A Minns Labor Government will build new trains right here in New South Wales and will begin the procurement process for the next set of trains to replace the ageing Tangara fleet in its first term.
This will create at least 1000 secure, long-term jobs during the design and build phase, and many more in maintenance jobs over the design life of the new trains.
It will also be the beginning of a long-term pipeline of manufacturing work and form the basis for the return of a sustainable rail manufacturing industry in New South Wales which will continue after the replacement of the Tangara fleet.
The Tangaras have already had their service extended by ten years beyond their design life and will reach their final end of service life by 2027.
The pipeline will continue once the Tangaras are replaced with the replacement of the Millennium Trains which will reach their end of life by 2035.
Labor’s plan to bring back manufacturing to New South Wales stands in stark contrast to the NSW Liberal and National Government.
Instead of backing domestic manufacturing, the NSW Government has chosen to purchase from overseas - leading to NSW missing out on thousands of job opportunities, and costing NSW taxpayers up to 40 to 50 per cent cost increases and delays.
What’s more, we’ve missed out on 4,000 more jobs due to offshoring of major infrastructure and transport projects as a result of decisions by the NSW Liberals.
This has to stop. We can’t rebuild an entire sector overnight – but we have to start somewhere.
It’s taken Victoria 7 years, but they have now supported 40,000 local jobs since 2014 as a direct result of their local procurement policies. It’s time for a new direction in New South Wales.
Both the replacement of the Tangaras and the eventual replacement of the Millennium Trains will be guided by NSW Labor’s framework which will set a target of 50 per cent minimum local content for future rolling stock contracts by the end of Labor’s first term.
However, Labor’s 50 per cent local content targets will act as a floor, not as a ceiling, and any tender applicant that demonstrates that they will use a higher percentage of local content, or create more jobs in NSW, will be looked on favourably by the government in the tender process.
Labor will begin extensive consultation with the manufacturers across NSW to support local jobs, a thriving local manufacturing industry, and get better value for money for taxpayers, and will work with suppliers to help them establish more onshore capability which will lead to a thriving manufacturing industry with competition and longevity.
NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said:
“The Liberals have always said that New South Wales is not good at building trains. They are wrong. NSW workers are great at building trains and under a Labor government we will build trains here again.
“I am determined to bring back rail manufacturing to New South Wales after a decade of the Liberals sending thousands of jobs offshore and buying trains, trams and ferries filled with defects, faults and failures.”
NSW Shadow Minister for Transport Jo Haylen:
“The choice for the people of New South Wales is clear. These new trains will need to be built one way or another.
“If you vote Labor they will be built here in Australia and in NSW. If you vote for Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals, they will be built overseas, like all their other failed trains, trams and ferries.
“The list of defects, faults and failures in the government’s overseas built trains, trams and ferries is now beyond a joke and is causing cancelations, delays and serious passenger safety issues.
“Buying supposedly cheap overseas built transport infrastructure is simply not working. It hasn’t just cost thousands of NSW manufacturing jobs but has also cost NSW taxpayers billions of dollars.”
NSW Shadow Minister for Industry Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“This is part of Labor’s plan to revitalise our manufacturing industry and provide long term certainty and a pipeline of work for rail manufacturers across NSW.
“Labor’s plan will have a minimum 50 per cent local manufacturing content target when it comes to building the replacements for the Tangara and Millennium Train fleets, but that is a floor, not a ceiling and we want to reward companies that offer to do better.”
