Saffin petitions NSW Government over rail line
October 3, 2009
Member for Page Janelle Saffin is petitioning the NSW Government to guarantee the closed Casino-to-Murwillumbah rail line is kept in public ownership while the Integrated Regional Transport Plan for the Northern Rivers and south-east Queensland is being completed.
Ms Saffin said she had reached an historic agreement with public and private sector groups to get a regional and cross-border transport plan in place, and it would be a tragedy if actions by anyone restricted the options available for consideration in the plan.
“The Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils (NOROC) is about to seek feasibility funding from local, State and Federal governments to develop an agreed plan which will allow us to share equitably in the nation’s prosperity,” she said.
“It is important that the NSW State Government does nothing that could make our job harder as we move towards a transport system that will serve our social, environmental and economic needs for the next 50 years.”
Ms Saffin is asking local residents to sign her petition which urges New South Wales Transport Minister David Campbell to quarantine the Casino-to-Murwillumbah rail line from the State Government’s planned Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2009.
That legislation, due to be debated in both houses of State Parliament later this month, would potentially allow closed rail lines across New South Wales to be sold.
“The Casino-to-Murwillumbah rail corridor needs to be quarantined from that process so that we can plan our transport network for the future,” Ms Saffin said.
The petition can be signed at Ms Saffin’s electorate office – 63 Molesworth Street, Lismore – during normal business hours or when her mobile office visits the Lismore Car Boot Market this Sunday.
She has also arranged for Minister Campbell’s office to accept separate emailed letters of protest.
These can be sent to david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au and should be copied to Ms Saffin’s policy adviser peter.ellem@aph.gov.au
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