STATE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO PUT LIGHT RAIL ON TRACK

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has again called on the State Government to stop talking and get on with the long-awaited and much-needed Hobart northern suburbs light rail project.

Mr Wilkie was regrettably unable to attend the Light Rail Roundtable in Berridale today due to an unavoidable commitment with the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security which is enquiring into a number of significant national security reforms.

But he applauded Dr Bob Brown for organising the Roundtable and hopes the meeting helps to energise and progress the rail proposal.

Mr Wilkie prepared a statement to be read at the Roundtable on his behalf. A copy of his statement is attached.

“Getting a wide range of community leaders in the same room to talk about the Northern Suburbs Light Rail proposal can only be a good thing,” Mr Wilkie said.

“The State Government needs to understand how much support there is across the board for a light rail link to Hobart’s northern suburbs.”

“It needs to genuinely get behind the project and submit a first-class funding proposal to Canberra which would hopefully come up with the money before the next federal election.

“As I said in my speech to Federal Parliament last week, this project was one of 20 priorities I took to Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott after the 2010 election. They know it’s important and I call on them to commit to the project if they win the election. And if the Government wants to announce funding sooner to help them win my seat that’d be well and good, just so long as we get the job done.”
Andrew Wilkie MP, Independent Member of Denison