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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (1 September) . . Page.. 2740 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

how underutilised the asset is. In relation to Sydney's problems he said that he was not sure that all possible solutions had been taken into account, referring to the Canberra option.

Mr Deputy Speaker, why not take the next step? Why not develop an international airport in Canberra and the very fast train as the alternative to further runways at Mascot or the suggested development at Badgerys Creek? As Mrs Carnell, the Chief Minister, stated recently, Canberra cannot take on the role of a full international airport, but technology developments in both aircraft engineering and facility design and construction may well change this position at a later time.

The cost estimates of developing a second Sydney airport have ranged from $6 billion to double that figure - significant amounts of money when most people are not sure that it would actually solve Sydney's problems. To many commentators the solution is straightforward - spend the billions of dollars on a project that would provide an infrastructure that not only reduced the pressure on Sydney airport but also assisted Australia's regional development. As the Chief Minister stated earlier this week, Mr Deputy Speaker, that is what Australia needs. It would be an infusion for regional Australia. We might only be the ACT Government, but we are big enough to think Australian.

With private sector participation, the amounts required to be spent on the development of a second airport in Sydney could build a fast rail network that linked Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. That would provide a tremendous fillip to the entire corridor and arrest the decline being experienced in so many parts of regional Australia.

That brings me to the very fast train proposal. The ACT Government has been a strong supporter of the VFT from the time it was proposed to the Government by the private sector in the late 1980s. Since that time, the project has been through a rigorous assessment process that has highlighted the issues that governments face in assessing and securing resources for large infrastructure projects. The recent completion of the Victorian CityLink project demonstrates that these projects can be successfully financed and completed by the private sector.

In August 1998, the governments of New South Wales, the Commonwealth and the ACT selected Speedrail as the preferred proponent to undertake the prove-up process. (Extension of time granted) The Speedrail group is now undertaking additional work to prove-up its submission. At question time, Mr Kaine asked a question of the Chief Minister in respect of this matter. I know that he has a keen interest in it. I hope all other member of this chamber do, too. That will involve the Speedrail group refining the details of its submission, including issues such as design, engineering, costs, revenues and other impacts of the project.

At the end of that process the Speedrail group is expected to provide a detailed submission that resolves all technical issues and is fully underwritten to the satisfaction of the three governments involved. Speedrail expects to submit its prove-up document later this year. It will then be assessed by the three governments involved. If the

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