some concerns with TOR, and requesting how the Commission sees our concerns.

We will of course put a submission in.  We will base it on our AHRC submission with updates and reference to recent RTI applications that are essentially being blocked with numerous redactions.  The Commission will have the powers to actually examine the RTIs in a non redacted form should they choose too.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1028014172645146624

[ozbob]

Submission to the COINGR has been made today.  Will not be made public till Inquiry completed.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1032132564574658561

[ozbob]

Letter received from DG TMR Mr. N. Scales re some concerns with ToR COI NGR.

[ozbob]

As we stated many times in calling for a Commission of Inquiry we want to make sure that this botch never happens again in making sure proper procurement procedures are followed in the future. Mr Scales agrees with us on that point.

Time will tell how the COI unfolds from here.  Only one week left for submissions.  Anyone can make a submission by the way.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1033746995691773952

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1034113693011734528

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Rail fail inquiry head is a failed Labor candidate and process is a 'sham': LNP

THE head of the inquiry into Queensland's rail failings is a former failed Labor candidate.

Former District Court judge Michael William Forde stood unsuccessfully for the Labor Party in the seat of Lockyer at the 1980 state election.

The State Opposition has denounced the appointment of Commissioner Forde, saying anybody who stood as a Labor candidate should not be conducting a bipartisan investigation into the procurement of the controversial NGR trains.

Commissioner Forde's political candidature comes after it emerged that former premier Campbell Newman, former treasurer Tim Nicholls and former transport minister Scott Emerson have been told by the NGR inquiry they need not supply submissions.

They were the key decision makers when tenders for the new trains were assessed.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said Queenslanders can have no confidence in the independence of an inquiry headed by a failed Labor candidate.

"Annastacia Palaszczuk has tried to deceive Queenslanders by not disclosing this blatant political appointment," he said.

"The inquiry is a sham with no public hearings, no consultation on the terms of reference and not even inviting key people to make a submission.

"It is a protection racket to cover up that Annastacia Palaszczuk botched the procurement of these trains when she was transport minister in the Bligh government.

"This political protection racket will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and won't be independent."

The LNP has also raised concerns with the inquiry after none of the decision makers involved in the NGR project under the Newman government were contacted to provide a submission.

Commissioner Forde had written to Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington – who was not involved in the project – asking for a submission but had not contacted former premier Campbell Newman, former treasurer Tim Nicholls, former transport minister Scott Emerson nor Mr Bleijie, who served on the Cabinet Budget Review Committee at the time.

Commissioner Forde, in a letter to Mr Bleijie, said: "While I appreciate that you were a former minister who served on the CBRC during the time under consideration by the Commission, I do not intend to individually contact all former ministers, across numerous governments, who have been involved in decisions regarding the procurement of NGR trains."

He said instead he had contacted representatives from Labor and the LNP.

Commissioner Forde told Mr Bleijie that he also did not anticipate interviewing the former attorney-general as part of his investigations, but said others would be called including former ministers.

The Premier's office last night confirmed Commissioner Forde was once a Labor candidate.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Queensland's LNP takes aim at former Labor hopeful heading train probe

The state Opposition says voters can't trust an inquiry into Queensland's botched batch of new trains because it's headed by a man who ran as a Labor candidate for parliament almost 40 years ago.

Retired District Court judge Michael Forde stood unsuccessfully for the Labor Party in the seat of Lockyer at the 1980 state election.

He is due to report back to the Labor government later this year about failings that landed the state with a new fleet of commuter trains that don't meet Australia's disability access requirements.

The Opposition has accused Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of deceiving voters by trying to hide the fact that Mr Forde was "a political appointment".

"Annastacia Palaszczuk has corrupted the process of this inquiry by appointing a failed Labor candidate," Opposition industrial relations spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said in a statement on Friday.

"It is a protection racket to cover up that Annastacia Palaszczuk botched the procurement of these trains when she was transport minister in the Bligh government."

The Premier announced Mr Forde's appointment last month.

Labor and the Liberal National Party have been warring over who is to blame for major flaws in the $4.4 billion commuter fleet.

The trains don't have disabled toilets and offer only limited access for wheelchairs.

Acquisition of the trains began under Anna Bligh's Labor government when the premier held the transport portfolio.

A contract was later signed off by Campbell Newman's LNP government, with the first of the Indian-made trains arriving after Labor returned to power in 2015.

Despite a ruling by the Australian Human Rights Commission that the trains couldn't be granted an exemption, the state government has continued to run them.

[SurfRail]

How unlike Jarrod to pick a fight with the judiciary over trivial issues.

[#Metro]

The Auditor-General is well placed to do the review. Why didn't they just use that?

[ozbob]

The Auditor-General is well placed to do the review. Why didn't they just use that?

Yope.  We did try hey?  ... 

[ozbob]

Submissions to the COI have now closed.

" Due to time constraints, we cannot guarantee that submissions received after the closing date will be considered. "

https://www.traininquiryngr.qld.gov.au/submissions.aspx

[ozbob]

Submission to the COINGR has been made today.  Will not be made public till Inquiry completed.

I have been invited to attend for an interview with the Commissioner early October 2018.

[Fares_Fair]

Congratulations Ozbob 

[ozbob]

Congratulations Ozbob 

Thanks FF.  I am delighted that we will be afforded the opportunity. 

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1065438508322418688

[ozbob]

[Stillwater]

Won't the report go to Minister Bailey and sit on the ministerial desk until such time as the government wants to release it - probably in the hurly-burly of the Christmas holidays?  What I am saying is the public might not get to see it straight away, on the 3rd.

[ozbob]

Won't the report go to Minister Bailey and sit on the ministerial desk until such time as the government wants to release it - probably in the hurly-burly of the Christmas holidays?  What I am saying is the public might not get to see it straight away, on the 3rd.

More than likely ..   

[ozbob]

^ I am fairly confident there will be two versions.  A heavily redacted public version and the ' in confidence ' version ..

It's in their DNA ... 

[Stillwater]

If you measure the length of a black line that would obscure the name Michael Caltabiano and then measure the length of the black strips on the redacted text, you should be able to determine which name is being covered up.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1068362364578189312

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

 

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Inquiry into new $4.4 billion train fleet's design issues to deliver findings

TAXPAYERS are on the cusp of learning how a $4.4 billion project to deliver new state-of-the art passenger trains to Queensland hit major delays and costly design problems.

A Commission of inquiry into the New Generation Rollingstock problems is scheduled to deliver the findings of its four month probe to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today.

The inquiry, led by retired Judge Michael Forde, was tasked to investigate why the trains were approved by the Government despite their design breaching disability legislation.

They were built with toilets too small for people in wheelchairs, who can also not fit down the aisles.

The inquiry examined decisions by government officials and politicians that may have contributed to the design issues, which are being fixed at a cost to the state of at least $100 million.

A contract was signed with a private consortium led by Bombardier in December 2013 under the Campbell Newman-led Liberal National Party administration.

The project initially went out to tender for 200 three-car train sets under the previous Bligh administration, but the design was changed post-2012 to favour six-car sets under the LNP.

It meant the trains could be delivered with one toilet on board rather than two toilets under the previous three-car set design, saving money.

The Sunday Mail understands the inquiry has heard evidence that the Newman Government's Cabinet was not made aware that the design breached the Disability Discrimination Act.

Evaluation reports to Cabinet before it decided the contract did not flag design problems.

At the time ex-MP Scott Emerson was Transport Minister. Mr Emerson is no longer in Government and is understood to have appeared before the inquiry.

Top officials involved in the project included director-general of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Dave Stewart, who was involved in NGR in 2012 via Projects Queensland, and Transport and Main Roads director-general Neil Scales.

A TransLink spokesman in October responded to questions about whether Mr Scales was asked to appear by stating he and other senior managers and technical professionals "will assist the Inquiry as required."

Former Transport Department director-general Michael Caltabiano, who served a short and controversial stint under Campbell Newman in 2012, was also thought to have been called on to provide information about the NGR design.

The inquiry also looked at the delivery of the project under the Palaszczuk Government, when it became aware of the design issues and how it responded.

A Bombardier spokesman in October said it was fully co-operating with the Commission of Inquiry and had built the trains to the specifications agreed to by the State Government.

QR boss Nick Easy was another interviewed by the inquiry. He came to the role last year — long after the NGR project was transferred from QR to the Transport Department in 2012.

While QR did not have delivery of the project, it is understood it provided technical advice.

The 75 trains were first set to be launched in mid-2016 and fully rolled out by late this year.

But they were instead launched last December, with 35 trains so far running.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey will today announce the new six-car trains would replace three-car sets on 193 services from today, adding 46,000 seats to the existing services.

It will double the number of seats on those services across lines including Beenleigh, Shorncliffe, Ferny Grove, Cleveland, Northgate and Doomben.

Mr Bailey said QR would consider further upgrades as more trains begin work.

QR is yet to reveal when it will restore a full timetable amid an ongoing driver shortage.

A final plan for fixing the trains and pricetag is yet to be announced. The work was promised to Maryborough's Downer EDI by Ms Palaszczuk during the 2017 election campaign.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1069306497580990465

[ozbob]

Understand the COI NGR Report will be handed over to the Premier at 2pm today.  Uncertain as to what will be available publicly and when.

COI NGR website > https://www.traininquiryngr.qld.gov.au/

[ozbob]

Submission to the COINGR has been made today.  Will not be made public till Inquiry completed.

RAIL Back On Track Submission to the Commission of Inquiry New Generation Rollingstock trains 14th August 2018.

> here!  PDF 1.0 MB

[ozbob]

Understand the COI NGR Report has been passed to the Premier. 
No public release until after Cabinet has considered the report, hopefully next week some time.

The Commissioner Retired District Court Judge Michael Forde will be interviewed on ABC Radio Brisbane at 4pm this afternoon.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/1069473603786162177

[ozbob]

Interview with the Commissioner COI NGR Retired District Court Judge Michael Forde on ABC Radio Brisbane with Steve Austin 3rd December 2018.

Here > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcbris/abcbris_mf3dec18.mp3  MP3 21 MB

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1069481962878816257

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/InclusionMoves/status/1069481655100817408

[ozbob]

Facebook ...

[#Metro]

Just listened to the radio podcast.

Is it just me, or does most problems get down to "a communication issue" or " unclear roles and responsibilities".

[ozbob]

' Silos ' comes to my mind #Metro ..