Over a year since Labor’s High Speed Rail Authority Bill passed Parliament, Minister Catherine King has finally announced the appointment of CEO Timothy Parker.
Questioning in Senate Estimates last year revealed little progress from the Authority, with a corporate plan and the recruitment of their CEO being their focus of the last year – drawing comparisons to satirical television show ‘Utopia’.
Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Greens spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure and Sustainable Cities said:
‘It’s pretty insulting to Australians that the much anticipated High Speed Rail Authority has taken over a year to even appoint a CEO.
‘Corporate plans don’t put train tracks in the ground. Australians have waited long enough for High Speed Rail, it’s time to get it on track.
‘In 2014, independent think tank Beyond Zero Emissions showed that Australia could deliver a complete east coast high speed rail network within 10 years of project commencement, but currently Labor is not even on track to complete this project by the 2060s.
‘Minister King has explicitly said they will be looking at private sector financing, something that is only necessary because her government has grossly underfunded the project.
‘Sourcing private sector funding will no doubt delay the project even further, and ensure private sector profits are prioritised over service delivery for the public.’