MEDIA STATEMENT
6February 2017
Second meeting of the Inland Rail Y2G Project Reference Group
builds on constructive start
TheChair of the Yelarbon to Gowrie Project Reference Group (PRG),Mr Bruce Wilson AM,today said strong progress was being made on engaging local representatives in the technical review of the Yelarbon to Gowrie Inland Rail alignment.
Mr Wilson said he was encouraged by the Members’ positive feedback on the open and responsive briefing provided by the independent consultants, AECOM and Aurecon.
“The PRG met for the second time on Wednesday 1 February in Warwick. PRG Members have told me they are impressed with the consultants from AECOM andAurecon. This bodes well for achieving future agreement that the alignment review process has been transparent,” Mr Wilson said.
“My role is twofold. To report to the Minister on the transparency of the review process, and on any residual community issues that may remain once the technical review has been completed.”
However, Mr Wilson noted there is still more robust discussion to be had between the PRG Members and the independent consulting team.
“Members raised concerns that, while the review may be conducted in a transparent manner, there are those in the community who want to be assured that the outcome of the high level technical review will result in a preferred alignment that can be constructed without unforeseen impacts on the community.”
“This is the challenge ahead of us. I’ll continue to work with Members on this particular issue, along with other issues that may arise in forthcoming meetings.”
To ensure the transparency of AECOM and Aurecon’s final advice, members of the PRG were encouraged to engage with AECOM and Aurecon and bring their local knowledge to the evaluation process.
The PRG is planning to meet again on Monday 20 February in Millmerran. Mr Wilson said he expects one further meeting will be required after this, which is planned to be held in Toowoomba on Friday,
10 March.
Mr Wilson said he has recently writtento local landholders to provide them with information about the alignment review and the role of the PRG.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester appointed Mr Wilson as the Queensland Community Advisor for the Inland Rail project.
Mr Wilson expects to report to Minister Chester on behalf of the PRG by the end of March 2017.
Media Contact:Department of Infrastructure and
Regional Development1300732749
Inland Rail Yelarbon to Gowrie Project Reference Group
STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIR
(Post second meeting)
The second meeting of the Yelarbon to Gowrie Project Reference Group (PRG) for the Inland Rail project was held in Warwick on Wednesday, 1 February 2017. The PRG was formed at the request of the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Darren Chester MP.
The meeting built on the constructive atmosphere of the first meeting, with Members briefed on the significant progress being made by the technical consultants (AECOM and Aurecon) who are independently reviewing the relative merits of the four Yelarbon to Gowrie alignment options.
Members were provided with additional information to address the issues they raised at the first meeting, including further detail of the data used by the review consultants.
Members were also briefed on the structure and variables relating to the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) model that will be used for evaluating the four alignment options on a like-for-like basis.
Future meetings will seek to build on the PRG Members’ understanding of the typical treatment of engineering challenges when building Inland Rail, and based on their local knowledge consider whether there are any engineering challenges specific to the region that might not occur elsewhere along the Inland Rail alignment.
Members also requested further information on other aspects of the alignment review that may influence the final recommendation to the Minister. This will be addressed at the third PRG meeting, to be held at Millmerran on 20 February.
The third meeting of the PRG will also involve a detailed discussion on the data to be used in the upcoming MCA scoring process. Members sought assurances that the independent consultants have the best available data for the like-for-like review. They agreed to provide the consultants with any additional information as soon as possible.
Feedback from Members indicated satisfaction with the briefing provided by the technical consultants
to-date. The consultants were praised for their open and responsive approach in addressing the concerns of Members.
Members noted there would be limited opportunities for the Chair to actively engage with the community on a one-on-one basis before he considers his final report to Minister Chester. The Chair committed to being available for direct community engagement events at Millwood and Felton in the first instance.
Bruce Wilson AM
Chair
Yelarbon to Gowrie Project Reference Group
6February 2017