Federal Nationals Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, said he was terribly disheartened to hear there are currently no plans to continue work on the Inland Rail north of Parkes.
Under questioning at Senate Estimates, Australian Rail Track Corporation executives conceded the Government hasn't provided funding to deliver the Inland Rail north of Parkes and had been forced to break contracts entered into for sections of Inland Rail between Parkes and Brisbane.
Officials confirmed the Labor Government has no plan for when construction will begin on the Narromine to Narrabri section (N2N), despite the recent environmental approval of the project.
"This is another set-back for communities along the route, but I will continue to advocate for this nation-building project to be delivered in full," Mr Coulton said.
Mr Coulton said the Inland Rail is a magnificent piece of infrastructure.
"The Inland Rail as a project includes 13 stages, some of which are already completed in my electorate. The completed sections - Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to Moree - have already created hundreds of jobs, increased productivity and lifted freight efficiency for farmers.
"It is vital the N2N project commences work as soon as possible so that the positive impacts on my electorate are not lost."
