The Upper House debate about the Bill introduced by the Minister of Regional Transport  and Roads Sam Farraway will be held in the next session that begins on August 9th 2022.   Please contact members of the legislative council(MLCs) -a link to the list list is attached- to express your objections. Given below are some reasons for our objections.

1. It favours two modes of transport i.e. cycling and road over rail

2. It will give the minister more powers to decide on applications to build rail trails and roads in regional rail corridors(non-operational) up to 30 years.  Currently specific bill is required to be passed for each proposal to build a rail trail or a road.

3. Land in regional rail corridors will be leased to Councils  and maintenance of rail trails will be transferred from Transportnsw to Councils increasing the likelihood of future rate rises

4. the Bill does nothing to provide competetion to  transport sector in the regions doiminated by the trucking industry or integrate transport services in the regions including rail. as stipulated in the original act 1988.

5.Unlike Victoria that spends over 4 billion for regional rail renewal,   it does nothing to improve rail services in regional NSW  for the foreseeable future.

6. it will accelerate the process of allowing material and bureacratic obstacles i.e. infrastructure related to rail trails and roads for future rail related projects such as heritage/tourist trains operated by community organisations or freight trains by the private sector.

7. it does not take into account possibility of changes of government and regional transport policies.  Instead it's net effect will be to deny people living in regional NSW better transport options in the name of supporting short-term tourism projects like rail trails or permanent obstacles like roads crossing rail lines. 

8. It takes the government off the hooks for not making a bigger and better investment to re-develop vlauable rail lines such as the Northern Railway line between Armidale and Wallangarra (Qld border).

The argument that the rail corridors will not be closed and will remain in public hands does not mean much when the NSW government does not have plans for regional rail renewal for the next thirty years at least.  There are plenmty of space to build rail trails and roads without dismantling regional rail infrastructure.

Link to the List of MLCs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/163pTuM0hjGHW_T5O12JUyUzcijtJCB-0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117628476080679757648&rtpof=true&sd=true