Stronger growth
To create more and better paying jobs
Delivering Western Sydney Airport
Investing up to $5.3 billion to build the Western Sydney Airport, creating 20,000 jobs
The Government is getting on with the job of delivering Western Sydney Airport, establishing WSA Co to develop the project and providing an equity investment of up to $5.3 billion in WSA Co to fund the first stage of airport development, due to commence operations by 2026.
Construction will start with earth moving works by late 2018. When it opens the airport will have capacity for 10 million passengers per year and a 3.7 km runway.
Western Sydney Airport will connect Western Sydney to the world, meet expected demand growth for aviation services and provide 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
WSA Co will be established early in the new financial year. The Government will be appointing an independent board to WSA Co with extensive private sector experience to deliver the airport.
Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan
Western Sydney is currently home to more than two million people – almost half of Sydney’s population. Its population is predicted to grow by a further one million by the early 2030s.
Through the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, the New South Wales and Australian Governments are investing $3.6 billion on major infrastructure upgrades in Western Sydney to connect Western Sydney Airport and support the growing population.
The Plan involves major road and transport linkages that will capitalise on the economic gains from the Western Sydney Airport whilst boosting the local economy and liveability of Western Sydney, making it an even greater place to live and do business.
The Australian and New South Wales Governments are also conducting a joint scoping study to identify the rail needs of Western Sydney and the Western Sydney Airport.
The Western Sydney Airport will sit at the centre of a city deal for the Western Sydney Region. Through the Western Sydney City Deal all three levels of government are working together to capitalise on the opportunities the airport will bring to establish Western Sydney as an economic powerhouse, driving jobs growth across the region.
Delivering Inland Rail
Work will commence on the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project in 2017-18
The Government is investing an additional $8.4 billion into the Australian Rail Track Corporation to deliver Inland Rail.
Inland Rail will provide a new 1,700 km freight corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne via Toowoomba, Parkes and Albury, and will link to other mainland state capitals through the existing ARTC network.
Inland Rail involves approximately 500 km of new track and approximately 1,200 km in upgraded existing rail corridors.
It will offer a transit time of less than 24 hours between Brisbane and Melbourne, saving an estimated 10 hours on the existing route. It will also provide double-stacking capacity on the north-south corridor for the first time, approximately doubling the freight capacity of current trains and will be a competitive offering to road freight along this corridor.
Inland Rail is expected to reduce the number of trucks travelling the entire length of the corridor by the equivalent of over 200,000 truck movements each year.
Work on Inland Rail will commence in 2017–18 on sections along the existing ARTC network. This includes the Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star corridors in New South Wales.
At the peak of construction, Inland Rail will support around 16,000 direct and indirect full-time equivalent jobs.
It will also encourage investment in intermodal terminal developments along the route and in Melbourne and Brisbane, directly benefitting those cities.
Benefits for regional communities
Inland Rail will have enduring benefits for the national economy and for regional communities, such as Toowoomba and Parkes and northern Victoria along the Inland Rail catchment. It will improve access to markets, increasing export opportunities for manufactured products, agricultural commodities and mineral resources.
It will also improve the productivity of the national land freight network, reducing transport costs for regional agricultural producers and consumers.
During construction and operation Inland Rail will provide significant employment in regional Australia, including for manufacture of inputs such as steel.
In partnership with the private sector
Inland Rail will be financed by a combination of $8.4 billion in government equity investment and a Public Private Partnership. The PPP will be used to deliver the most complex elements of the project, including the construction of 8.9 km of tunnels, through the Toowoomba range in southern Queensland.
National rail plan
Transformational rail investments will better connect our nation
A comprehensive rail transport system is an important link in the Australian transport chain that joins communities, connects homes and jobs and strengthens industry.
The Government is investing in freight and passenger rail, including:
- establishing a $10 billion transformational National Rail Program;
- $500 million for regional passenger rail projects in Victoria;
- contributing $8.4 billion towards the construction of the Inland Rail freight corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane;
- $700 million towards the METRONET rail project in Perth; and
- providing $20 million to support business cases for rail projects that deliver faster connections between major cities and major regional centres.
$10 billion National Rail Program
The Government is investing $10 billion in a new National Rail Program. Rail lines have the potential to be true city-shaping pieces of infrastructure. The transformational impact of these projects demonstrates the need to look beyond the electoral cycle and take a longer view of infrastructure investment.
Investing in Regional Victoria
The Government is providing $500 million over three years from 2017–18 for Victorian regional passenger rail to improve transport connections between regional centres and Melbourne.
The Budget provides for a $20.2 million commitment in 2017–18 for Murray Basin Rail, which will improve the capacity of freight rail in Victoria’s north-west, and $10 million for a Shepparton Line passenger and freight upgrade planning study.
The Government is also providing $30 million for business case development for a rail link between Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport and the city.
Faster rail
The Government will provide $20 million to partner with proponents to develop business cases for three projects that would deliver faster rail connections between major cities and major regional centres. These faster rail connections will ease congestion in our cities, grow our regions, and unlock land for more housing.