The Wagga session followed well attended drop-in sessions held last week in Albury, Henty, and Junee with locals attending the events getting their questions answered by specialist Inland Rail staff.
Locals were also advised how they could make a formal submission to the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment in response to the Preferred Infrastructure Report (PIR) on the Albury to Illabo section.
In Wagga, Albury to Parkes Project Director Melvyn Maylin attended the entire four-hour session and spoke personally with residents, directly addressing their concerns and answering a range of questions around the project.
The Albury to Illabo PIR is now on public exhibition until December 6, with locals invited to make a submission on the project to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE). Inland Rail will then prepare a Response to Submissions Report addressing each submission.
The DPE will consider the PIR and the Response to Submissions in its review of the project and make a final recommendation for the Minister’s consideration.
Melvyn Maylin, Inland Rail Project Director for Albury to Parkes, said:
“We are delighted with the public reception to our drop-in sessions in Albury, Henty, Junee, and Wagga Wagga over the last week, it has been a fantastic success.
“I would like to personally thank the locals in the Albury to Illabo area for attending the drop-in sessions and for conducting our conversations in a reasonable and dignified manner, showing respect to our staff even though there are issues on which we cannot give them the answers they might like.
“These events are all about having one-on-one conversations with local people, answering their questions, and addressing their individual concerns about how the delivery of Albury to Illabo will impact them, and that’s exactly what we did.
“We have also helped lots of locals understand how they can make a formal submission to the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment in response to the PIR, assisting them in taking a part in the democratic approvals process.”
