Government seeks private sector input for Moorebank

Finance minister Penny Wong and infrastructure and transport minister Anthony Albanese have announced that executive search firm Hudson Global Resources has been selected for the task of identifying suitable candidates for the GBE board with the process expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

“From the outset, we have been determined to put in place an experienced board made up of individuals with a strong commercial focus and capable of delivering the best financial and policy outcomes for both taxpayers and national economy,”  Wong said.

“This is an opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together to deliver a project which will boost national productivity, increase efficiencies for business, and ease congestion on Sydney’s roads.”

From January 2013, the GBE will oversee the remediation of the site as well as manage the tender process to select the company or consortium to design, build and operate the new Moorebank Intermodal Terminal.

A Detailed Business Case released earlier this year has been completed and found that an intermodal terminal is needed to accommodate continuing high growth in container volumes, which is expected to grow from around two million containers today to around seven million a year by 2030.  Without a new facility and more freight going by rail, Sydney faces gridlock around it port and on its roads.

Mr Albanese said the Detailed Business Case calculated that the terminal would generate $10 billion in economic benefits, take 1.2 million trucks a year off Sydney’s roads and inject $135 million into the economy of Western Sydney annually.

“Already there has been strong private sector interest in building and operating this vital piece of new infrastructure, with some 40 major domestic and international freight and logistics companies attending market briefing sessions in recent months,” Albanese said.

Subject to planning and environmental approvals, the new Moorebank Intermodal Terminal is expected to open for business in 2017 which will initially include a rail port shuttle opening in 2017 and an interstate rail terminal to open in 2029/30 or sooner based on demand.

The Government says the IMT will be delivered and run by the private sector as an open-access facility. The Government Business Enterprise will be operating from January 2013 to act as landlord and manage the tender process.

The IMT will be built on the current site of the School of Military Engineering (SME) south of the M5 in the Liverpool Military Area, subject to planning approval. It is anticipated that the SME will be relocated to a new purpose-built home at the nearby Holsworthy Barracks by the end of 2014.

QUBE and QR National have a joint stake (67% and 33% respectively) in another intermodal terminal proposal also situated near Moorebank and due to be operational in 2014.

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