The Australian Government has announced the appointments to the board of the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), which will formally commence operations on June 13.
The board consists of Gillian Brown, Dyan Crowther OBE, Ian Hunt, and Neil Scales OBE. It will be chaired by Jill Rossouw.
Infrastructure minister Catherine King said a merit-based process had resulted in a board comprising the appropriate skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience to best bring high-speed rail to reality.
The HSRA will oversee the development of the high-speed rail network along the east coast of Australia.
“High speed rail will revolutionise interstate travel on the east coast, providing a fast alternative for people to move between cities and regional centres, promoting sustainable settlement patterns and creating broad economic benefits for regional centres,” she said.
“This is a transformational project that has the ability to touch the lives of all Australians, particularly in our regions.
“The network could allow passengers to travel between major cities and regional centres at speeds exceeding 250 kilometres per hour.”
The first priority of the Authority will be planning and corridor works for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network, backed by a $500 million commitment from the Australian Government.
Jill Rossouw is an accomplished non-executive director and committee chair, with multi-sector board experience across privatised transport infrastructure entities, social infrastructure and public healthcare. She is currently executive director, infrastructure at IFM Investors and a board member of the Port of Brisbane. She is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds multiple qualifications in the finance sector including a Master of Philosophy in Finance (University of Cambridge, UK).
Dyan Crowther is chief executive officer of High Speed One (HS1) Ltd, responsible for owning, operating and maintaining the HS1 high-speed railway in the UK. She has extensive board experience, has a Masters in Transport and Logistics from Salford University, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Gillian Brown is an experienced non-executive director with expertise in transport, infrastructure and fund management. She is current a director of Ausgrid and a non-executive director of Queensland Investment Corporation. She has an LLB (Hons) from the University of Queensland, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from FINSIA and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ian Hunt is a former infrastructure CEO with over 30 years’ experience in engineering and project management. His business management experience includes leadership of major project delivery and engineering services organisations and he was CEO of Moorebank Intermodal Company, a Commonwealth government business enterprise. He is currently a non-executive director of Canberra Light Rail and the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
Neil Scales is an experienced infrastructure leader and was most recently the Director-General of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. He was formerly the CEO of Translink and the Director-General of Merseytravel in the UK. He has held numerous board positions and is currently chair of Austroads, a commissioner of the National Transport Commission and a member of the Queensland Transport and Logistics Council.
Australasian Railways Association chief executive officer Caroline Wilkie said high speed rail would transform interstate travel on the East Coast, providing a fast alternative to air travel and connecting people from regional areas to major cities.
“High speed rail in Australia is a visionary and nation-building project that has been discussed for decades. It is great to see the Government finalising the HSRA Board appointments and we look forward to engaging with the Authority moving forward,” she said.
“Rail is the backbone of sustainable transport in this country and it is wonderful to see the Authority formally begin this transformative project, which will connect and bring great economic benefits to many communities.”
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