General News
8 May, 2026
“Bad policy, bad project”- Inland Rail gets the boot
The Australian Government has axed the Queensland section of the Inland Rail, including the NSW/Qld Border to Gowrie project, after confirming the cost would exceed $45 billion to deliver the entire freight link from Melbourne to Brisbane.
For ten years the Millmerran Rail Group has been advocating against the Inland Rail’s chosen route across the Condamine floodplain, and Group Chair, Wesley Judd, said he was not surprised by the announcement.
“It’s not unexpected because we knew it had blown out,” Mr Judd said.
“It should never ever have been here, it was never cost effective... you cannot cross a floodplain as wide as that with the structure they proposed, for cheap.”
Mr Judd said the focus now will be on ensuring the corridor is not designated and the revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not rushed for approval.
“We need to make sure they never come near this corridor again and that the EIS is halted.
“If the Inland Rail is genuine with how they do business with people they would withdraw the EIS.
“There’s no money, there’s no budget, so don’t continue to put pressure on landholders... any government that wants to do that will be judged.”
Mr Judd said the Government has spent an exorbitant amount on assessments and investigations that are now completely futile.
“Bad policy, bad project - no one should ever be fearful to call them out,” he said.
Federal Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton MP, has slammed the decision to scrap the delivery of Inland Rail, accusing the Government of dodging accountability for years before walking away from the project.
“This is more than disappointing, this is devastating for our region,” Mr Hamilton said.
“Labor has walked around questions on the delivery of Inland Rail for years.
“To now drop it suddenly, and without transparency, is an absolute slap in the face to our community.”
Mr Hamilton said the decision would hit the Darling Downs hard, putting jobs, investment and local industries at risk.
“This decision rips the heart out of a project that communities like ours have planned around and relied upon,” he said.
“The delivery of Inland Rail to our region is critical.
“It is critical to our freight network, our agricultural sector, and the long-term strength of our economy...
“This means fewer jobs, lost opportunity, and more trucks forced back onto already stretched regional roads.
“The Prime Minister must front up and explain how a decision of this magnitude has been made behind closed doors.”
Mr Hamilton has formally requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to demand answers for the Darling Downs.
Toowoomba Region Deputy Mayor, Rebecca Vonhoff, said halting the Queensland section of the Inland Rail will have ripple affects across the region.
“Our future looks very different now - planning how land is used, our freight and logistics potential and passenger rail hopes,” Ms Vonhoff said.
“It’s bitterly disappointing for regional Queensland and it worries me that our country seems unable to build big things that take vision,” the Deputy Mayor said.
“The project has felt like it’s had a very weak pulse for the entire 6 years I’ve been in this role. Now we know.
“Inland Rail was supposed to be a nation building piece of infrastructure to move freight, to reduce freight travel times, to increase capacity, to reduce congestion and support regional investment.
“How only going to Parkes will achieve these objectives isn’t clear.
“There’s been billions of dollars spent on the stretch north of Parkes and farmers’ lives put on hold for years.
“There are people in the Toowoomba office today who will be wondering about their jobs,” Ms Vonhoff said.
“Aside from the direct impacts on us, this decision means we’re going to rely on the Warrego Highway and Gore Highway far into the future and so even more congestion and less productivity.”
Pat Weir, State Member for Condamine, said this would be a huge loss going forward, for all the benefits, growth and employment that Inland Rail was going to bring the region.
“This project was meant to deliver freight along the Newell Highway, Gore Highway, Warrego Highway to port in Brisbane and take the burden off those highways,” Mr Weir said.
“It was going to help move fodder into those drought stricken areas.
“There’s businesses that have invested heavily already. They are going to suffer huge financial losses,” he said.
Closer to home, Pittsworth District Landcare Association is rejoicing after years of researching and documenting the impact of the project on the local community, wildlife, ecosystems and prime agricultural land.
“Pittsworth District Landcare gratefully acknowledges the Australian Government’s decision to cancel the Inland Rail project within Queensland,” Lana Bradshaw, Pittsworth District Landcare Association President, said.
“Many members have spent countless volunteer hours researching and documenting the significant risks of this project, particularly for vulnerable species like the koala.
“We would encourage any future infrastructure planning to meaningfully engage with local communities, incorporate independent environmental science, and work together with locals to safeguard the natural assets, livability and productivity of our region,” Ms Bradshaw said.
Queensland Treasurer, David Janetski MP, released a statement that said Inland Rail being axed was a lost opportunity to unlock the vast economic potential of inland Queensland - and Australia.
“The Middle East war has been a reminder of how fragile supply chains are, now is the time to be investing in them, not abandoning them,” Mr Janetski said.
With the cost of the Inland Rail more than three times the current allocated budget, the final stages from Parkes in New South Wales to Brisbane will be shelved indefinitely.
Dr Kerry Schott AO’s 2023 independent review of Inland Rail found that estimated cost of delivering the full project had increased from $16.4 billion in 2020 to at least $31.4 billion in 2022, with very little certainty on the actual cost to deliver the Inland Rail, primarily due to delays and immature preliminary designs.
This week, the Australian Government committed a further $1.75 billion investment to improve the productivity, resilience and reliability of Australia’s freight rail network, alongside a $55 million incentive scheme to get more freight moving by rail and sea.
This builds on the existing $1.04 billion commitment to upgrade the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC) network, taking the total investment in the Network Investment Program to almost $2.8 billion.
“We are taking sensible decisions to realign the future of Inland Rail and build a safe, efficient and reliable network for the future,” Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, said.
Inland Rail works north of Parkes will focus on preservation of the rail corridor, as well as protecting sites for future Inland Rail intermodal terminals in Queensland.
