As the Federal Government prepares to hand down its budget on Tuesday, Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair Sandy Zubrinich will be scrutinising the numbers to see whether additional funding is allocated for the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line Project (DSC), as per the advocacy group’s request to the Prime Minister in April this year.
Ms Zubrinich said her letter to the Prime Minister called for the glaring funding gap to be addressed in this year’s budget to ensure the new passenger rail line between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, terminating in the Maroochydore City Centre, can be delivered ahead of the SEQ 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“According to the DSC Business Case Summary released in March 2024, the Sunshine Coast Region is already the nation’s largest urban area without a direct rail connection, and we all know the region’s population is projected to grow exponentially to more than half a million people by 2041,” Ms Zubrinich said.
“The Sunshine Coast was also recently identified as ‘Australia’s most coveted region for movers’ according to the Regional Movers Index as we captured a record share of net internal migration over the last year. Our region now commands an impressive lead, accounting for a 17.5 per cent share of all net internal migration, up from 12.5 per cent a year ago, and eclipsing the next most attractive region, the Gold Coast, which has an 8.1 per cent share.
“There is no shortage of evidence as to why this investment makes sense, as the DSC Business Case states, ‘investment in the transport network will prepare the Sunshine Coast for the next phase in its evolution’. Without it, we simply can’t sustain the growth and the continued pressure this puts on existing infrastructure like the Bruce Highway.”
The Sunshine Coast Business Council (SCBC) has consistently argued for any new passenger rail between Brisbane and the Maroochydore CBD to stimulate significant economic and social benefits to the region, including the approximately 9,500 construction jobs it would create and the accessibility into the heart of the region.
The Queensland Government has committed $2.75 billion in funding to deliver Stage 1 (Beerwah to Caloundra), with the Business Case stating that construction of Stage 1, and further planning to Birtinya, is expected to cost between $5.5 billion and $7 billion.
The May 2023 Federal Budget retained funding of $1.6 billion to deliver the Brisbane to Sunshine Coast – Beerwah to Maroochydore rail extension, a commitment made by the current Commonwealth Government prior to the Queensland Government releasing its Business Case with updated costings.
“There is a glaring funding gap for Stage 1 of between $1.15 billion to $3.65 billion depending on which end of the estimated cost range is achieved,” Ms Zubrinich said.
“We have therefore urgently sought for the Commonwealth Government to both increase its funding commitment for the DSC Project in the May 2024 budget to allow Stage 1 of this project to proceed, and to consider the economic benefits to the region of delivering all three stages before 2032 at an estimated cost of $12 billion.”
The Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace MP said: “I fear that we will not see any of the work started, let alone finished by the time the torch is lit on the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.
“The time is now. The Sunshine Coast community is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. We need this rail infrastructure and we need it now, all the way to Maroochydore. Anything less will be a sell out.
“I call on the Prime Minister and Treasurer to allocate appropriate funding to take the rail to Maroochydore and to make that announcement next Tuesday night.”
