CountryLink Rail Services
Page: 5455
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [11.59 a.m.]: I move:
That this House:
(1) notes CountryLink is a core government service that should be subsidised;
(2) notes that the recommendations made by the interim Parry report on sustainable transport to reduce or close down CountryLink rail services will severely disadvantage country people;
(3) calls on the Government to retain CountryLink rail services.
It was pleasing that the Leader of the House gave precedence to this matter so that it could be debated today. Normally the Government would use its numbers to crush a motion that questions its actions, which in this case is the plan to close down CountryLink rail services. However, what we may be seeing is a payback from the Leader of the House to the Minister for Transport Services, who has waged a major campaign to draw attention to Mr Scully's failings in the Transport portfolio. What The Nationals want is action to save CountryLink rail services, not Labor bickering and paybacks.
The message from The Nationals to the Government is to sort yourselves out and start listening to the groundswell of support for rail services in country and coastal New South Wales. The Nationals' petitions calling for these services to be saved are flooding in at a rate of knots. I have a massive bundle of petitions just from my electorate of Oxley on the mid North Coast and they would have literally tens of thousands of signatures. I would imagine that other members throughout regional and rural New South Wales are receiving a similar number of petitions. The Government has got to heed that message.
In recent times I have visited a number of country rail stations. For example, earlier this week I visited Nambucca Heads where probably 500 people turned up to rally and protest the Government's action. An invitation went out to the Minister for Transport Services and to the Premier but, sadly, they not only did not attend but did not even bother to reply. The people at that protest rally were very angry about that. I have also visited the Macksville, Kempsey, Wauchope—which serves the entire Hastings district—and Kendall stations, and last weekend I visited Walcha station, where people expressed precisely the same sentiments.
I look forward to the so-called Country Labor members—the member for Bathurst, Gerard Martin; the member for Monaro, Steven Whan; the member for Tweed, Neville Newell; the member for Murray-Darling, Peter Black; and the member for Cessnock, Kerry Hickey—voting for this motion as it stands. The reason they should vote with us on this important motion is because in their media release of 16 October they said:
CountryLink is a core government service that should be subsidised. The recommendations made by the interim report to scrap CountryLink services will severely disadvantage country people.
We call on Mr Parry to give country people more transport options, and to retain the CountryLink services that people rely on.
If this is what they said in their press release they should have no problem at all in joining with The Nationals and the Liberals to support our motion as it stands. But, if they attempt to play political games and amend the motion, or if they vote against it, that will confirm for us and for country New South Wales that they say one thing in their electorates but subserviently fall into line when Emperor Bob commands them to. Neither I nor any of The Nationals have a lot of faith in Country Labor, as the recent election results also show.
Mr Gerard Martin: Where is Peter Black?
Mr ANDREW STONER: Where is Harry Woods? Yesterday they disgracefully rolled over and voted for the most anti-farmer and anti-country natural resource management legislation this Parliament has seen for a long time. Why will not Labor and the Premier back down and admit that they have made a gross error in pushing ahead with axing country passenger rail services? The only negative effect of a back-down will be a little bit of hurt pride, but surely that is a price worth paying, given the importance of maintaining services in country areas. What about the Premier's concern about population pressures in Sydney? He is forever writing newspaper articles and lecturing on the speaking circuit about what a big problem it is.
It is a pretty simple proposition. If the Government continues to rip services out of country and coastal New South Wales it will exacerbate the population drift out of country New South Wales and continue the population explosion in Sydney. It seems Labor is happy to blow $10 million on a walking track around Sydney Harbour but cannot see its way clear to funding vital infrastructure in country areas. Earlier this month Labor rejected the Murrurundi rail tunnel project, which is a major blow to regional development and jobs throughout the North West and the Hunter. I am sure the member for Newcastle would be deeply concerned about that. The Premier says the construction of the tunnel, estimated to cost $130 million, would not be a responsible use of taxpayers' money. However, when it comes to infrastructure spending in Sydney, such as the $300 million bus transit ways and the $800 million for the M5 East motorway, there is no hesitation in spending taxpayers' money. Sydney Labor has wasted the equivalent of the construction cost of the Murrurundi tunnel on the Millennium trains.
The Nationals are today calling on Labor not only to maintain country passenger rail services but to improve them by making the necessary investment in rolling stock and infrastructure. Substituting passenger rail services with bus services will clearly add to problems on New South Wales roads. There will be increased road traffic and road maintenance costs, and bus loads of people will end up travelling on roads and bridges that are in a dangerous state of disrepair—not to mention accidents, as the member for Burrinjuck tells me. In 1989 there was a bus accident that cost the lives of 35 people on a section of the Pacific Highway in my electorate. This issue cannot be ignored.
After being in power in this State for nine years, surely Labor must now take responsibility for its actions. I was deeply concerned with the propaganda in Country Labor's media release last month in which the member for Bathurst called on Mr Parry "to give country people more transport options, and to retain CountryLink services". Come off it! It is not Professor Parry who has the power to give country people more transport options or to retain CountryLink services, it is the New South Wales Labor Government. It is the Labor Government to which each and every one of the so-called Country Labor members belongs. This Government has been setting us up for this with its sleek manipulation of the media. On 24 October the Minister for Transport Services was quoted in the Daily Telegraph as saying that tough decisions would need to be made once the Parry inquiry into public transport was released next month. He said:
… if there are hard decisions to be made I won't shy away from making them. At the end of the day there's more demand than resources.
More demand than resources? Surely the Minister should be going into bat in Cabinet for more resources for his portfolio instead of just throwing the towel in. The bottom line is that our rail infrastructure and services have been underresourced for too long under this Government. All this, when the Government is reaping indecent amounts of stamp duty and other taxes from the New South Wales public. Where is all the money going? Our transport, health, and education services certainly are not getting an increase in resources. The Nationals hold a strong philosophical belief that governments have a crucial role to play in ensuring that basic transport services are a right, not a privilege, for every New South Wales resident, no matter where they live. I note that the Government is about to slug families in country and coastal New South Wales $30 per child per year for so-called free school bus travel. Already country communities have far fewer, if any, public transport options compared with metropolitan communities. As the interim report says:
Over $1.9 billion of taxpayer money goes to fund passenger transport services of one sort or another across New South Wales every year … Most of this money is spent in the metropolitan region in and around Sydney.
In 2002-03 CountryLink expenses exceeded total revenue by $43 million, a gap that has increased from $8 million in 2001-02. However, that funding gap can be explained by the inquiry's interim report, which states:
Revenue sources have remained relatively stable since 2001-02. However, operating costs have increased by 28 per cent. An important driver of increased costs is the ageing XPT fleet. Maintenance for these carriages is increasingly expensive … It is anticipated that carriages will need to be replaced from 2010 at considerable expense.
So it would appear that options to replace CountryLink services with supposedly "user-friendly bus services" are simply a means of avoiding the capital expense of replacing the XPT fleet. This motion is of critical importance to rural, regional and coastal New South Wales. It is essential that we retain much-needed public transport option in those areas, that is, the CountryLink XPT and passenger services, the Armidale Xplorer, the North Coast XPT, and the Sydney to Canberra service. I challenge honourable members opposite to support the motion.
Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [12.09 p.m.]: I welcome the opportunity to respond to the comments of the Leader of The Nationals on the Parry report, and it will come as no surprise that I will amend the motion. I move:
That the motion be amended by leaving out paragraphs (2) and (3) of the motion with a view to inserting instead the following:
(2) notes that the Government has reintroduced country rail services closed by the previous Government;
(3) notes Country Labor's submission to the Parry inquiry strongly supporting improved CountryLink rail services; and
(4) calls on the Government to ensure that residents of country New South Wales have access to improved transport, including CountryLink rail services, improved CountryLink bus services and better community transport.
Unlike the Leader of The Nationals, Country Labor has read the Parry and Unsworth reports in their entirety when considering the whole range of sustainable public transport options. I shall reflect on the history of rail services in country New South Wales from 1988 to 2003, during which time significant changes have occurred. In 1998, when the former Coalition was in government, the Liberal Party made all the decisions and The Nationals did not disagree. In November 1988, as a result of the inquiry conducted by PA Consulting, many services were cancelled. They included the North Mail overnight service to Moree, Tamworth, Armidale and Tenterfield, the Western Mail overnight service to Dubbo, the North Coast overnight Express to Grafton, the Canberra Express, the Canberra to Monaro Express day service to Canberra and Cooma, the Orange to Lithgow day service, and the day return service from Bathurst to Sydney.
The Coalition would make similar cuts to services if it were ever to stumble back into office. The Leader of The Nationals was not a member at that time but perhaps he should read Hansard to acquaint himself with those dark days in the history of public transport in country New South Wales. I do not want to reflect too much on the painful memories of my colleague the honourable member for Murray-Darling, but in 1989 the Silver Comet service between Orange and Broken Hill via Parkes, Ivanhoe and Menindee was withdrawn and replaced with a daily road coach service from Dubbo via Nyngan, Cobar and Wilcannia. This demonstrates the hypocrisy of longer-serving members opposite.
I will continue the litany of selling out country people. In 1990, as a result of the Booz Allen Hamilton report, further changes to rail services were implemented. I know the honourable member for Northern Tablelands will have a painful recollection of when the three-days-a-week locomotive-hauled Armidale train was cancelled. Also cancelled were the three-days-a-week XPT Armidale train, the Werris Creek to Moree diesel rail car train, and the XPT to Tamworth. A return daily was introduced, with road coaches between Tamworth and Moree, and Tamworth and Armidale. The list goes on and on. The Opposition has no right to talk about rail services in view of its poor record on public transport for the bush. The Nationals can change its name a dozen times but it is still the same old, out-of-touch group.
Country Labor provided a comprehensive submission to the Parry inquiry, including 18 recommendations, which I commend to honourable members. There are no big words, so members opposite should be able to understand it and support it. Originally, the honourable member for Orange agreed with the Parry report; he did not have a problem with people catching buses instead of trains if it would save money. About 10 days later he received a phone call informing him of statements made by Country Labor and asserting that The Nationals should be looking after people in the bush. He was brought back into line and the idea of a petition suddenly seemed a good idea.
The Government does not oppose petitions but on this issue there is no need for reams of paper because we know our constituents' views on rail services. The honourable member for Monaro, the honourable member for Murray-Darling, and the Independent members are fully aware of what their communities want, that is, the return of CountryLink rail services. The Nationals have reacted throughout the bush to the actions of Country Labor. The Leader of The Nationals referred to the considerable consultation that has taken place. The Daily Examiner said that The Nationals could attract a crowd of only 20 Grafton people to its rally against what the paper referred to as the retrograde thinking of the Minister for Transport Services. The Parry report is out in the public arena for discussion.
This Government has a fine record of fiscal management, but I shall not go into that at this time. This report is a genuine document by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal and even though we do not agree with all aspects of it, we are prepared to have a fair dinkum discussion on it. The report is not about cost saving, but it states that any money saved through changes to rail or bus services should be redirected into regional transport services, not into the Consolidated Fund. One cannot argue against that.
The honourable member for Ballina and the honourable member for Lachlan could tell us about the 18 country branch lines that the Opposition closed when it was in government, yet they have the gall to suggest that when it comes to country rail services they are the saviours of country people. They are the biggest bunch of hypocrites that have ever sat on the Opposition benches. They have no credibility. The Hon. Michael Gallacher obviously does not talk to the Leader of the Opposition. He visited Armidale and said he could not promise anything 3½ years away. He suggested that the Coalition would reverse the recommendations of the Parry inquiry if it is elected to office.
The honourable member for Northern Tablelands seems to be in tune with his electorate. He labelled the comments of the Hon. Michael Gallacher about saving the Armidale rail service as nothing but empty rhetoric, which is what we have heard from the Leader of The Nationals. Country Labor is asking the Opposition to support its sensible amendment, which goes to the heart of looking after country rail and bus services. We accept that if services are subsidised by $2 billion, it is incumbent upon the Government to examine and revise them.
Nothing stays the same. That is why Country Labor made strong recommendations to the Parry inquiry, and obviously they have been plagiarised by members opposite. We will go to the wire on this issue, and we ask The Nationals to hang onto our coat tails and come along for the ride. We will even forgive them for the sins they perpetrated on country people when they were in office. The former Greiner Government slashed services and The Nationals did not have the guts to stand up for their constituents. If the Coalition ever stumbles back to government, we can expect more of the same, but country people will not swallow it. The Nationals can change their name, do what they like, even shave their moustaches, but it will not help them one little bit. I commend the amendment to the House.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [12.19 p.m.]: We are debating this motion to prevent any possibility of forthcoming cuts to our rail system.
[Interruption]
I listened to the honourable member for Bathurst in silence; he should show me a little courtesy. The issue we face is whether philosophically we as a Parliament support public transport. That is it. In particular, do we support public transport in country New South Wales, where there are virtually no transport options other than cars. To suggest that our already congested and underfunded roads will carry additional bus transport in lieu of rail passenger transport is ludicrous, and we must conjointly fight against that notion. Members opposite can go as far back as they like in history, but in reality we are talking about the future.
Members opposite should go back to the time of the Unsworth Government, which is when the first XPT was taken off the Armidale run. That is when the trouble started. The closure of the Sydney to Newcastle service is bubbling along, and we oppose that. This issue is raised time and again. I notice that one public servant, Mr Vince Graham, has again inserted himself into the situation. It does not surprise me one bit that the plan presented to the previous Government for the Armidale and Moree routes is exactly the same as the plan now proposed for the same route.
The previous Government bought the Explorer train fleet—which subsequently became the Endeavour fleet—reinstated the services to Armidale and Moree, and enhanced the XPT fleet as well as including a sleeper fleet. If members opposite want to talk about other rail cuts, it was the Wran-Unsworth Government that closed the service to Mudgee.
Mr Gerard Martin: What about the lines we have reopened?
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: The Government spent a little bit of money on the Cowra and Mudgee lines. But when will the first train run? I would take a freight train; that would do me. Then we might have some rail passengers in the future. Members opposite either support public transport or gutlessly hide behind submissions to the Parry inquiry. They are the Government of the day. Why are we even debating this issue? Unless members opposite are proposing these cuts, they should not masquerade behind a so-called independent inquiry. Make submissions to an independent inquiry and wait for the cuts to come!
Mr Gerard Martin: It's all about transparency in government.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: Let me remind you—
Mr Gerard Martin: What about Luna Park?
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: The honourable member for Bathurst is a little quick. Let me remind him that the Coalition reinstated the two Explorer trains to Moree and Armidale, dividing at Werris Creek. Two trains operated on that route, one northbound and one southbound in the morning, crossing over roughly in the middle of the upper Hunter. That is a very good service. There was also a night service on that route, especially on weekends, which was important for university students and others. It was the Labor Government that stopped the Explorer night trains. The problem we now face with the current plan is that if the train service terminates at Tamworth with radiating buses, the whole train set will be eliminated.
Under this proposal, a train would leave Sydney in the morning and terminate at Tamworth. It would then return to Sydney as the Sydney service. In other words, it would travel through my electorate, through the Hunter and so on, as a late afternoon service to Sydney. That would be almost useless, necessitating overnight accommodation and so on. So the proposal has implications beyond Tamworth and down the line all the way to Sydney.
It is most unfortunate that this issue is on the table once again, but it is on the table because the Government put it there. If members opposite and Minister Costa were not interested in parading these cuts, we would not be debating this issue now. The Government should collect revenue and provide staff on busy stations, or at least install ticketing machines and collect the revenue from them. For example, the station at Scone is unstaffed and has no ticket machines, which means free travel. The Government should tidy up its shop first and then think about what to do with the rail system. [Time expired.]
Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro) [12.24 p.m.]: I welcome the opportunity to voice my strong support for CountryLink train services to Queanbeyan and Canberra, and to outline the action that I as Monaro's representative have taken to ensure that the Parry report recommendation to ditch our train services is not implemented. The draft Parry report states that CountryLink rail services, such as the Queanbeyan and Canberra service, are hard to justify. It highlights a number of very challenging figures, including the level of subsidy provided to the service—apparently up to $90 per passenger—and declining patronage due to competition from cheap bus fares.
The economic rationalist answer is to cut the service, but neither I nor my community agrees with that. Our rail service is vital for so many people: disabled people who have trouble accessing buses, elderly people who have difficulties with bus toilets and getting food at stops, people with medical conditions such as diabetes who need to eat along the way, and families with young kids who find it frustrating to keep the kids quiet on bus services. Yes, most of the passengers on these services are concession passengers, but they deserve a service. We want the service to Queanbeyan retained, and we want our return day service to Queanbeyan reinstated.
Three weeks ago more than 300 Queanbeyan residents turned out at a meeting in the church hall to express their support for rail services. I have been giving their message to the Premier and the Minister as they consider how the Government will respond to the Parry report. At the public meeting I moved motions to support the service and to establish a working party to get local input into the Parry report response. I am pleased to say that the Minister is working positively with the community working party, and I welcome the interest that his office has shown in listening to our community. The Minister's chief of staff will be participating in this, along with the Department of Transport.
The working party is the key to putting up a good case to save our train. And it is the key to why having a Country Labor member gives our region a better chance of winning the fight. Had this report come down four years ago, when the National Party held Monaro, we would have seen lots of grandstanding and protesting but we would not have seen any constructive action to actually save the services. Of course, had the National Party held Monaro and been in government the service would have gone the same way as the Cooma service went in 1989 under the Greiner Government.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! The Opposition will come to order. All members will have an opportunity to contribute to the debate at the appropriate time.
Mr STEVE WHAN: The working party—I note that the honourable member for Burrinjuck tried to establish a similar working party in her community—is having its first meeting next Monday. It comprises representatives of seniors groups, the disabled, local government, and others. I am confident that this will be a constructive meeting that will address the issues raised in the Parry report. Public transport should be subsidised, but it is also important to ensure that we as taxpayers get the best use of our money, which means looking at how we can raise more revenue, whether we have the right timetables and efficiencies in things like ticketing.
As a community we also need to make the most of the positive aspects of the Parry report, particularly the recognition of community transport. On this service we also have to look at how we can work with the Australian Capital Territory Government. Canberra people make up a large portion of the passengers on this train, yet Canberra makes no contribution to the cost of the service. Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has made a submission to the Parry report expressing his Government's strong support for the service and pointing out that the social benefits far outweigh the economic assessment.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coffs Harbour to order.
Mr STEVE WHAN: On that basis I am looking forward to a positive response from the Australian Capital Territory Government to a request for a financial contribution to the service. The Nationals have belatedly got behind Country Labor and the Independents on this issue. As the Country Labor representative for Monaro, I am determined to win this battle for my community. I will be taking the advice of one of the people at the Queanbeyan public meeting, the former and very popular member for Monaro Peter Cochran. Incidentally, he had a 16 per cent margin, which means The Nationals vote dropped by more than 20 per cent over two elections. He endorsed my motions.
More importantly, he apologised to the meeting for not fighting harder for the Cooma rail service when his Coalition closed the line in 1989. Peter Cochran told me not to make the same mistake. He told me to stand up and fight for my community, and that is exactly what I intend to do. A lot of people in the community, including Peter, seem to think this is a done deal, but they underestimate their local member. I will be fighting for this service and doing it constructively, unlike The Nationals who just whinge and interject. [Time expired.]
Mr GREG APLIN (Albury) [12.29 p.m.]: It is a sad reflection on the direction of the Carr Labor Government that we have to debate a motion that calls on the Government to retain CountryLink as a core government service that should be subsidised. Is it not a given that we have to service our communities? CountryLink's web site states that it offers "an experience to remember". Let us hope that that continues and that it is not something we might have to reflect on as an historic remembrance. The XPT, the express passenger train, was introduced in New South Wales in 1982. In 1993, some 11 years after the train was introduced, brand-new carriages were delivered and the existing carriages were completely refurbished with new seats, carpets and curtains. Does that not make one think that it is possibly in need of refurbishment once again, and that that is possibly the reason it is being considered for withdrawal? Improving the quality of services will attract passengers back to rail, ensuring the viability of the CountryLink network well into the future. Instead, the Labor Government seems to be opting for the "It is all too hard, so just shut it down" approach.
I recently talked to a farmer who had returned from Argentina. He commented on the excellence of the rail services in Argentina and compared New South Wales services unfavourably. That came as a shock to me. I assumed that in our country rail services would have been the equivalent of the best. The CountryLink web site says that we have a rail service equivalent to the finest in Europe. Some of our passengers may disagree with that statement. I ask the Government to seriously consider that refurbishment because it is vital that we continue to provide rail services to country people. The Albury electorate has a special link. We are referred to in the web site specifically for one achievement. On 18 September 1992 at Culcairn, which lies just to the north of Albury, the CountryLink XPT set a new speed record of 193 kilometres per hour. Its maximum operating speed is normally 160 kilometres an hour.
The motion refers to the threat to CountryLink services posed by the Government, which is considering withdrawing the services and replacing them with buses. The Leader of The Nationals moved this motion, and I wholeheartedly support it. Therefore, I reject the amendment. People in country areas need services to link them to cities and other towns. Recently I attended a public meeting in Henty. It was one of the largest public meetings ever in that town. It was held at the railway station. The people of Henty and surrounding areas were the first to raise concern that the service delivered by CountryLink was to be withdrawn. They raised the concern with my office and I made inquiries. Their initial concern was put aside by CountryLink, which said it had some difficulties with the timetable. I find it difficult to believe that two months out from one of the busiest times of the year—school holidays and the lead-up to Christmas—the timetable could not be produced. It was an ominous warning that the Government had something in mind. The debate today reflects that.
We are concerned about CountryLink. People in country areas have to travel to capital cities or larger centres for various purposes, whether it be students travelling to universities or schools, or people travelling to medical appointments and operations. People travel for tourism and to see their relatives. Seniors exercise their option to travel to see their families in distant parts of the State. CountryLink services provide a lifeline for people who opt to live in regional areas of Australia. For that reason, we absolutely insist that the service is vital and must be maintained. We are talking about two services a day in each direction. It is not a heavy load. If the Government is concerned about the number of people travelling, it could overcome that by adopting the marketing principles operating in Victoria. Those principles are to promote the area, promote the service and make the best possible use of a vital service to country New South Wales. [Time expired.]
Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [12.34 p.m.]: Mr Deputy-Speaker—
Mr Andrew Stoner: Here we go!
Mr PETER BLACK: Rightly so, the Leader of The Nationals has said, "Here we go." What an appalling disgrace we have seen today! The Leader of the "Notional Party" should be called DD—the Daily Disgrace. Yesterday, during debate on the catchment management authorities legislation, we heard one of the worst speeches ever given by DD. He had the gall to refer to the Armidale rail service. Michael Gallacher told representatives of the fourth estate and the people of Armidale that if the train goes he will not save it. I was up there representing Country Labor, in good taste. The shadow Minister for Transport Services, Michael Gallacher, said that he would not put the trains back on the rails.
I will refer to some of the issues that relate to Murray-Darling. What happened under Wal Murray? Do honourable members know that great revolutionary, the mayor of Carrathool Shire Council, Athol Roberts? Wal went out there and said to Athol, "It's not going to be a problem if we take up a huge section of the Roto to Hillston railway line." Athol, that well-known revolutionary, could not believe it and still cannot believe it. Those opposite backed the proposal. To this day, grain trucks travel from Roto to Hillston. As a result, millions of dollars are spend on repairs to those roads each year, including the road from Hillston to Goolgowi.
Another great revolutionary is the mayor of Bourke Shire Council, Wally Mitchell. Only a couple of years ago we were told that it would cost $11 million to reopen the line, to get it back in operation. When Wal Murray supported the proposition that that line be closed he forgot one thing: If you close the railway line you put half the community of Bourke out of work—they used to work at the abattoir. It has resulted in social disaster in Bourke because these people have been out of work ever since the abattoir closed. Large trucks come down from Queensland, straight through Bourke to Dubbo. Heavy transport has been put on the road because members opposite supported ripping up the railway line. The best case I can give is the Silver City Comet. The Daily Disgrace did not refer to the Silver City Comet, from Parkes to Broken Hill. Those opposite supported the proposition that the train be replaced with a four-wheel-drive service from Ivanhoe to Cobar. That is what they dreamed up! They took away the train after 52 years of successful operation. They cancelled the train. Guess what happened in 1994?
I gave a reception to the then Leader of the Opposition, Bob Carr, in the Broken Hill Trades Hall. One of the promises he made in November of 1994 was that when elected to government he would put the train back on. And that is what happened. The Broken Hill Outback Explorer is operating. Some Opposition members have journeyed on that mighty train to great areas such as Ivanhoe. It does not matter what the Parry report says: that train will continue to operate. It will not be cancelled. It will continue to operate for decades to come, because that is how long this Government will be in power. Under the leadership of DD, the Daily Disgrace, the National Party, the "Notional Party"— [Time expired.]
Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands) [12.39 p.m.]: I am very pleased to speak in support of the motion moved by the Leader of The Nationals and again debate country rail services in this place. Today in this Chamber many people have spoken about history. In question time yesterday comments were made about hypocrisy. I do not think there is a better example of hypocrisy than a discussion of country rail services. Members from no side of politics can hold their head high on this issue. Some people may want to take credit for changing the views of successive governments or working to retain country rail services, but they miss the point. It has been people, especially in northern New South Wales, who have led the debate on this issue. They have said very clearly—they have said it to me, and I think they were first in the State to say this—that they reject any suggestion of losing their train. They have said very clearly, "Hands off the Tamworth to Armidale service. We deserve it and it is our right as country people to have the service."
I have conveyed that message to this Parliament on numerous occasions. I am delighted that The Nationals have moved this motion. It is a little late in the debate, but we are happy to finally have them on board. We are thankful that recently there has been some movement in the debate. I am on the record as acknowledging the comments made by Country Labor members and saying that they have been helpful in the debate, particularly against their own Government, which has been pushing for the removal of country rail services—something that we reject. The Leader of the Opposition wrote "yes" on a copy of the notice paper concerning a notice of motion I had given. That was a great day when he made that commitment. I have that copy of the notice paper with his handwriting on it framed if anybody wants to see it. It was not until that day, well and truly months into the negotiations and the debate on country rail services, that we heard anything from the Opposition on this issue in this place. I feel a little sorry for the Leader of The Nationals when I look at the history of this place. He is obviously well-intentioned, but he said that his party's deep philosophical position is to subsidise rail services. Let me read some correspondence:
I believe that the changes which we have made—
the changes being referred to involve the removal of the rail service to Armidale, Tenterfield and Glen Innes—
to the State's rail services must be viewed within the context of the State Rail Authority's huge operating losses, and the consequent need for significant improvements in efficiency and productivity...
Does that sound familiar? Does it sound like Michael Costa? The letter goes on to state:
I am confident, however, that in the long run, our policies will achieve a marked improvement in the State's economy and thereby generate better facilities and more efficient services for the people of New South Wales.
Was that letter from Michael Costa? No, it was from Wal Murray, the then Leader of the National Party. Rail services should be provided to country people as a requirement. The Leader of The Nationals may have a deep philosophical view about country rail services but a Coalition Government removed them. Wal Murray's letter was almost word for word the speech of Michael Costa in respect of efficiencies, not people. The Coalition took away country services. I was disappointed that the shadow Minister, standing on Armidale railway station, when challenged about whether the Opposition would make a commitment to save country rail services—that was prior to the commitment given by John Brogden—said:
I can give you a commitment today but if in two years or 12 months time this Railway Station is closed down and we are looking at a cafe and the railway lines are in such a deplorable condition because of maintenance neglect over the next three and half years, then where do I go from there?
What I will do is give you a commitment to maintain pressure on the government...
Do as I say, not as I do! That is the policy. My position is very clear: hands off country rail services. That is the position the honourable members representing the electorates of Tamworth, Dubbo and Port Macquarie have supported from day one. [Time expired.]
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [12.44 p.m.], in reply: I refer to the media release of 16 October put out by the Country Labor faction. It is breathtaking hypocrisy. Country Labor is calling on the Parry inquiry to retain CountryLink services. But the Parry inquiry was instituted by the Labor Government. Let us go through the spin. This is Labor calling upon Labor to retain CountryLink services. Unbelievable! People will surely see through this subterfuge of country-based Australian Labor Party members trying to portray themselves as heroes in the fight against the nasty Parry inquiry. They are part of the conspiracy. No wonder that the honourable member for Bathurst and his Labor colleagues have sought to amend the motion.
Mr Gerard Martin: Point of order: The Nationals seem to be unaware of the position of Country Labor. I am happy to table our submission to the Parry inquiry.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr ANDREW STONER: No wonder the honourable member for Bathurst and his so-called Country Labor colleagues have sought to amend the motion. He will not cross the floor against his Sydney Labor masters but he is desperately worried about his standing in his electorate. So he tries to neuter the motion by cutting the guts out of it and inserting some party political rhetoric. Country people will see through this desperate and dishonest tactic. They are as mad as hell. It will take more than slippery tactics; it will take honesty and action for the honourable member for Bathurst to hang on to his seat. I call on Country Labor members to stop the charade, withdraw their political amendments and join The Nationals in voting for a motion that, after all, reflects the statements in their own media release. I turn to the misleading comments about the late involvement of The Nationals on this issue. I refer to Hansard of question time immediately following the announcement of the Parry interim report. The Nationals led the charge on this issue during question time, long before the honourable member for Northern Tablelands bothered to give notice of a motion, long before Country Labor members raised their heads.
Mr Richard Torbay: Point of order: There are more than 11 entries in Hansard prior to the National Party's question on this issue.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr ANDREW STONER: I also find it curious that the honourable member for Northern Tablelands should be quoting from a document that is clearly a Government document, which would have come from the files of the Government.
Mr Richard Torbay: Point of order: This correspondence was given to me by Mr Jeff Watson, the branch president of The Nationals in Northern Tablelands.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr ANDREW STONER: This motion is about now and what will happen with CountryLink services in the future under this Labor Government. It is also about whether Country Labor members will support the motion. They could not resist; they have moved an amendment and started playing politics on this very important issue. The people of New South Wales are sick to death of this sort of political hypocrisy. Let us look at Labor's record. It closed the night trains and the Xplorer service on the Armidale and Moree lines. The honourable member for Coffs Harbour reminded me that Labor closed the Belmont line in 1972 and the Coalition Government reintroduced the XPT services cut by former Premier Unsworth. Both sides of politics have rationalised train services over the years, but this motion is about now and what this Government intends to do about CountryLink services in the future. The honourable member for Burrinjuck, who did not have the opportunity to contribute to this debate—
Mr Gerard Martin: Point of order: The honourable member is misleading the House. The Askin Government was in power in 1972.
Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Leader of The Nationals may continue.
Mr ANDREW STONER: The honourable member for Burrinjuck has given me 6,000 signatures on petitions supported by Ruth Shanks and the local Country Women's Association. The honourable member for Lachlan also contributed a large number of petitions. There is no other form of public transport in areas such as Lake Cargelligo, West Wyalong, Young, Temora, Cootamundra and Harden. I call upon the Country Labor members to drop the amendment and to support The Nationals' motion.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion as amended agreed to.
[Mr Deputy-Speaker left the chair at 12.54 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]