Rail, Tram and Bus Union
PRESS RELEASE
Monday 16 November 2009
National Rail Regulator should be in Sydney
A decision by the Australian Transport Council to replace state based rail watchdogs
with a single national regulator in Adelaide would threaten public safety, the NSW
Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) warned today.
RTBU President Alex Claassens said the decision by the Australian Transport
Council was risky business, and the most sensible place to have a national rail
regulator was in Sydney.
“By abolishing all state regulators and establishing one single watchdog in Adelaide,
we risk a situation where our rail regulator will be out of sight and out of mind.
“It will only be a matter of time before cracks start to form and mistakes are made.
“Ultimately this decision could put the safety of passengers and the safety of rail
workers at risk,” Mr Claassens said.
Mr Claassens said the union welcomed any reforms to the way the rail industry is
regulated, but said if governments are serious about national safety standards, a strong
watchdog is needed in Sydney, not Adelaide.
“Due to the vast majority of passenger and freight train movements in the eastern
states, it would be pointless to locate Australia’s only rail safety watchdog thousands
of kilometres away in South Australia.
“The RTBU has a real concern about the ability of the new regulator to monitor the
rail industry and implement safety standards when it is isolated from the bulk of rail
activity in Australia.”
Mr Claassens also cast doubt on the ability of the new regulator to attract the know-
how and resources required to keep the national rail industry honest.
“States with the most extensive rail systems are naturally going to have the people,
technology, skills and resources to regulate the industry effectively.
“It has taken over six years for the NSW Government to establish a world class rail
regulator following the tragedy in Waterfall, and build up a level of expertise and
knowledge required to regulate the industry.
“It’s therefore foolish to locate the new regulator well away from the resources and
expertise it needs to be effective.
Contact: Alex Claassens, 0419 219 309 or Claire Johnston, 0434 489 533
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