Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 1758

❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding the Cook Labor Government's commitment to buy back the state's freight rail network. The Minister's response deflects, blaming previous Liberal/National government and citing ongoing confidential negotiations.

AnsweredQoN 1758Legislative Assembly

Asked

17 February 2026

Member

Mr Lachlan Hunter

Portfolio

Transport

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the Cook Labor Government's commitment to the buy-back of Western Australia's freight rail network and I ask: (a) Can the Minister confirm the exact terms of the Government’s January 2024 commitment to “investigate and progress the potential buy-back of the below-rail freight lease”; (b) When was the formal directive or cabinet decision issued to commence the rail buy-back investigation; (c) What milestones were set at the outset for this investigation; (d) Who was responsible for overseeing and driving the buy-back project within government; (e) Has the Government published its scope of work or terms of reference for this buy-back investigation: (i) If not, why not; (f) What is the current timeline for completion of the Government’s rail buy-back plan; (g) What are the expected next steps before negotiations with the current leaseholder commence; (h) Has a framework for negotiations with Arc Infrastructure (or any other involved parties) been developed; (i) When does the Minister expect negotiations with Arc Infrastructure to begin; (j) What metrics or benchmarks will the Government use to assess the success of negotiations; (k) Which consultants have been engaged on the buy-back process and on what basis were they selected; (l) What is the total cost to date of consultant engagement; (m) Which government departments or agencies are involved in this project and what are their specific roles; (n) Has any external expertise (economic, legal, engineering) been separately contracted; (o) How is the Government ensuring value for money in its expenditure on the buy-back process; (p) Why has there been no public timeline published for this project; (q) Will the Government publish its negotiation strategy with the leaseholder; (r) Will the Government publicly release modelling or cost-benefit analyses related to the buy-back; (s) Is the Parliament being provided regular briefings on progress; (t) Has the Government considered releasing progress reports to stakeholders such as growers and exporters; (u) What economic analysis has been undertaken to justify the buy-back of the freight rail network; (v) What is the Government’s estimate of the cost to reacquire the rail freight network; (w) What is the estimated cost of upgrading the freight rail network post-acquisition; (x) How does the Government justify these costs compared to alternative investments (e.g., roads); (y) What economic development benefits have been identified in pursuing rail buy-back (e.g., export growth, jobs); (z) What engagement has the Government had with grain industry stakeholders regarding rail performance and buy-back; (aa) Has the Government consulted with users such as CBH Group on service, pricing, and reliability issues; (bb) Does the Government agree that rail inefficiencies are contributing to increased road freight usage; (cc) What is the Government’s response to concerns about the rail network’s ability to handle record-level grain harvests; (dd) Has the economic value of rail versus road transport in the grain supply chain been independently audited; (ee) What quantitative data supports the Government’s view on road safety impacts from increased heavy vehicle use due to rail limitations; (ff) What additional funding has been allocated to road upgrades in key grain routes as a consequence of rail underperformance; (gg) Has the Government modelled future heavy freight traffic volumes if rail remains uncompetitive; (hh) Are there plans for increased enforcement or regulation on heavy freight vehicles in rural road corridors; (ii) Will any funding from rail buy-back be directed to improving regional roads as a complementary measure; (jj) Has the Government set aside a specific budget line for rail buy-back; (kk) What funding mechanisms are being considered to finance the buy-back and subsequent upgrades; (ll) Is there Commonwealth funding committed to support the WA rail buy-back; (mm) If Commonwealth funding is contingent on future Federal election outcomes, what is the Government’s contingency plan; (nn) Will the State Government need to borrow funds to buy back and upgrade the network; (oo) Has the Government considered standardising rail gauge or integrating with national freight corridors; (pp) What strategic freight objectives does the Government have beyond buy-back (e.g., inland ports); (qq) How does this rail strategy align with the State’s broader freight and supply chain strategy; (rr) Is there consideration of public-private partnership models post buy-back; (ss) What lessons has the Government taken from other states’ freight rail buy-back experiences; (tt) Will the Minister table any legal advice received on the buy-back process; (uu) What statutory or regulatory changes may be required to enable the buy-back; (vv) Has the Department updated the Parliamentary Counsel on risks associated with the buy-back; (ww) What performance indicators will be used to measure post-acquisition infrastructure outcomes; and (xx) Does the Government have contingency plans if negotiations fail or are delayed further?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

17 March 2026

Responded by

Minister for Transport

Response time

9 days

(a)-(xx) 25 years ago, the Nationals and the Liberals sold out regional Western Australians by selling Western Australia’s freight rail network.
On 23 January 2025, the Cook Labor Government announced its intention to negotiate to bring the freight rail network back into public control. This was backed by key groups including CBH, the CME and AMEC.
The Government is progressing confidential negotiations with Brookfield as the owner of Arc Infrastructure, which are understandably commercially sensitive at this stage.
This Government is cleaning up after one of the worst strategic mistakes the Liberals and Nationals ever inflicted on regional Western Australia; the sale of the freight rail network.

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