<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> Deputy prime minister, and federal minister for infrastructure and regional development, Warren Truss, has towed the party line at a speech in Sydney, touting massive planned federal expenditure on roads, as well as the importance of intermodal terminals. </span> <p>Truss, who made the keynote address at the IPA Partnerships 2013 conference last Friday, said the government was “committed to ensuring that Australia has the productive infrastructure we need to meet the challenges ahead and reap the rewards of sound investment.<br /><br />“Efficiency gains through improved infrastructure are all-important to unlocking our nation’s potential,” he said.<br /><br />Truss outlined the nearly $20bn the government is planning on spending on roads projects as part of its infrastructure program.<br /><br />He also highlighted the $300m the government has set aside for the inland rail project, which will connect Melbourne with Brisbane, bypassing bottlenecks through Sydney.<br /><br />Truss said the infrastructure challenge “requires planning across all modes to make the most of the efficiencies and advantages each mode offers.”<br /><br />Included in that, he said, was freeing-up capacity on Australia’s metropolitan rail networks, through the use of intermodal terminals, designed to separate freight and passenger traffic.<br /><br />“With that in mind, the government has made a commitment with Queensland to investigate a new 24/7 dedicated freight connection from the Acacia Ridge Intermodal Terminal to the Port of Brisbane as part of the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project,” he said.<br /><br />“Here in Sydney, the delivery of a major intermodal facility at Moorebank will improve efficiency and productivity for Sydney and for the freight task nationally.<br /><br />“The Moorebank Intermodal Terminal will provide a rail shuttle between Port Botany and the south west of Sydney and include warehousing and a separate terminal for interstate freight.<br /><br />“Better infrastructure will provide access to new and emerging industries, to transport our cost-sensitive goods to markets here, and to ports in far-off markets, as well as link Australians to jobs, services and opportunities we haven’t dreamt of yet,” he told the delegates.<br /><br />Truss said the government’s debt and fiscal constraints would force it to “be creative and think outside the box,” but ensured the conference that it would deliver on the projects.<br /><br />“Any failure to deliver key infrastructure improvements will curb growth and see national productivity stagnate,” he warned. “Our economy will simply grind to a halt.”<br /><br />The deputy prime minister said spending on infrastructure offered a high rate of return on investment, demonstrating clear value for money.<br /><br />He also pointed out the importance of the construction sector, which employs around one million Australians – roughly 10% of the workforce.<br /><br />“Getting the infrastructure and transport planning, prioritisation and funding right is imperative,” he said.<br /><br />Truss’ speech was the keynote address at the IPA Parternships 2013 – Infrastructure & Investment Conference – hosted by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia.<br /><br />See next week’s Rail Express newswire for an analysis of the speech made by Lance Hockridge, CEO of Aurizon at the event.</p>
