Mr POOLE - 2001-05-29
How much will be spent in the Northern Territory this financial year on the Alice Springs to Darwin railway?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Alice Springs to Darwin railway - which was described by the Leader of the Opposition as a faded dream that would never happen, and which Snowdon and Ferguson said shouldn’t happen and there should be a federal inquiry into - has been delivered. What did we do? We delivered it. Territorians will remember that under a Labor government there would not have been a railway in the Northern Territory and they are absolutely clear on that. You have the gall to talk about jobs for Territorians when you said it was a faded dream. There would have been no jobs from the railway if there had been a Labor government in the Northern Territory - or, worse, a Labor government federally.
This year more than $282m will be spent on the railway by the Northern Territory, South Australian and federal governments. This expenditure will have a major impact on the Territory economy and will lead a strong surge in jobs and growth. Construction on the railway will get into full swing during the next 12 months with both direct and indirect job creation climbing to 2000 in the Northern Territory.
All regions will share in the $282m initial spend. The budgeted expenditure is: greater Darwin area $61.3m; Katherine $57.2m; Tennant Creek $95.2m; and Alice Springs $68.3m. Significant among that expenditure is an allocation of $100 000 to investigate passenger and tourist requirements associated with the railway.
The financial modelling on that railway did not include any passenger service. The improvements to the Ghan service are a plus, and that is before we really develop that land bridging concept using the new East Arm Port. When it comes to the Ghan, I spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of The Great Southern Railway - it is owned by Serco - and he told me that presently there are 50 000 tourists coming into Alice Springs per year. They are already cataloguing and marketing the Ghan into Darwin to commence on the completion of the railway. He believes that the tourists travelling on the Ghan at the moment are limited by their Centralian experience and they are projecting doubling the tourist figures to 100 000 into Darwin in the initial years of that Ghan service.
They will package three and five day tours. This is an important story; it is a good story. A minimum of 150 000 to 250 000 hotel nights will come with that passenger train service. If you look at the fact that those tours will also involve package tours to Kakadu and the Katherine area, you are looking at a 250 000 or more increase in tourist days. This will be a great benefit not only to the tourism economy, but to the general economy of the Northern Territory, and that is coming from a project that was not even factored into the financial modelling of the railway.
It is a wonderful success story. It will continue to be a wonderful success story for Australia and the Northern Territory as this vital infrastructure proves its worth.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Alice Springs to Darwin railway - which was described by the Leader of the Opposition as a faded dream that would never happen, and which Snowdon and Ferguson said shouldn’t happen and there should be a federal inquiry into - has been delivered. What did we do? We delivered it. Territorians will remember that under a Labor government there would not have been a railway in the Northern Territory and they are absolutely clear on that. You have the gall to talk about jobs for Territorians when you said it was a faded dream. There would have been no jobs from the railway if there had been a Labor government in the Northern Territory - or, worse, a Labor government federally.
This year more than $282m will be spent on the railway by the Northern Territory, South Australian and federal governments. This expenditure will have a major impact on the Territory economy and will lead a strong surge in jobs and growth. Construction on the railway will get into full swing during the next 12 months with both direct and indirect job creation climbing to 2000 in the Northern Territory.
All regions will share in the $282m initial spend. The budgeted expenditure is: greater Darwin area $61.3m; Katherine $57.2m; Tennant Creek $95.2m; and Alice Springs $68.3m. Significant among that expenditure is an allocation of $100 000 to investigate passenger and tourist requirements associated with the railway.
The financial modelling on that railway did not include any passenger service. The improvements to the Ghan service are a plus, and that is before we really develop that land bridging concept using the new East Arm Port. When it comes to the Ghan, I spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of The Great Southern Railway - it is owned by Serco - and he told me that presently there are 50 000 tourists coming into Alice Springs per year. They are already cataloguing and marketing the Ghan into Darwin to commence on the completion of the railway. He believes that the tourists travelling on the Ghan at the moment are limited by their Centralian experience and they are projecting doubling the tourist figures to 100 000 into Darwin in the initial years of that Ghan service.
They will package three and five day tours. This is an important story; it is a good story. A minimum of 150 000 to 250 000 hotel nights will come with that passenger train service. If you look at the fact that those tours will also involve package tours to Kakadu and the Katherine area, you are looking at a 250 000 or more increase in tourist days. This will be a great benefit not only to the tourism economy, but to the general economy of the Northern Territory, and that is coming from a project that was not even factored into the financial modelling of the railway.
It is a wonderful success story. It will continue to be a wonderful success story for Australia and the Northern Territory as this vital infrastructure proves its worth.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016