INLAND Rail builder, the Australian Rail Track Corporation, has come in for a shellacking at a Senate Inquiry, with community groups and individuals saying the long running consultation process and promised transparency of the project were a sham.
While the focus was largely on the controversial Condamine River floodplain crossing, ARTC also came under fire for its handling of the project in northern NSW, the inner Darling Downs, and in the Lockyer Valley.
Chaired by WA Senator Glenn Sterle (ALP WA), the inquiry conducted by the Rural Affairs and Transport committee in Millmerran on Wednesday was initially attended by more than 400 people. Those numbers dropped soon after the inquiry began as large numbers of workers headed back, particularly to egg producer DA Hall and Company.
That family owned company, which employs 350 people and produces 10 per cent of Australia's eggs, is directly in the path of the proposed Inland Rail Route and will be severely impacted by the project.
Millmerran Rail Group chairman Wes Judd said it was clear the information being provided by the community - particularly on flood impacts - was not getting through to the decision makers.
"There's obviously a disconnect there somewhere," Mr Judd said.
"It's clear the information from the ground is not getting through. Ultimately it's been a mediocre process, nowhere near adequate."
Like many of the speakers, Mr Judd said there was broad support for Inland Rail. However, the determination of the route had to be made using the best available information.
The Millmerran Rail Group, which represents Condamine floodplain landholders, and DA Hall went to the extraordinary length of employing a hydrology consultant to test ARTC's flood modeling.
However, ARTC's lack of transparency and reluctance to amend obvious errors or its planning based on hard evidence had severely eroded community trust, he said.
"If the best science and information says the Inland Rail has to come across Condamine floodplain, then of course that is where it should go," Mr Judd said.
"But that is not what the science is telling us. Decisions are been made on flawed information, particularly on flood modeling levels.
"It's not like other alternatives don't exist."
Mr Judd said his greatest fear was ARTC was attempting to discredit information, rather than working to achieve the best outcome.
Repeated suggestions from various speakers that the Inland Rail should bypass Brisbane altogether and head directly to Gladstone drew strong applause from the crowd.
NSW landholders on the Macintyre floodplain near Boggabilla expressed frustration at the route chosen by ARTC.
Richard Doyle, Malgarai, Boggabilla, said ARTC's shock decision to locate the track 2.5km downstream of the Dumeresq and Macintyre rivers and only a few hundred metres from the off-take of Whalan Creek would exacerbate catastrophic flooding, unnecessarily impacting on agricultural land and significantly increasing the flood risk for townships including Goondiwindi.
Mr Doyle said the choice was particularly frustrating because the 'D1' route had been selected using outdated mapping and a better alternative known as route 'A' existed.
Goondiwindi Mayor Graeme Scheu agreed, saying the D1 route chosen by ARTC was unacceptable.
"It is unbelievable, that the decision was originally made to put a national rail freight corridor through the middle of one of Australia largest floodplains when alternatives exist," Cr Scheu said.
"This decision made was in direct contrast to all the consultation that took place during the assessment period."
Cr Scheu said the region was a high risk flood area, demonstrated by the fact the Goondiwindi township was on the point of being evacuated in 2011.
"Local knowledge tells us that if the corridor must take the floodplain route, there can be no obstructions such as earth banks or viaducts that may cause any amount of restrictions, diversions or increased flood flows and levels," Cr Scheu said.
"Elevated bridging the whole route is the only possible option; however, we understand the cost of such makes it unviable."
The Senate committee is scheduled to table its report in late September.
The senate inquiry continues in Brisbane today.
