Independent Review of the delivery of the Inland Rail Program

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On 7 October 2022, the Australian Government announced the appointment of Dr Kerry Schott AO to lead an independent review of the Inland Rail Program.

Dr Schott is seeking submissions from interested parties to share their views, experience and expectations on key themes relating to the delivery of the Inland Rail Program. The guiding questions under each theme are intended to inform the review, rather than limit it. Dr Schott welcomes all feedback on the themes.

All submissions will be published for transparency, unless requested otherwise.

Why we want your input

We want your input to help inform the review of the delivery of the Inland Rail Program.

How you can voice your opinion

Submissions on the themes and guiding questions can be emailed to IR.Review@infrastructure.gov.au. Responses to each theme should be no more than 2 pages long.

What will be the outcome of this consultation?

Your submission will help inform the review and advice to Government on the delivery of the Inland Rail Program.

The Issue

Inland Rail is an important part of building additional capability and capacity to increase the resilience of Australia’s freight supply chain and meet our growing freight task - which is forecast to grow by up to 35 per cent by 2040. Read more about Inland Rail.

Up to $14.5 billion in equity and $300 million in grant funding has been committed by the Australian Government to support the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to deliver Inland Rail. While construction commenced in 2018, significant cost and schedule pressures are emerging in response to broader market constraints and macroeconomic factors.

This independent review will take a close look at the management and delivery of the Inland Rail program. Read the Terms of Reference.

We invite you to provide a succinct submission in relation to the following themes and guiding questions. If you could keep your submission to the point and less than 8 pages in total that would be appreciated.

Key Themes

1: ARTC governance and management arrangements for the delivery of the Inland Rail Program.

How could ARTC improve its management arrangements and structures to better facilitate the delivery of the Inland Rail Program?

2: The role of Inland Rail in meeting Australia’s growing freight task and providing a Service Offering to meet freight sector needs.

How could Inland Rail and access to intermodal terminals create new opportunities and benefits for your region/industry/community?

3: The processes for the selection and refinement of the Inland Rail route and whether these processes are fit-for-purpose, including consideration of benefits and impacts.

Do you consider ARTC’s approach to engaging communities on the route is fit-for-purpose?
How could ARTC improve its engagement with communities and stakeholders along the route in regard to the processes used to consider benefits and impacts?

4: The effectiveness of ARTC’s community and stakeholder engagement processes, and opportunities for improvement, including ARTC’s approach to addressing community concerns.

What has ARTC done well in engaging with communities, including addressing community concerns?
In what ways could ARTC improve its communication and engagement processes with communities and stakeholders?
How could ARTC improve its engagement with communities and stakeholders in responding to concerns?