CHAPTER 1
Overview of the Inquiry
Terms of Reference
1.1 On 7 November 1996, the Senate referred the following matter to
the References Committee for inquiry and report:
The basis for the recommendations contained in the Review of
the Australian National Railways and National Rail Corporation prepared by Mr John Brew
and the options available to the Commonwealth Government for a continuing role in the
Australian rail industry.
1.2 In accordance with the resolution, the Committee was required to
report to the Senate on or before 6 March 1997.
1.3 On 4 March 1997 the Senate agreed to extend the time for
presentation of the report until 25 March 1997.
1.4 A further extension of time was granted by the Senate on 25
March 1997 for presentation of the report by 14 May 1997.
Conduct of the Inquiry
1.5 The Committee received 50 written submissions on the reference.
A list of the submissions appears in Appendix 1.
1.6 Following referral of the inquiry, the Committee held a series
of hearings in Adelaide on 28 January 1997; in Port Augusta on 29 January; in Broken Hill
on 30 January; in Launceston on 31 January; and, in Canberra on 3 and 5 February.
1.7 A list of witnesses who appeared at the hearings appears as
Appendix 2.
Overview of the Committee's Inquiry
1.8 The hearing schedule of the Committee enabled it to hold
discussions with a wide range of community groups and individuals with interests and
involvement in the rail industry. This was particularly evident in the regional centres of
Port Augusta and Broken Hill where the Committee obtained a different perspective on the
importance of rail to those cities.
1.9 The Committee acknowledges the participation and contribution of
all witnesses in the hearing process.
1.10 The Committee was able to inspect the workshop facilities of
the Australian National Railways at Dry Creek in Adelaide and, on an informal level, some
individual members of the Committee met with employees at the Port Augusta workshops.
1.11 The Government tabled an executive summary of the
recommendations of the Brew Report in the Senate on 11 September 1996 and in tabling a
statement accompanying the executive summary, the Government cited
commercial-in-confidence reasons for not releasing the report in its entirety.
1.12 The Committee wrote to the Minister for Transport and Regional
Development, The Hon. John Sharp on 26 November 1996 and again on 19 December 1996
requesting a full and unedited version of the Brew Report be provided to the Committee in
order that it could adequately deal with the reference.
1.13 The Committee was not given acknowledgment of these requests
and it was not provided with copies of the Brew Report until 24 January 1997, only three
days prior to the commencement of the hearing process which limited the committees
capacity, preventing the Committee from obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of
the issues involved during its hearing program.
1.14 A copy of the Executive Summary of the Brew Report is attached to this
report as Appendix 3.