NSW needs your help!
New South Wales, a state with over 2000km of prospective rail trails but only 146km open to date, is at a crucial point.
In late June 2022, the NSW government took three important steps towards faster rail trail development:
- The post-construction report on the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail was published, showing positive outcomes on almost all measures – Tumbarumba report
- A Rail Trail Framework document was also released, providing requirements and guidelines for the development of rail trails in NSW – NSW Framework
- Draft legislation to allow the NSW government to grant leases to local councils on rail corridors for selected purposes including trail construction was introduced into the NSW parliament – Draft NSW legislation
The draft legislation comes before the NSW upper house again on 9 August. Rail Trails Australia welcomes the new direction that the NSW government is taking. We need your help now to show the NSW parliament that rail trails have wide community support.
Currently rail trail development in NSW is hampered by several factors including the need for individual NSW state legislation to be passed to “close” each abandoned rail line. The proposed legislation will remove the need for individual bills to be passed. The proposed legislation is a very important enabler for future rail trail development in NSW.
Many regional towns in NSW continue to miss out on significant economic and community benefits that rail trails bring, a situation that is now also confirmed by the NSW government’s own Tumbarumba report.
Your help is needed! There are reports of some opposition so please email or write a letter to NSW parliamentarians, especially those in the Legislative Council (upper house), in support of the proposed legislation and rail trails before 9 August. We need to show the elected leaders in NSW that the vast majority of citizens in NSW and across Australia support NSW rail trails, the same support as shown “in the flesh” in Tumbarumba.
You can find a list of Legislative Council members HERE
To show your support for NSW rail trails, send emails to:
- The Minister sponsoring the proposed legislation: The Hon Sam Farraway, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads; email: sam.farraway@parliament.nsw.gov.au
- The President of the NSW Legislative Council: The Hon Matthew Mason-Cox; email: officeofthepresident@parliament.nsw.gov.au
- The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council: The Hon Penelope Sharpe; email: penny.sharpe@parliament.nsw.gov.au
For NSW supporters, please include your local NSW member of the NSW Legislative Assembly
If you have time, email other Members of the Legislative Council, especially those in minor parties.
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More News
The community have the opportunity to provide direct feedback to assist the Mt Alexander Shire Council in partnership wi...
The City of Greater Bendigo will shortly commence a project to construct and install public toilets, bike hoops, new par...
A large crowd turned out today (Friday 26 May) on a beautiful morning at Trawool Estate for the official launch of the A...
On Wednesday 10 May 2023 a public-information session was held for community members to view and discuss the plans for r...
The duplication of Main South Road from Seaford to Sellicks Beach has commenced and will include a 16km off-road shared ...
The Bunny Rail Trail is a new trail under development between Ballarat and Buninyong in Western Victoria. Walkers, runne...
The good news just keeps rolling in for the Tweed Section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail with the Tweed Council NRRT ...
On 17 May 2023, Cessnock City Council unanimously approved the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and associated repo...
The third South Burnett Express Rail Trail Relay, run from Kingaroy to Wondai (on the Kilkivan – Kingaroy Rail Tra...
The catchily-named Eastern Dandenong Ranges Trail will have its 800m extension from Edenmont Rd to Belgrave-Gembrook Rd ...
The Coast to Vines Rail Trail in South Australia now has a new side trail called the Flat to Vale Trail and while it is ...
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One comment on “NSW needs your help!”
I am very happy to support this idea. I drive past so many abandoned sections of railways and the towns along the way. Would love to ride these as rail trails and spend my money along the way. Rail Trails preserve these corridors, not destroy