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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 (Hansard) 16 May) . . Page.. 1354 ..

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Moore for the question. I do not often get questions. Mr Moore and members of the committee will know that, from the time that I was Chief Minister, I have been a very strong supporter of a fast train system connecting Melbourne and Sydney and running through Canberra and all the other places in between. The reasons for that, I think, are quite obvious. More or less half the population of Australia at the moment lives within that area of the country. Such a rail system will have enormous impact, socially, economically and environmentally, for the next century and will bring enormous benefits to the people living here now and those who will live here in the future. It will simplify travel and make it easier for people in that area to commute. It will take the pressure off the two big cities and allow the population to spread. It will, in my view, bring enormous benefits in terms of investment, technological advances and, along with that, protection of the environment.

As you know, at the moment there is a committee examining the question of whether or not the fast rail system is a feasible proposition. More recently, there has been an announcement that a German company is interested in tendering with the magnetic levitation technology, as an alternative to the original fast train proposal. Mr Speaker, I was concerned that, in some responses from some quarters as expressed in the media, there was a negative reaction to this proposal. It was suggested that it was too little too late. It was suggested that it was new technology that had not yet been tested. It was even suggested on one occasion, on television, that their costings were not accurate. I do not believe that, given the national importance of this project, any proposal should be excluded from the feasibility study. The purpose of the feasibility study is to determine whether these proposals are feasible. That is the very reason why it was established. For such a new proposal to be shrugged off, on what I consider to be rather spurious grounds, would be unfortunate and may well result in a detriment, not just to the ACT's interests but to the national interests.

So, for that reason, Mr Speaker, as chairman of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee, I have asked the people from both consortiums to brief the committee on their proposals so that we can be fully informed. I have asked Mr Moore whether he would be interested in this being a joint briefing with the Planning and Environment Committee, which Mr Moore has agreed is a good idea. There are, clearly, planning and environmental issues associated with this project. Those briefings will take place over the next two to three weeks. I would hope that all members of the Assembly would attend those briefings - first of all, to find out what this new proposal is, because I am completely uninformed about it, and so that we can make a judgment about that proposal.

At the same time - I believe that it is some years since I was updated on the Transrail system - I think that members should attend when the proponents of Speedrail come to give their briefing. I think it would be to the advantage of every member of this Assembly and the ACT community for every member of this Assembly to take the opportunity to be fully informed on both of these proposals so that, when the feasibility study is completed, we will be able to make a judgment about whether the feasibility study has been comprehensive and fair, and that all contenders have been given equal treatment.

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