Both Windsor and Compton say these candidates would consider the local communities involved in the project
Inland rail advocates including former independent politician Tony Windsor and Everald Compton have placed their support behind five independent candidates and one senate candidate in regional electorates to change the political approach to the ongoing inland rail project.
Both Compton and Windsor agree that independent candidates being elected in at the upcoming Federal election would allow for local communities to be represented when it comes to finalising the inland rail.
The pair are supporting Suzie Holt (Groom), Kate Hook (Calare), Pennie Scott (Riverina), Helen Haines (Indi), Rob Priestly (Nicholls) and Susan Benedyka for a Victorian senate seat in the upcoming Federal election.
Windsor, a previous independent member of parliament, says the current plan devised by the Federal government is flawed as it doesn’t consider the concerns of the local areas surrounding the inland rail route.
“The Nationals have based their business plan for the inland rail on same day delivery from Melbourne to Brisbane with the aim of removing trucks from the road,” Windsor says.
“Do they think customers will come back after the line is blown out by flooding similar to the recent Adelaide to Darwin debacle? Listen to the locals.”
According to Windsor, the Nationals inland rail plan was based on a coal deposit near Ashford in New South Wales to give some bulk product to the Brisbane end of the line.
But Windsor says there is no intention from the Federal government to mine that deposit due to the quality of the coal, backing his call that independent candidates would better consider the rural regions when planning the inland rail.
“Based on track design and the need for same day delivery, the train would not be able to stop to pick up any country freight,” Windsor says.
“There needs to be more work done on the holes in the business plan.”
Windsor’s argument isn’t individual, as Everald Compton has joined the former independent member of Parliament in voicing his concerns over the current plans for the inland rail.
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Compton, an inland rail advocate, agrees with Windsor’s idea that independent candidates in those regional electorates would better cater to the various demands of the inland rail project.
“My original 1996 plan for the inland rail was solely based on taking rural products to ports with speed, efficiency and low cost,” Compton says.
“Working in a team with the truck industry would’ve allowed us to use existing road rail and power corridors to avoid plundering farms, but this current plan is an absolute corruption of vision.”
Compton says he’s backing the five rural independent candidates along the path of the inland rail with Windsor to see a more considered approach to the freight project.
“The current members of Parliament in those seats allowed the livelihood of farmers to be unnecessarily destroyed, so I’m backing rural independent candidates on the path of the inland rail,” he says.