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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-13 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

ADELAIDE HILLS RAIL FREIGHT LINE

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (15:41): In 2004 there was a freight train derailment at the Glenalta crossing in my electorate. In response to that derailment, I called on the then federal government to investigate moving the rail freight line to the north of Adelaide. That was in 2004. In 2007 the Mitcham council of its own initiative produced a report about saving the heart of Adelaide, and that was about moving the freight line to the north of the city.

In the lead-up to the 2007 federal election, I put to both Labor and Liberal candidates at a public meeting the question as to whether they would commit their parties to a $3 million study into moving the freight line north of Adelaide. Both parties committed. This week, although it is about ten or 11 weeks late, the federal Labor government held to that promise and released a report called the Adelaide Rail Freight Movement Study Discussion Paper, which is now out for public consultation.

The reason I speak about this matter again (because I have spoken on it three or four times in the parliament and brought it to the attention of the parliament) is because I see the long-term future of the freight line as a crucial decision for the federal government, and it has very important ramifications for the electorate of Davenport, and, indeed, a number of other electorates. The freight line cuts the electorate of Davenport essentially in half, and there are many issues relating to the freight line.

In particular, the electors of Davenport are very aware that, since the timber sleepers were changed to concrete sleepers over the past eight to 10 years, the concrete sleeper is far less flexible and far less absorbent of noise, and, as a result, when that is combined with trains that are now up to 1.8 kilometres long and therefore heavier and longer than previous trains, there is a high pitched squeal that reads over 100 decibels. It breaches every health guideline in Australia in relation to rail noise and, indeed, the World Health guidelines.

This is an important issue. I asked the current state government to test people living next to the line for the health impacts: it declined. I asked the current federal government to put in place a noise abatement program, such as that which residents around the airport receive, that is, double glazing, insulation, etc.: the government declined. This is an important issue. There are lots of benefits in moving the freight line north of the city. However, to the residents of Davenport—and I am writing to them this week—I say: 'Look at my website or contact my office and get a copy of the report.'

There are five or six options that the report deals with. It discounts two of them because of similarities to other schemes. There are, for instance, two schemes that propose to swing the freight line north of Truro or south of Truro so they picked the cheaper one of those and suggest they should look at investigating that. There is a proposal to do a half-and-half—that is, half maintain the existing route and half change the route—and they discount that for other reasons. There are three or four options involved in the discussion paper on which they want community feedback.

I give credit to the federal government: it has honoured its promise. I say to the community that this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to put your case to the federal government and federal opposition, which I will be doing, saying that it should be moved, because there are some quality of life issues for the people who live in the area and there are significant savings to the freight industry in moving the freight line out of the Adelaide Hills.

I am pleased that my lobbying over now five years has got it to this point and I would encourage those in the community to make submissions by 20 November, and I hope the electors of Davenport will take the opportunity to put pressure on the government—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: And re-elect you.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: —and re-elect the person they think will do the best job for them.

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