Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown): I speak in debate on the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022. Generally I support the bill, but I will support the amendments foreshadowed by Labor. For the benefit of the House, I relate the experience of my electorate in converting a disused rail line into a shared pathway.
In the morning of any weekend when the sun is shining, the Fernleigh Track near my house is full of families, cyclists, walkers and nature lovers. It is a prime route for morning cyclists and joggers every day of the week. The track is set on the old railway line from Belmont to Adamstown. The heritage of the old rail line has been retained, with rail tracks, signage, lighting and some of the stations still in place and visible along the way.
The 15-kilometre shared pathway offers a fantastic protected route through bushland areas and wetlands along parts of its length where wildlife can be seen and heard. There is even a chance to learn a little bit of history. The local Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils worked with the State government of the time to install heritage notices to help people understand the line's history.
The best part is that there are also some quality coffee shops just a few metres off the track. The Fernleigh Track is an example, in my own backyard, of how valuable rail trails can be to a community. It is a hub for locals and tourists, and adds significant interest and amenity to the local area. It is my hope that more communities will have similar opportunities to those currently being taken advantage of by Lake Macquarie and Newcastle local councils.
With the amendments proposed by Labor, the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022 has the capacity to make it easier for communities to explore the options available in their own communities and remove barriers that currently exist, which have been raised by members in previous contributions to this debate. The bill would allow the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads to make a regulation to create a rail trail once they were satisfied that the project had met the three criteria set out in the 2022NSW Rail Trails Framework. The criteria state:
1. There must be demonstrated community support for the Rail Trail.
2. There must be evidence of a viable and sustainable business model.
3. Issues relating to environmental impacts including biosecurity must be addressed.
A 30-year lease can then be offered, which can only be held by a local council. The corridor remains in public hands, which is incredibly important. As I am sure is the case for many other members in this place, my office has received correspondence from across the State signalling the enthusiasm for the amendments proposed. Recently I received a letter that stated:
It is well and truly time that NSW unlocks the undeniable social, lifestyle, health, and economic potential these disused regional rail corridors offer. The most proven and cost-effective way to achieve this is by repurposing them into community owned shared pathways that will boost and broaden regional tourism.
Communities can see the value in their existing facilities and can envisage the opportunities on offer. Removing barriers to opening up disused rail lines will make it easier for communities to build on those local assets. Currently when railway tracks and other works are removed, the Transport Administration Act 1988 requires authorisation by an Act of Parliament to close a line. That has been a significant barrier to opening up rail trails. As one of my constituents stated in a letter to me supporting the proposed legislation:
This is a process that provides a considerable delay and cost to cash-strapped regional councils for such projects, projects that ultimately benefit local regional communities.
This legislation will make it easier for local councils to pursue projects that will increase the ability of local residents to safely travel from place to place and showcase their beautiful surrounds from a bike or on foot. No‑one would argue against the proposition that the experience of walking or cycling on one of these paths is very different to sharing a busy road with cars, trucks and motorbikes. Many people in my electorate use the Fernleigh Track as not only a recreational facility but also a transport facility to get to work. Other States across Australia have been taking advantage of the opportunities offered by rail trail infrastructure, recognising its ability to draw tourist visitors and its positive effective on community-building. It is time that we did the same in New South Wales.
It is also important to go about those projects in the right way to ensure that communities maintain ownership over their significant assets. These public facilities must remain in public hands. We should not create a scenario in which private enterprise buys up former rail corridors and rail trails and ends any possibility that they will be used again for public purposes in future. That provision must be stated clearly in the legislation. We must be clear about the use of these corridors as recreational avenues rather than for commercial development, which might impinge on the future uses of the site. We must also work closely with local councils to see that the rail corridors are put to the best use for the benefit of the community and the State.
Watching disused rail lines and their associated infrastructure—some of which hold strong historical value for their local communities—fall apart and fade away has been incredibly difficult for many communities. Denied access to the rail lines and their facilities, communities and volunteer groups that would have loved to have maintained and sustained the heritage of their rail line have instead been hamstrung and left to watch from the sidelines as their rail line goes unused, only to be reclaimed, in some instances, by weeds. The built infrastructure is left to fall apart or fall victim to vandals. What I really like about the Fernleigh Track is that a lot of the heritage has been maintained. Other rail trails should do the same. This legislation may lead to opening those areas up again and encouraging communities, particularly in regional New South Wales, to explore the possibilities of these facilities. It is a great tourism boost for regional New South Wales.
Historically rail connected New South Wales and, with the rising interest in cycling as a transport option and recreational pastime, it can once again. The numbers of cyclists who want to travel around the State and spend money in regional New South Wales is absolutely mind blowing. I am sure that many parts of regional New South Wales would be interested in taking advantage of that. Plans are already underway in the Newcastle region to expand the offerings of rail trails, which is really exciting for the region's future. The first steps are in place for the Richmond Vale Rail Trail project. The 32-kilometre cycling and walking track will follow the former Richmond Vale rail line between Kurri Kurri and Hexham and the former Chichester-to-Newcastle water pipeline, and it will also go through the Hunter Wetlands National Park.
I am really looking forward to the prospect of an active transport option linking the local government areas of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Cessnock. It will allow cyclists to travel through the region off the Pacific Motorway, the Hunter Expressway and the New England Highway, which will certainly be a win for commuter safety. Like the Fernleigh Track, the Richmond Vale Rail Trail will make the most of the remaining railway infrastructure, allowing people to travel through old railway tunnels and over bridges along the way. I look forward to the day that I can explore its length—though that may well be some time in the future as the first 13‑kilometre stage was only approved in December last year. I look forward to a time when more communities in New South Wales have the freedom and expanded ability to explore options for their own rail lines.
I am encouraged by the success of the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail project, a 21-kilometre shared pathway that celebrates the region's history and beautiful countryside. It is happening in Tumbarumba, it is happening in Newcastle and it is happening in the Hunter. Through this legislation I look forward to hearing about many more projects opening and celebrating the unique flavour of our local communities. There certainly is an established appetite in the community for this kind of adventure.
It is attracting visitors from far beyond each local area that has invested in it, and I am sure that kind of success can be emulated in other projects by other communities across New South Wales in the future. I hope the Government supports Labor's sensible amendments to the bill, which will be moved by the shadow Minister, the member for Maitland, to ensure that the bill not only does what it intends to do but also that it is the best that it can be.
