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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (10 April) . . Page.. 901 ..
MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):
That lack of support has been a factor in this decision, I have no doubt. If this is ever going to happen, it will need to happen with the forthright and full-bodied support of state and territory governments involved in the corridor between Sydney and Melbourne. Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT will have to be so committed to this project, I would argue, as to be prepared to put money forward on a pro rata basis as the federal government will need to do. Without that support, there will not be sufficient to make this happen.
The New South Wales government has also played a role in this decision. The federal Labor Party opposition has not been conspicuous by its support for this project. Members will recall that in 2000 the federal government reached a key crossroad in considering what to do about this project. At that juncture the federal opposition called for a Senate inquiry into the tendering and technology for the project. The comments made at the time sent extremely alarming signals to the federal government about what they could expect if they were to put their necks out and embrace a national project of this size. I quote from the Daily Telegraph of 2 August 2000:
Labor will risk collapsing the $4 billion Sydney-Canberra fast train proposal by forcing a Senate inquiry into the tendering and technology for the project.
The inquiry will delay a government decision on the project just when the consortium behind it is saying that it must start work soon or not at all.
A prolonged inquiry would also jeopardise the Federal Government's designs for a nation building program to link Brisbane and Melbourne with very fast trains.
There is reference to a motion being moved by Labor's then transport spokesman, Martin Ferguson, and comments also by then opposition leader, Kim Beazley. The article continues:
However, Labor Leader Kim Beazley considers the present proposal-
this was the idea being put forward by the consortium, which was the most recent project-
considers the present proposal to be a "last century" project while priorities for this century were communication through the Internet and the telephone system.
Mr Beazley doesn't accept that the fast train service is an alternative to building a new airport in the Sydney basin, or as an appropriate boost to regional development.
Mr Ferguson is quoted in the Canberra Times of 27 March of this year, only very recently, as offering less than fulsome support for the concept of a train. The Canberra Times article reads:
Opposition transport spokesman Martin Ferguson said the Government had supported the train to get it through last year's federal election.
He said that the money spent on the feasibility study could have been better spent on transport infrastructure.
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