Newsroom

October 10, 2024

Rail wagons being transported by trucks on our deteriorating highways – you couldn’t dream up this sort of absurdity! Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter has declared.

“The diabolical state of the rail is not only killing our roads but is forcing extraordinary sights such as rail carriages being transported by truck on the already crumbling Flinders Highway,” he said.

“It’s yet another example of how the Government and Brisbane bureaucracies work – rather than using the patently obvious way of transporting rolling stock, rail, they’d sooner use road freight.

“Perhaps the owners of the rolling stock did their due diligence and found that the Queensland Rail and the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) guidelines seemed intent on disincentivising usage of the Mount Isa line.

“Queensland Rail’s exorbitant rail fees and unworkable conditions have already seen 38 per cent of businesses abandon the Mount Isa – Townsville rail line over the past 12 years and continue to force bulk freight operators to opt for road transport.

For more than a decade, the KAP had been at the forefront of efforts to fundamentally change the way the Queensland Government-owned rail system managed the Mount Isa line.

“We’ve been fighting to keep bulk ore and freight where it belongs – on the rail, supporting our critical minerals future in the North West,” Mr Katter stated.

“North Queenslanders are paying the price for Government incompetence and unwillingness to act on higher freight costs, damaged roads, and poorer road safety.

“This is fundamentally unsustainable and looks like a deliberate attempt to shut down the rail line – what other conclusion can you draw?

“It’s a disgrace. All that’s needed is a sensible policy change. Reform the broken QCA guidelines, lower access costs and we move more than 20,000 triple road trains of bulk freight back onto the rail.”

Mr Katter said North Queensland’s infrastructure and road safety were being sacrificed by poor policy, until the State Government stopped gouging rail users, highways would continue to crumble, businesses would suffer, and lives would be unnecessarily put at risk.

“Labor has tried smokescreen announcements of yet more studies, and the LNP has been silent on this vital issue for the future of the state’s critical mineral future.

“KAP is the only party fighting to save lives and move more bulk freight to port and to market,” Mr Katter said.

Photo:  Rail carriage transported by truck on the Flinders Highway