Don't worry I am well aware of their attitude. They are being made well aware, mind you, of this campaign and it would do them well to follow it closely. Dan van Holst Pellekaan is fully supportive of this campaign as well and is also conducting his own investigations as well I am being led to believe. Rowan Ramsay has expressed similar interest as well.
This is the second letter I have sent to Chloe Fox. As you can see, I have come out all guns blazing. She will not ignore me this time.
Dear Ms Fox,
First of all I cannot express how disappointed and disgusted I am with your response to the Burra Railway Petition, tabled by Mr Dan van Holst Pellekaan on September 4, 2012. Not only have you shown a lack of detailed understanding but also complete ignorance and total arrogance that is reminiscent of you predecessors, in particular that of Mr Conlon and Jane Lomax-Smith. Before responding to such a petition, please have some knowledge and detailed understanding of what you are talking about. I refer to your comments about the Burra line being a “different gauge to the Metro lines”. This is false; the Burra line (as well as all of the Mid North lines), and the Metro lines, are all in Irish Broad Gauge (5 foot 3 inches). So can you please explain to me how the gauges are different?
It is also worth noting that, in the Lease Agreement that Genesee & Wyoming Australia have with the South Australian Government in regards to the Mid North lines (Including Burra, Kapunda and Balaklava), they must:
“Keep the Lessee's Property clean and in good repair and condition"… “keep any buildings on the Land clean and in good condition…”
So far, there is no evidence of this part of the lease being upheld. Stations that are not privately owned are being left to rot, along with the Railway lines themselves. In all retrospect, according to the same lease agreement, if GWA don't run a loco along the lines every 12 months then they must surrender the lines back to the Government. Trains of any sort haven't run along the Mid North lines since 2004 (Balaklava) and 2007 (Burra line). So according to the lease agreement, then the lines are, or rather should be, under Government control again, not under GWA, and therefore, it is the Government's problem, not GWA's.
Second of all, I am even more disappointed and annoyed by the fact that you have taken the time to respond to others in regards to the matter, but have ignored me. Why is this? Do you think the matter will go away? Wrong.
All I ask is that the Government provide proper, detailed answers to the following questions in regards to rail in this state, in particular with GWA and the Regional lines.
1) Has the Minister given consent to demolish the Nuriootpa and Saddleworth Railway Stations, and been satisfied that they are no longer required for safe, efficient and effective use of the railway line and have the reports been prepared and laid before both Houses of Parliament? Are these publicly available?
2) Was there a detailed and proper investigation/survey conducted by the Rann Government into Passenger Rail to the Barossa? And if so was this survey/investigation paid for by public taxes? And in what year (s) were the surveys conducted? Is this also publicly available?
3) If such a survey was properly conducted and paid for by us the public of South Australia, why has there been no publication of the results including the costings of the passenger rail to the Barossa? How was the survey conducted and how many people were surveyed?
4) Why has GWA not followed though on the lease agreement when it states they must “keep the Lessee's Property clean and in good repair and condition...keep any buildings on the Land clean and in good condition...”, and why has the Nuriootpa, Angaston, Burra buildings and other railway infrastructure been allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair in some cases to the point where they now have to be demolished or can’t be operated on?
5) When will GWA (or the DPTI) be made accountable to uphold the lease agreement and repair or replace if need be stations and the rail lines to Angaston, including the station itself, Nuriootpa station, Burra including the line and buildings that GWA hold a lease agreement for these railway corridors and properties as well?
6) Why does the State Govt allocate tax payers money to a private bus company (Barossa Valley Coaches) bus services, by making a “substantial contribution to the local public transport by funding all concessions to the private bus operator”, but refused to help the Barossa Wine train, which in itself was a privately owned business?
7) Why does the (now former) transport minister the Patrick Conlon refuse to release any reports into a Barossa railway? Including the reports on the survey that the Govt have claimed to investigated? And why does this STATE Government allow tax payers dollars to go towards making a substantial contribution to the local public transport by funding all concessions to the private bus operator, yet refuse to put in place a regular public rail service to regions such as the Barossa, Burra, Mt. Barker and Murray Bridge?
Why does the SA Government also refuse to answer any questions to the manipulated forced sale of our regional rail services such as Whyalla and Broken hill when it was clearly stated by Chris Hall in a document in 2007 that in a newsletter by Chris Hall from Bluebird rail that states that:
“The AN Board was not happy about the positive Performance of the passenger business. The Board’s aim was to get rid of the business at any cost and for political reasons it was considered that the electorate would oppose the sale of a profitable government Owned business. The aim therefore was to make the passenger business appear unfavorable and to be Making a substantial loss. When an advertising campaign was launched over a Christmas period, Chris was called in to explain why the Business was being advertised. The Board made it clear that there was not to be any advertising of the AN Passenger trains.”
9) Why was the public of South Australia not given the true facts regarding these issues, and are we also now to assume the reason why the transport minister the Hon. Patrick Conlon refuses to release any reports into a Barossa railway.” Is because once again, the Government maybe covering up the true facts to returning a public passenger railway to the Barossa Valley? Including to the reason why the state and local heritage listed buildings and Infrastructures such as the railway lines to our regional areas of the state, that are leased by GWA, why GWA have not been made accountable to the deterioration of many of these infrastructures as stated in the lease agreement?
10) When will GWA or DPTI be held accountable (whoever is responsible) for the demolishing of the Nuriootpa and Saddleworth stations after motions were made to have them restored by local volunteers? Why were they destroyed so suddenly in the knowledge that such local groups wanted to restore them?
Again, I will also remind you Ms Fox that you are part of the SOUTH AUSTRALIAM GOVERNMENT. Not the Adelaide Government, the South Australia Government. South Australia does not end at the Heysen Tunnels or Gepps Cross, either.
I look forward to receiving a proper, detailed response and answers to the aforementioned questions. I am also sending a copy of this letter to a few other individuals, namely MPs, so that they are also aware of this as well.
Kind Regards,
Mitchell Heard.
