CATHERINE KING – MEDIA RELEASE – MAJOR REPORT FINDS MORE RAIL INVESTMENT NEEDED – TUESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2021

A major report released today by the Australasian Railway Association has identified a three-point plan of upgrading existing rail infrastructure, investing in fast rail and beginning work on High Speed Rail to grow regional Australia and bring rail transport into the 21^st century.

These findings back in Labor’s commitments to resume work on high speed rail and rebuild Australia’s rail manufacturing industry

When last in Government, Labor committed more funding to urban public transport than all previous federal governments combined since Federation and commissioned a business case which found that for every dollar invested, high speed rail would return $2.

An Albanese Labor Government would build on that proud record.

As part of an Albanese Labor Government’s investments in Australian rail, we would establish a National Rail Manufacturing Plan, building a rolling stock export industry and boosting Australia’s GDP by up to $5 billion.

Labor’s National Rail Manufacturing Plan will ensure the full benefit of this public spending goes towards creating Australian jobs – from laying the rails to manufacturing the trains.

This will build jobs in Ballarat, Bendigo, Maryborough Newcastle, Perth and Dandenong.

With record numbers of Australians moving to the regions, now is the time to invest in rail to create jobs and connect our regions.

Instead, the Coalition has goaded Australian manufacturers to leave our shores, over-promised and under-delivered on transport infrastructure by an average of $1.2 billion every year and left High Speed Rail to gather dust.

While High Speed Rail won’t be completed anytime soon, the time to begin route planning and land acquisitions is now.

The Morrison Government needs to spend less time planning big announcements and get on with the job of delivering the infrastructure Australia needs.