Opposition to the proposed inland rail has ramped up in north-west New South Wales with the Narrabri Chamber of Commerce joining the local National party branch to call for an investigation into an alternative route.
The growing opposition comes as Barnaby Joyce is due in Narrabri to address fears that the project could cause flooding in the area.
The Narrabri Chamber of Commerce withdrew support for the government’s preferred route late last week in favour of investigating an alternative, following the lead of the local National party branch last month.
After the Narrabri branch defied party policy, the deputy prime minister told the ABC the economic development generated for regional communities justified the need to “make sure it happens as quickly as possible”.
The Narrabri Chamber of Commerce voted last week for an independent assessment of the route over the speed of its delivery.
The chamber also voted unanimously to get an independent assessment of the inland rail alternative route and swung its support behind the Narrabri Inland Rail Route concerned residents group which is lobbying for the alternative route.
Narrabri is one of a number of towns up and down the line who feel community consultation on the project has been inadequate.
Jim Purcell, a long-term local irrigation and hydrology expert who addressed the local National party branch before their vote, also addressed the chamber of commerce , raising serious concerns about the potential for flood risk.
Purcell is part of the council’s floodplain committee, whose report led to the council’s opposition to the proposed inland rail route before Narrabri’s mayor and general manger overturned that opposition in July 2021.
“You can’t dismiss a group that has Narrabri Shire Council itself, Narrabri Shire Floodplain Risk Management Committee, the local Nationals party branch and the Chamber of Commerce all on side,” Purcell said.
“We’re not going away, they’ve worked that out now. This is why the cavalry is coming in.”
Joyce, along with local member Mark Coulton and senior representatives of the Australian Rail Track Corporation, will address the Narrabri Shire Council, the Narrabri Chamber of Commerce and the Narrabri Industrial Network, in addition to the local National party branch meeting.
As parts of northern NSW and south-east Queensland began the clean up after unprecedented flooding, Robert Browning, a councillor at Narrabri Shire Council, said flooding was the “biggest thing” councillors wanted to raise regarding the current proposed route .
Browning saw the 1971 flood make “a mess of the town” with the road between Narrabri and the west all washed away.
Ron Campbell, the mayor of Narrabri, told Guardian Australia he believes the project needs to be pushed ahead as it could “lose that momentum” especially if there is a change of government.
“If Labor gets in, they might say, ‘The Coalition wasted so much money on this inland rail. We’re going to push it aside for the time being.’ They’re not going to lose any votes out of it. [In] Sydney or Brisbane no one knows what inland rail is,” Campbell said.
Councillor John Clements said the inland rail required consent from the NSW government.
The NSW government has yet to provide planning approval for the Narromine to Narrabri section of the project, despite the ARTC having already hired contractors and bought properties for the project, Purcell says.
“That shows an organisation in panic mode or bully mode. One of the two, probably both.”
A spokesperson for Joyce told Guardian Australia ahead of the meeting that “the deputy prime minister takes a strong interest in how the inland rail project is progressing, and in communicating its benefits to communities and regions along the route.
“As part of his visit to Narrabri, the deputy prime minister will unveil significant potential cost savings inland rail could deliver for businesses using the line,” the spokesperson said.
Purcell said he hoped the meeting would progress the issues. He said locals were asking a series of straightforward questions but so far getting no answers at all, only being told that the route is set.
Members of the local branch of the National party have told Guardian Australia that no notice has been given of a special motion to rescind the resolution passed at the preceding meeting, which must be given seven days prior to the meeting according to the NSW Nationals constitution.
