Tag: railways

TRACKS TO SOMEWHERE

On By Everald ComptonIn Good Books, Government, History

I am in the 95th year of my life.

I enjoy my memories as well as my thoughts on how I could have handled them better.

One of them is my meeting with John Howard in 1996 when he gave me approval to begin planning a freight railway from Melbourne to Darwin via New South Wales and Queensland.

After two decades trying to unite politicians and bureaucrats from 5 governments in backing one vision, I was stunned when a decision was made to build Inland Rail from Melbourne and Brisbane but not connecting to their ports. I was even more staggered as they irresponsibly wasted billions of dollars in gross mismanagement of its construction.

So, I left to create a new company and have spent 4 years with a new team planning the GREENLINK RAILWAY to link the Port of Gladstone with the national freight network at Goondiwindi.

Problem is that, when our Federal Government decided not to build Inland Rail beyond Parkes, it placed Greenlink in jeopardy.

We have taken steps to save the day by offering to build the Parkes Goondiwindi Railway with private capital and we are currently negotiating agreements with the Federal, New South Wales and Queensland governments as well as the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Port of Gladstone.

While this is proceeding, we are working full time on our planning as it is our intention to complete the Greenlink Railway in four independent stages.

Gladstone to Goondiwindi via Miles.

Goondiwindi to Narrabri, connecting with existing track to Port of Newcastle.

Narrabri to Narromine, connecting with an existing track to Parkes.

Miles to Toowoomba, to link the Darling Downs into the national freight network.

Along all 4 tracks, we will lead a program of industrial development that will attract population away from capital cities.

It all means that my days are filled with interesting challenges as I work beside a talented Project Deliverer, Grant Flekser, who is 50 years younger than me. Its a genuine intergenerational partnership.

GREENLINK RAIWAY IS NOW UNSTOPPABLE.

I have no doubt there are politicians and bureaucrats who will deliberately cause delays but the voter backlash will be enormous for many reasons. One of them is that there are absolutely no votes out there for any politician who stops a 94 years old guy from doing something important for Australia.

In the meantime, I will enjoy every challenge as I am always delighted when I wake up of a morning.

One of my happiest memories takes me back to 1936 when I was just 5 years old. I was thrilled by my first train ride from the little village of Linville to Toogoolawah.

It would turn out to be a track to somewhere.

I loved it so much I have written a book about it called CATCHING THE LINVILLE TRAIN.

Cheers

Everald

TOWNS DIE, CITIES CHOKE, AUSTRALIA SLEEPS

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Government, History, Technology

I was born and bred in the Australian bush.

There, I went to a tiny bush school which had eleven students whose parents worked in the local timber mill. I enjoyed many happy days in a prosperous little community that really was one large family.

Back in those days of the 1930’s and 40’s, Australia had thousands of small towns, most of them larger than mine, which were stable and secure with affordable housing, plus good shops and a fine school and reliable hospital, based as they were on solid rural industries which were the core of the national economy.

Then, they slowly began to die. Continue reading “TOWNS DIE, CITIES CHOKE, AUSTRALIA SLEEPS” →

A FUTURE WITHOUT ADANI

On By Everald ComptonIn Elections, Environment, Government, Great Food Bowl, Infrastructure Rail, Air, Sea, Infrastructure Water, Mining and Resources6 Comments

We are led to believe that the economic future of North Queensland is utterly dependent upon the opening of the Adani Mine in the Galilee Basin. Without it, we are told that there will be massive unemployment and a general economic downturn.

Indeed, it is of such enormity that an election in Melbourne for the Seat of Batman in the Federal Parliament will be decided on the issue, even though the electorate and the mine are thousands of kilometres apart.

This nonsense, spread by politicians, free market advocates, climate change deniers and general fear mongers, badly fails the pub test.

The stark fact is that development of the North and the Inland has never been backed by either serious political will or genuine investment, nor has a well researched long term plan of sustainable development for the region ever been prepared, let alone implemented.

The Adani mine was chosen as a quick fix for years of neglect and it was based on series of appalling fabrications. Continue reading “A FUTURE WITHOUT ADANI” →

THE ADANI ELECTION

On By Everald ComptonIn Elections, Environment, Government, Infrastructure Rail, Air, Sea, Infrastructure Water, Mining and Resources6 Comments

Queenslanders go to the polls on Saturday, 25 November, to elect a State Government.

Ostensibly, it is a contest between Annastacia Palaszczuk and Tim Nicholls as to who will be Premier of the Queensland Parliament,

It is absolutely not.

The battle is about whether or not one of the largest coal mines in the world will be opened in the Galilee Basin of Queensland and send its coal to India via the Barrier Reef.

This creates a complicated political situation as both Palaszczuk and Nicholls strongly back the opening of the mine, as does the likely holder of the balance of power, Pauline Hanson and her competitor for that role – Robbie Katter.

One would think that this would place the Adani mine in the safest of political positions, but it does not. It is an issue that will dominate the headlines until voting day as Adani protesters turn up to disrupt every political meeting, particularly those of the Premier.

Its chief beneficiary will be the Greens who have never before prospered in Queensland.

They will gain the balance of power and deny Hanson her dream. Continue reading “THE ADANI ELECTION” →

BIRTH OF A RAILWAY

On By Everald ComptonIn ATEC Rail Group Ltd., Environment, Funding and Finance, Government, Infrastructure Rail, Air, Sea, Mining and Resources20 Comments

Shortly after John Howard was elected Prime Minister of Australia in 1996, I visited him at Parliament to outline a plan that I had to build an Inland Railway from Melbourne to Darwin via Parkes, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Gladstone, Mount Isa and Tennant Creek.

He has readily agreed to see me as I had been his honorary fund raiser for the marginal seats he had to win in order to be PM. I was not a member of the Liberal Party and had done this with no strings attached as he was an old friend, and still his.

Howard apologised and said he did not see it as a priority. He wanted to carry out all of his election promises and this was not one of them. That decision blows the theory that politicians are duty bound to repay political debts, not that I ever expected him to do so.

I decided to undertake the project privately and formed a company that I called Australian Transport and Energy Corridor Ltd which is still operating 21 years later. It is largely responsible for the decision in last Tuesday’s Budget to fund the Melbourne Brisbane section of the Inland Railway.

Let me tell you the story of two decades of persistence. Continue reading “BIRTH OF A RAILWAY” →