❓ Mrs Roberts questions the Minister for Transport about the declining budget for the Fremantle Traffic Bridge. The Minister explains the funding reduction is due to plans to combine the bridge reconstruction with a rail bridge upgrade, seeking Commonwealth funding.
AnsweredQoN 258Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE
BUDGET 2012–13 — FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE
258. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the declining budget allocations for the Fremantle
Traffic Bridge, which started at $38.4 million in 2010–11, fell to
$18.4 million in 2011–12 and have now been extinguished altogether.
(1) When will the Minister for Transport reinstate funding to
fully repair or replace the traffic bridge?
(2) When will the Minister for Transport
release the details of possible options and an accurate estimate that he has
been talking about for the last three years?
(3) What is the reason for the minister's
waning interest in this project?
BUDGET 2012–13 — FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE
258. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the declining budget allocations for the Fremantle
Traffic Bridge, which started at $38.4 million in 2010–11, fell to
$18.4 million in 2011–12 and have now been extinguished altogether.
(1) When will the Minister for Transport reinstate funding to
fully repair or replace the traffic bridge?
(2) When will the Minister for Transport
release the details of possible options and an accurate estimate that he has
been talking about for the last three years?
(3) What is the reason for the minister's
waning interest in this project?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
The reason for the current reduction in the funding is simply that it is the
department's view, and indeed my view, that when the Fremantle Traffic
Bridge is reconstructed, it should be constructed at the same time as an
upgrade to the rail bridge that sits immediately next to it, particularly, if
the member is interested, because the rail bridge needs to carry two lines. The
reason it needs to carry two lines is the fact that we have a great conflict at
the moment between passenger rail and freight rail, particularly in the
mornings. It is having a significant impact on efficiencies in moving freight
out of the port of Fremantle. That means that the project will be a rail
infrastructure project and a traffic bridge project. That will mean that this
project will qualify under the state–commonwealth funding arrangements
that we will negotiate with the commonwealth as part of the Nation Building 2
program, which I anticipate doing with my good friend the federal Minister for
Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese—known to some as ''Albo''—later
this year, and we will sit down have those conversations.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
When are you going to release your options?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will release those options when I have had a conversation with my good friend
the federal minister ''Albo''. When we have had that conversation
and we have an understanding of how we need to fund that particular upgrade, we
will let the member know and we will more broadly advertise it, in partnership
with the commonwealth, I hasten to add. The movement of freight from the port
of Fremantle to Welshpool and beyond that is a major challenge. The government
has committed significant funds to extending the rail terminal at North Quay.
The government is spending significant funds to put in a passing loop towards
Cockburn to assist trains moving to and from the port and a new intermodal
terminal at Welshpool. That is all part of the solution. It is entirely
sensible. I am hopeful that this will be funded out of Nation Building 2 as we
sit down with the commonwealth to look at providing not only a better road traffic connection, but also a better
freight connection to Fremantle.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
It is in the never-never now, is it?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
It is not in the never-never, member for Midland. We will sit down and discuss
NB2 later this year. NB1 concludes in 2014 and NB2 starts after that. We have
made a commitment to the port of Fremantle that it will stay as a working port
to its full capacity of about 1.2 million TEU per annum. A TEU is a 20-foot
equivalent unit—that is, a 20-foot container. At the moment, the port's
capacity is 600 000 TEU, so we will double the freight effort through the port
of Fremantle. We need to do the proper planning in both rail and road to make
sure that we can deal with that, and that is what we intend to do.
The reason for the current reduction in the funding is simply that it is the
department's view, and indeed my view, that when the Fremantle Traffic
Bridge is reconstructed, it should be constructed at the same time as an
upgrade to the rail bridge that sits immediately next to it, particularly, if
the member is interested, because the rail bridge needs to carry two lines. The
reason it needs to carry two lines is the fact that we have a great conflict at
the moment between passenger rail and freight rail, particularly in the
mornings. It is having a significant impact on efficiencies in moving freight
out of the port of Fremantle. That means that the project will be a rail
infrastructure project and a traffic bridge project. That will mean that this
project will qualify under the state–commonwealth funding arrangements
that we will negotiate with the commonwealth as part of the Nation Building 2
program, which I anticipate doing with my good friend the federal Minister for
Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese—known to some as ''Albo''—later
this year, and we will sit down have those conversations.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
When are you going to release your options?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will release those options when I have had a conversation with my good friend
the federal minister ''Albo''. When we have had that conversation
and we have an understanding of how we need to fund that particular upgrade, we
will let the member know and we will more broadly advertise it, in partnership
with the commonwealth, I hasten to add. The movement of freight from the port
of Fremantle to Welshpool and beyond that is a major challenge. The government
has committed significant funds to extending the rail terminal at North Quay.
The government is spending significant funds to put in a passing loop towards
Cockburn to assist trains moving to and from the port and a new intermodal
terminal at Welshpool. That is all part of the solution. It is entirely
sensible. I am hopeful that this will be funded out of Nation Building 2 as we
sit down with the commonwealth to look at providing not only a better road traffic connection, but also a better
freight connection to Fremantle.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
It is in the never-never now, is it?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
It is not in the never-never, member for Midland. We will sit down and discuss
NB2 later this year. NB1 concludes in 2014 and NB2 starts after that. We have
made a commitment to the port of Fremantle that it will stay as a working port
to its full capacity of about 1.2 million TEU per annum. A TEU is a 20-foot
equivalent unit—that is, a 20-foot container. At the moment, the port's
capacity is 600 000 TEU, so we will double the freight effort through the port
of Fremantle. We need to do the proper planning in both rail and road to make
sure that we can deal with that, and that is what we intend to do.
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