LANDHOLDERS will meet with federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese in Brisbane tomorrow (Tuesday) in a bid to increase pressure on the federal government over the proposed route of the Inland Rail across the Condamine River floodplain.
It is expected Mr Albanese will address a group of affected landholders outside Waterfront Place in Brisbane CBD at lunchtime, before speaking privately with a delegation headed by Millmerran Rail Group chairman Wes Judd.
The controversial 16km route across the agriculturally significant Condamine River floodplain has become marred in controversy.
While it is proposed the levy bank will have a large number of culverts and sections of bridging to allow flood waters to pass without impact, farmers maintain the proposed design is fatally flawed.
They say the massive amounts of stubble left on the ground as part of their best-practice farming system will inevitably block the culverts and wrap itself around standing structures such as bridge pylons, massively adding to the impact of the flooding.
Inland Rail builder, the Australian Rail Track Corporation, says it is continuing to work to understand why its computer modeled flood predictions are different to observed flood levels on the Condamine River floodplain in 2010.
In a statement issued to Queensland Country Life last week, Inland Rail chief executive officer Richard Wankmuller said flaws in the modeling were "of concern".
Those flaws were crystalised by Pampas farmer Ross and Bronte Harris, who maintain they were initially advised that modeling showed flood water would not reach the bottom step of their family home.
However, a damning photo produced by the Harrises showed the flood water came up a good 50cm deeper than the modeling suggested.
Inland Rail chief executive officer Richard Wankmuller said there was a local abnormality in the Pampas area as well as other areas across the floodplain where past experience was not lining up with modeling. ARTC was trying to figure out what they were, he said.
Tuesday's meeting with Mr Albanese also follows calls by farmers on Sunday for the National Party to immediately revoke plans for the Condamine River floodplain route.
Mr Judd said enough was enough.
"The route of the Inland Rail has to be moved," Mr Judd said.
"If the Inland Rail is allowed to cross the Condamine River floodplain, it will be an unmitigated and completely avoidable disaster."
