Transcript - Radio Interview - ABC Perth Breakfast - Monday, 2 March 2020
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO PERTH BREAKFAST
MONDAY, 2 MARCH 2020
SUBJECTS: Fast train from Perth to Bunbury.
NADIA MITSOPOULOS, HOST: China has the world's fastest and largest high-speed rail network. Some of Japan's bullet train systems are more than 50 years old. France started moving quickly in the 80s and the rest of Europe soon followed. And then there's Australia a nation which arguably suffers the most from the tyranny of distance and one that has no fast trains.
RUSSELL WOOLF, HOST: More than ten years ago a route from Bunbury to Perth was identified for high-speed rail. It's since being touted by people on both sides of the political spectrum. What would a high speed rail network mean to you, we asked this morning. Would it make a difference to your business or the way you go about your life. 1 300 222 720 if you want to call and talk high speed trains with us this morning. There's still no sign of one connecting Perth to WA's largest regional centre and so the Australind train rumbles on.
MITSOPOULOS: But Federal Labor MP Patrick Gorman wants to change that. He joins us this morning. It's good to talk to you Patrick.
PATRICK GORMAN, MEMBER FOR PERTH: Good to talk to you and your listeners too.
WOOLF: While the idea's been floated time and time again there's still no high speed rail. Why is that?
GORMAN: Well that's the question I'm asking too. In 2017, the Federal Government put out a faster rail prospectus and many were encouraged to see the Perth to Bunbury fast train within that prospectus. But now what we've got is there are nine business cases being developed across the country for fast and faster rail but none of them are in WA. For me the logical place to start looking is the Perth to Bunbury line. I'm trying to make sure the Federal Government puts it back on the agenda because I think it'd be a huge transformation for our State. And the sad reality is that it takes a very long time to build a fast train. We'd be looking 10 to 15 years to get one of these things actually built. So I do not want to waste any more time- simple as that.
MITSOPOULOS: You say there are no business cases for fast rail, none of them are in WA. Wouldn't that suggest that there's one not needed in WA and that's why it's not included?
GORMAN: Well the Government's own data actually looks at where the population centres are and one of the things that is going to happen over the next 25 years is that Perth will have a bigger population base than Brisbane. Brisbane's got fast rail studies so I think it's kind of ridiculous that if we're going to be the third biggest capital in the country, not to get any look in out of those nine business cases.
MITSOPOULOS: But what would your business case be, Patrick? How much would it cost, first and foremost, because that's always the biggest barrier. What would, you know, how many people would use it, how regularly? I mean these are pretty crucial points that you need to address.
GORMAN: Of course - I'm going to break it to you I don't have the full powers of the Federal Government's Department of Infrastructure and I heard your very entertaining intro from Utopia before. These things are what we should look at. You've got to look at what the benefit would be. We know that there's been a decline in the use of the Australind line since the Forrest Highway has become available, because it's the fastest, most convenient way to get to Bunbury and then go further into the South West. So we have to have the conversation. We have to ask the question. And again when I talk about business cases been developed elsewhere, there's $2 billion going into the Melbourne to Geelong line. That was an election commitment of the Morrison Government. I would like to see this case put forward. But if we don't even look or we don't ask the question that how will we know that the projects being funded on the East Coast are actually going to give us the biggest economic benefit compared to what we could do here in Western Australia.
MITSOPOULOS: Is this going to be Labor Party policy in the lead up to the next election?
GORMAN: I am the Labor Member for Perth. I am not the leader of the Australian Labor Party. So these are questions for others as to what our policies are and I think what we've said very clearly is that we're got to go through our National Conference at the end of the year. We are going to continue talking and listening. I'm actually calling on the Federal Government to do this in 2020. We know that our economy is in for a pretty rough ride with a whole range of shocks from external factors. One of the things that the Morrison Government has said has been looking at further stimulus measures. One, that I would suggest, is actually looking at the long-term economic benefit of some high speed rail in WA. If it's good enough for Brisbane, in my view, if Perth is going to be a bigger city than Brisbane in 25 years, I think it's good enough to at least have a look.
WOOLF: Just very, very quickly. How quickly would we get from Perth to Bunbury if we wanted to take your very fast train?
GORMAN: Well you'd be looking at trips between - depending how fast, and that's an engineering question - you are looking at a trip between 45 minutes to an hour. It depends how many stops you build and which path you eventually choose. I am sure there will be many, many, many councils bidding to be on the path to Bunbury. But it could be a hell of a lot quicker than driving down the Forrest Highway.
WOOLF: We don't want too many of them having stations along the way, it might defeat the purpose, I think. Patrick Gorman, the Member for Perth, we appreciate you being with us this morning.
GORMAN: Thank you.
ENDS