TRANSCRIPT: Interview with JOSEPH THOMSEN, ABC GOULBURN MURRAY, 18 OCTOBER 2018
E&OE
Subjects: North East rail line; National Party Leadership; visas for overseas workers.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Last week the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack was in Albury to announce the scope of works for $235 million of Federal money to be spent on work on the North East line. Michael McCormack is the Deputy Prime Minister and also the Minister for Infrastructure and he’s going to give us a couple of minutes this morning. Michael McCormack, good morning.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Good morning, Joseph.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
You made the scope of works announced last week in Albury, can you recap for us what will now officially take place as part of that scope of works?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
The ARTC is looking to upgrade the line to achieve Victorian Class 2 performance standard. That in turn, in simple terms, improves the reliability and the ride quality for passengers along the line so look it's a good announcement. It enables the more reliable VLocity trains to travel up to 130 kilometres per hour. V/Line is introducing those newer and faster VLocity trains. The effort is now very firmly on the Victorian Government to get those VLocity trains and to make sure that everything is as it ought to be and as passengers would expect it to be. We want to make those journeys for the passengers more reliable, smoother, and get more people on the trains.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
I know you've been posed this question once or twice in media conferences and it certainly has been a topic of discussion here. The top speed at the end of all of this, over a quarter of a billion dollars, will be 130 kilometres per hour? Any reason why? Any reason why it can’t be higher than 130? Mainly, can’t it be 160 kilometres per hour for the regional tracks in Victoria?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
The commitment we've made is that we're spending $235 million. It will go 130 kilometres an hour and the track already caters for that, I appreciate that, but these VLocity trains have a speed of 130 kilometres an hour. Now, I mean, I think the first thing that the Australian Government really has been supporting…
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
They could go to 160 kilometres an hour, though, that's part of the reason for the question. It's almost not worth having them if they can't run at their top speed and they can run at that speed on other Victorian tracks, other major tracks, anyway.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Look, it's too early to say now whether this will be achieved on the North East line. It requires further investigation and work to understand that. But, I mean, 130 kilometres is going to get passengers to where they need to go sooner and safer, and that's the commitment that we've made. Will we commit to faster speed trains in the future? Well, we'll look at that but we're supporting this for a quarter of a billion dollars. The Victorian Government has said that 130 kilometre trains are a good result. They're supportive of what we're doing. They need to now get on board with getting the VLocity trains, and this will be a much better and smoother ride for passengers.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
True, and I hear that and I hear what you're saying; and we already understand that and that's part of the reason for the question as well. It's nearly a quarter of a billion dollars and the top speed is going to be only a little bit more, if you’re going to spend that much money rather than have to do it again, as you've just referred, to get it up to but perhaps…
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We’re not going to do it again. We will look at that way, way down the track. We’re upgrading it to Victorian Class 2 standards. To upgrade it anymore is going to take an awful lot more money. We're spending money right around Regional Victoria, right around Regional Australia. This is going to give passengers a much smoother and more reliable ride, speeds that are up to 130 kilometres an hour and better trains provided by the Victorian Government. It's a good outcome.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
It’s 130 kilometres an hour, it’s a lot more money going to be spent for a class 2 category track, however VLocity trains can already run on the track as it is now and it doesn't necessarily have to be upgraded to Class 2 or Class 1...
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Yes but we’ve got to get that rolling stock there and so the Victorian Government is making an investment in that.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Yeah, just making the point though that we can already run them. So, at the end of all of this work, it would seem to be a not unreasonable proposition with that amount of money while we've got other tracks that could run at 160, that would be part of a scope that works, obviously it’s not. How much more money have they told you it's going to cost to increase the speed to a top speed of 160?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Significant amounts of additional money. Quite frankly, when we're investing in rail tracks right around the nation, this is a good investment for the North East. This is something that North East commuters have been lobbying for. We've answered their call and it's a good commitment.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
One of the big problems on the North East line has been reliability and that is trains being replaced by buses. Is this going to eradicate that problem?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We'd like to think so. Yes.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Does anybody know?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We want people to travel on the trains. We upgrade the track. The ARTC is getting on with the job. We want to make sure that people travel by trains. Of course, bus services have been used to plug gaps, et cetera, but we want people on those rail lines in better trains, faster trains. We're making sure that's happening. We're making sure that people get a smoother and more reliable ride.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
There's a great deal of cynicism amongst local train patrons after all of the various things that have happened over the years, one debacle after another.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I can answer that by saying I'm hoping that work will begin next year and it will continue at a fast pace so that we get this happening. Of course, the Victorian Government has promised the VLocity rolling stock, so we need them to also continue to go down that track - pardon the pun. But we want to get this happening, we want to work in conjunction with the Victorian Government; we're doing that. I know that for the people of North East Victoria, who have as you point out suffered for too long, I know their prayers are going to be answered.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
The top speed will be 130 kilometres per hour. It's not much use if it goes at that speed for a 10 kilometre stretch. Do you know whether it will be able to travel at that speed for effectively the whole of the track at the end of this work, do we know the average speed importantly will be?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
This Government continues to work with State Governments on faster rail speeds and through initiatives such as the Faster Rail Prospectus. But any significant increase in speeds do require extensive investigations and considerable investment. And so, at the moment we've invested a quarter of a billion dollars. That's a very large investment…
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
But has the scope of work said anything about the average speed?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I would have to actually get back to you on that. But certainly the ARTC committed to delivering this project. I have to say when I was on the Albury platform the other day, commuters came up to me to say, thank goodness that you're getting on with it, this is fantastic, and thank you for what you're doing.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
How long are we saying it would take to go between Southern Cross and Albury-Wodonga, for instance?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
About three hours.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
So, a little better than what it is on an XPT at the moment?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Yes but it would be a much smoother, more reliable ride. And look, that is a timesaving. But look that's going to provide people without having to go on the roads, it takes people off the roads. Of course, the Hume Freeway is a very reliable means of transport too. But as a Government, we're investing in roads, rail; we're getting on with the job that others have only ever talked about. So, it's a good commitment. It's something that has been a long time coming and I have to say the passengers on the platform the other day were delighted that we were getting on with the job.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Many people over the years have felt that the Australian Rail Track Corporation, which has charge of this line, has mucked up the work that's done over the last decade. Regardless of that perception, what's in place to make sure that this work is done properly and achieves what it's supposed to and achieves reliability?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I have every faith that the ARTC will do it, and they’ll get it done by 2021, within the year of 2021.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Yes but they were responsible for things that didn't work out the first time around.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I've only been the minister since February and I know any of my dealings with the ARTC, whether it's been through projects such as this, through the Inland Rail, have been nothing but professional. I'm sure that they’re committed to doing the job, they will do the job and I say again, commuters will be delighted by the experience.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Do you think all of the problems for the ballast and the mud holes and the various other issues we've had along the line are going to be fixed as part of this scope of works?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I’ve got every faith, and we had the ARTC exactly say what you've just said the other day during the press conference and made sure that that commitment would be met, made sure that the scope of works would take in all of those things. I've got every faith that the ARTC will deliver.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
When will it be complete and commuters actually riding trains?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Within the year 2021. So, work will begin hopefully next year and 2021 has been set as the finish year.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Will you have any further talks with the Victorian State Government on the VLocity trains and if and when they start to make those orders?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
I have discussions with the Victorian Opposition and indeed the Minister Jacinta Allan, all the time. I've got a good relationship with all of my Transport Ministers and Shadow Ministers right across Australia. I want to work with Governments and Ministers of any political persuasions to get the best job done for the people we serve, the commuters. And that's what we're doing right here.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Michael McCormack, just quickly, leadership speculation again today: Your initial reaction to all of that coming up again?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Just getting on with the job of building projects like the NERL, building projects like the infrastructure spend that we're doing right around the nation. Look, I appreciate the fact that this might be a bit of a fascination for the media but I've got nothing but support from my National Party colleagues.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
A lot of local people would like to see some more work done on those visas to allow overseas workers to come in, that seems to be at a stalemate. Where do you think that’s going to go?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
If any farmers have labour force shortages, they need to get on to the Harvest Trail website, they need to ring the hotline and register their interest, how many workers they need, how long they need them for and what sort of work they'll be doing and those needs will be met as they always have been in the past, as they always will be in the future.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
But people still say they'd like to see those visas enacted.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
It doesn't matter what you call a visa arrangement. The important thing is that we get the fruit picked and the crops harvested. That’s the important thing. It’s been done in the past, it will be done this year, and it will be done in the future.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
We know you’ve got a busy day. Michael McCormack, thank you very much for your time today.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Thank you very much, Joseph. Any time at all.
JOSEPH THOMSEN:
Michael McCormack, who is the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Infrastructure.