MARY MACKILLOP RAIL BRIDGE

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:31): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Does the minister take responsibility for the ship, the Endeavour, being held up for more than an hour today in the Port River when the Mary MacKillop rail bridge failed to open?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:31): Ultimately, I know the member for Bragg has already been out there trying to tell the media that it is my responsibility, so whether I take it or not she is going to give it to me. Can I therefore seek to explain what did occur, as we understand it.

The rail bridge is operated, in its opening and closing, by the department. But as a rail operator, as a rail bridge, it is operated by the Australian rail transport corporation—someone that I don't run.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Whatever it's called.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It's the vibe. No, it is the ARTC, the Australian Rail Track Corporation. Didn't I say that?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I do thank the member for Davenport because I know he has a keen interest in the Australian Rail Track Corporation—he would like them to move. The Australian Rail Track Corporation has responsibility for operating the freight rail the purpose for which the bridge was built. In order for our people to open the bridge, control of the bridge has to be transferred from the Australian Rail Track Corporation at Mile End to our people. It has a failsafe; naturally, they are concerned about the bridge opening when a train is using it. That would be very, very bad. For safety reasons they have a failsafe mechanism which prevents us opening it.

For reasons that we are seeking to discover, the Mile End ARTC people failed or were unable to transfer control to the Norwood centre which opens the bridge, and therefore our people sought to open the bridge and it did not open. There is actually no failing in the bridge at all despite the hyperbole that is being thrown around by some people—no failing at all in the operations of the bridge. It was simply that the ability to open it was not transferred. Since that time, our chief executive has spoken to the chief executive of the ARTC because this has never occurred before—

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Did he ring the right number?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: He did. He has since spoken to the chief executive and we are still trying to determine why the capacity was not transferred to us. What occurred was that when it did not transfer people went to the bridge and opened it manually, as you can there. So, there was no failing in the bridge. It was regrettable—

Mr Pederick: Just weld it shut, Pat!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Just weld it shut. It is the first issue of any type with the rail bridge since its operation and it is regrettable that it happened when the Endeavour was seeking to enter, but it was fixed as quickly as possible. I regret to inform the member for Bragg that it is not the dreadful issue that she is hoping to make people believe.