Transcript of media conference with Helen Burnet, Greens candidate for Clark, Toby Rowallan, Northern Suburbs Rail Action group spokesperson, and Vica Bayley, Greens MHA for Clark, Moonah, 9 March 2024.
Helen Burnet
We’re standing next to the northern suburbs railway. This is a railway that was a passenger rail service for 99 years. It finished in 1975 and it hasn’t been resurrected.
Rail transport is a key fundamental for accessing the northern suburbs and making sure that there’s there’s an increase in the housing and housing choices around this rail corridor. It’s known by the state government’s own calculations and former reports that this is the most cost effective way of doing it.
But unfortunately, there is nothing at the moment that the current government has done to really bust congestion, to really look at public transport options for the northern suburbs of Hobart. And we know that congestion will just be on the rise if there isn’t such a solution.
We also know that the billion dollar stadium and any sort of rapid bus transport along this corridor is not the solution. It’s going to be more congestion for Hobart. It’s not the solution that we need.
The Greens want to spend $75 million on looking at the solutions and using light rail as those solutions for the northern suburbs. We know that we can get we can get hundreds of people travelling on light rail. It’s the uptake of light rail which is far superior to any other form of transport.
The Greens want to find those solutions for the northern suburbs for the increase in housing that we are expecting and need to happen along this corridor. Rail is the way to introduce that uptake of housing and housing options along the transit corridor, which was part of the Greater Hobart plan. And yet nothing has been done. This rail corridor has been left untouched by the Liberal government and they have done nothing even though the Greater Hobart plan has suggested that light rail is the best option for this area.
Tasmanian Times
Does the $75 million include the funding which was allocated under the Hobart City Deal or is that extra money?
Helen Burnet
$75 million is looking at finding solutions, it’s looking at the engineering solutions that need to be done. It’s looking at where the stops are meant to go. So there’s work, there’s finer detail to be determined with that $75 million. But it is an investment in light rail, which Hobart deserves and really needs.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
You’ve looked at all the same reports that Michael Ferguson’s looked at, he’s come to the conclusion it’s too costly an option, you say it’s not. How have you got such different reads on this situation?
Helen Burnet
The Liberal government want to spend $1 billion effectively on the stadium project and they have not wanted to spend any money on this this rail corridor. We know from other reports that rail is a very cost effective way of travelling. And we have this rail corridor here, it’s been left not to do anything. It really needs to be reactivated so that we can stop those things like congestion, stop those things like transport poverty, and also help with the benefits of catching a train which improve with active transport, which this government seems to not really factor in.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
So you’ve read the same report that says light rail here is too costly?
Helen Burnet
Light rail is is the best alternative. We know from other examples in other cities across Australia that when you put light rail in, people use it, it moves hundreds of people at a time. And it’s the best thing that we can do for this northern transport corridor.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
You said at the beginning, the rapid bus transport will likely increase congestion, How did you get to that?
Helen Burnet
The rapid transit buses are an alternative on our roads that we have, but this transit corridor was built for rail, it should be used for rail. So the Greens want to spend $75 million dollars in investing in that.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
One thing is best option, but how did you get to the conclusion that it will only increase congestion to have the rapid buses?
Helen Burnet
The solution for this rail corridor, a rail corridor for buses and rapid bus transit is not the solution. The government’s own plans are to deposit people at the Cenotaph and there’s going to be greater congestion when you get to that point coming when buses get back on to the lanes.
Toby Rowallan
Toby Rowallan, President of the Hobart Northern Suburbs Rail Action Group.
Over the past 10 years we’ve seen nothing from the Liberal state government. They’ve done some consultancy reports and then they’ve made a decision to rip up the tracks. Unfortunately, that’s the reality: they’ve made a decision to rip up the tracks.
The costs that they’ve put in those reports contain some questionable assumptions. The Premier has actually made a very false statement in Parliament about the costs, equating it to the Gold Coast, when the Gold Coast had to dig up streets to put the rail in. They didn’t have what we have, we have a rail corridor unused.
So that could have been operational five years ago, could have been operational well before now. The capacity of rail is far greater than buses. Destroying this corridor for buses, we know that is not a cost-effective solution, it’s actually going to cost more. The cost that they had in their report showed that the cost was similar, even with the assumptions that they had, which increased artificially the cost of rail.
The other thing that occurs in their reports is that it’s four and a half times more residential, higher density residential development in Glenorchy and Derwent Park area. That doesn’t happen with the bus-way.
Tasmanian Times
Obviously there’s a lot to be done to convert this to light rail, you’ve got your tracks, your rolling stock, your stops. You’re a rail expert I presume, you’re part of a rail group, so roughly what percentage of that work could be done in Tasmania?
Toby Rowallan
In terms of making this suitable for use, most of it. You would have to order rolling stock from somewhere else, there are many companies that make suitable rolling stock. There is nothing wrong with the gauge that we have,that can be retained. The tracks need to be upgraded, there’s some parts of it that need to be relaid, of course, and we’d need to build stations.
But that’s all doable. It’s all an easier solution. And we know that rail attracts people to public transport. In the ACT on their light rail in Canberra, 43% of users on that light rail are new users of public transport.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
How transformative would light rail be for the northern suburbs compared to a bus-way?
Toby Rowallan
It’s about four and a half times, four and a half times more jobs, four and a half times more residential development.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
When you say more jobs, what do you mean?
Toby Rowallan
That’s jobs involved in the housing construction, jobs involved in relation to the additional housing that then comes into it and the demand that that would then generate.
Vica Bayley
Today is duck season. There’ll be a month now of slaughter, of beautiful native ducks being blasted out of the sky by a handful of shooters in Tasmania. It’s an antiquated activity that’s been banned in Western Australia, in New South Wales and Queensland. There’s been an inquiry in Victoria that recommends that it be banned and it’s high time that here in Tasmania duck season was ended for good.
It’s a cruel and barbaric practice. It has no place in 21st century Tasmania, and the Greens in the balance of power will push to see duck hunting banned for good. This is an activity that only a handful of people here in Tasmania enjoy. It’s an activity that’s carried out in some of our reserve network. This is an activity that only a handful of Tasmanians enjoy, and people will be shocked to hear that it happens in our reserve network, including internationally-listed Ramsar wetlands. These ducks are really special. They’re really precious. Shooting them out of the sky is cruel, antiquated and it needs to end.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
If only a handful of people do it why is it a big issue?
Vica Bayley
Because they still shoot thousands and thousands of ducks. It’s a cruel practice. Ducks are maimed, they’re then either left to die or dispatched after being collected by dogs. This is not the sort of activity we should be seeing in 21st century Tasmania. People don’t accept this kind of thing anymore. We’ve banned using rabbit traps to catch rabbits. We can surely duck hunting for good
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
Labor were out on the build-to-rent scheme today saying that there should be tax concessions to get build-to-rent projects up. Is that something you’re quietly supportive of?
Vica Bayley
We’re broadly supportive of those initiatives. It’s good to see the Liberal and Labor politicians finally recognising that rents and rental affordability is an issue. But going only part of the way with the solution is a real problem. We have in the past and will continue to advocate for rent controls, for no-cause evictions, for real measures that help renters today, and Labor and Liberal politicians have voted against them. It’s welcome that other parties are starting to wake up and starting to take steps that will help people but it’s not enough and more needs to be done.
Journalist – Adam Langenberg
Jeremy Rockliff was on Flinders Island yesterday and announcing some drought concessions there as well. Rebecca White says it’s a blatant breach of the caretaker conventions, is that your read?
Vica Bayley
I think this is a cynical move by the Premier. He flies to King Island last week and announces drought relief. He’s off to Flinders Island today to announce drought relief. Anyone would think if you’re in Bothwell, or on the east coast, you have to wait for him to visit your area before he’s going to announce any kind of compassion and support. All of Tasmania is doing it tough at the moment. It does look like a cynical political ploy using the challenges faced by farmers simply for political advantage.
Tasmanian Times
Whaleback Ridge (wind farm) was also declared a major project. Do you consider that to be a breach of the caretaker conventions?
Vica Bayley
It’s highly inappropriate to be declaring these kinds of projects and announcing their assessment processes during this period. Major projects legislation is deeply contested. We have opposed the establishment of that process within the Parliament, it doesn’t afford proper levels of community consultation, it doesn’t afford merits-based third party appeal. It’s not a great process. So it’s a shame that it’s been announced under the cover of an election campaign.
Media release – Tasmanian Greens, 9 March 2024
Greens $110 million plan to expand bus services
Quotes attributable to Greens’ candidate for Lyons, Tabatha Badger
“On behalf of the Greens I’m proud to announce today our plan to invest $110 million over four years in bus services across Tasmania – to make them more frequent and more reliable.
“Anybody that’s had to rely on public transport knows the experience is often painful – and sometimes a bit of a nightmare. Bus timetables have massive holes in them, especially in outer suburbs and across regional Tasmania. And you can’t be sure buses will turn up, or be there on time.
“For a decade we’ve seen Liberal politicians refuse to make public transport a priority. That’s meant more Tasmanians have had to rely on their cars, traffic has gotten worse, and people who have no choice but to use buses are constantly dealing with a frustratingly inadequate and unreliable system.
“I guess when you’re a politician with a taxpayer-funded car and driver it’s easy to ignore the problems in public transport. But these are big problems, and it’s about time the government gives them some attention.
“The Greens understand investment in public transport is a win-win-win. It makes people’s lives easier, saves them money on petrol, and by keeping cars off the road it reduces both traffic and carbon emissions.
“Every dollar we put into public transport creates big benefits for Tasmanians and for our community. That’s why the Greens are fighting for investment to make bus services across the state more frequent and more reliable – with a particular focus on regional areas and outer suburbs.
“Our plan would also see all bus services – across both regional and urban areas – made free, as previously announced. And we’ll establish a Public Transport Authority to make sure the statewide network operates efficiently and effectively.
“Tasmanians deserve access to a great public transport system wherever they live. With a new government and the Greens in balance of power we’ll fight for reliable, frequent, and free public transport for all Tasmanians.”
