A meeting about Inland Rail compulsory land acquisition held at Millmerran recently has been labelled 'premature', with affected landholders and the member for Southern Downs saying it should not have gone ahead while the current border to Gowrie route was still being assessed by the Coordinator-General.
About 35 landholders affected by the proposed alignment across the Condamine River floodplain attended last Thursday's meeting.
An Australian Rail Track Corporation spokesperson said the meeting was run by the Inner Darling Downs and Southern Downs Community Consultative Committee chairs and ARTC were just supplying logistical support.
The invitation stated the session aimed "to provide general advice to landowners who are directly impacted by compulsory acquisition by Inland Rail based on the current proposed alignment".
Guests invited to speak included a solicitor, accountant, valuer, and a member of Department of Transport and Main Roads Property Acquisitions and Disposals.
Kev Loveday, a Southern Downs CCC member and owner of Hillside, Pittsworth, attended the meeting and said while he understood the motivation, it shouldn't have gone ahead while the proposal was under review.
"It was in response to people being unsure of what to expect and you'd like to think that it was done in a spirit of enlightenment," Mr Loveday said.
"They (the chairs) may well have thought they were doing the right thing. I would like to think that was the case. It's certainly premature and probably presumptuous."
Mr Loveday said the guest speakers talked in theoretical terms about the process of acquisition, how property is valued, and the tax implications of being bought out, but the landholders still didn't know where they stood.
"There's an air of confusion and they've never been faced with the reality of a project of this magnitude ever before and probably unlikely ever again," Mr Loveday said.
"You don't build an interstate railway line through people's places every generation, do you?
"No one knows what's happening. We've read the EIS (environmental impact statement), we know there's massive embankments near Pittsworth and trains are going to be going through Brookstead, but we really don't know. Apart from imagination, we've got no comparison to draw on."
According to Mr Loveday, the TMR representative did not attend.
Member for Southern Downs James Lister released a statement prior to the meeting, on July 26, alleging Inland Rail was trying to force through their preferred rail line route in the Southern Downs before it had been approved by the state's Coordinator-General.
"When Inland Rail started prematurely sending out invitations to what they call 'directly impacted landowners' around Millmerran, asking for compulsory acquisition discussions, I smell yet another rat," Mr Lister said.
Mr Lister then met with Coordinator-General Toni Power on July 28 to discuss his concerns.
"I acknowledge her position as an independent officer who is considering the border to Gowrie EIS, and I was happy that she gave me the chance to meet with her.
"I note that the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Joyce, has publicly stated that he is open to the possibility of re-routing Inland Rail to Gladstone if the currently proposed route through my electorate route proves unsatisfactory."
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Brandon Long
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
