Rail Access
Amendments to the Railways (Access) Code 2000
The Department of Treasury and Finance conducted public consultation on a range of draft amendments to the Railways (Access) Code 2000 in February 2011. The consultation paper released during this period provides background information on the operation of the Code and outlines the rationale behind the proposed amendments. A draft of the proposed amendments is included in the Appendix.
The aim of amending the Code is to more appropriately treat costs incurred as part of the development and operation of Greenfield railways. The proposed amendments will significantly change the definitions of capital and operating costs currently contained in Schedule 4 of the Code.
Five submissions were received during this period, links to which are below.
WestNet Rail
Oakajee Port and Rail
Roy Hill Infrastructure Pty Ltd
Fortescue Metals Group
Association of Mining and Exploration Companies
Pilbara Rail Access Issues
The Pilbara Rail Access Interdepartmental Committee (PRAIC) was formed in May 2006 to jointly develop an access regime for haulage on the Pilbara iron ore railways, initially between the State Government and BHP Billiton, but with potentially wider application throughout the Pilbara.
On 25 July 2008, the public comment period on a Public Consultation Paper and the draft Pilbara Railways (Third Party Haulage) Regime closed. The PRAIC received submissions from 14 interested parties, links to which are below.
Association of Mining and Exploration Companies Submission
Aquila Resources Submission
Atlas Iron Submission
BHP Billiton Iron Ore Submission - Report | Hausman Paper
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Submission
Chamber of Minerals and Energy Submission
Crosslands Resources Submission
FerrAus Submission
Fortescue Metals Group Submission
Nick Wills-Johnson Submission
North West Iron Ore Alliance Submission
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Submission
Town of Port Hedland Submission
United Minerals Corporation Submission
The draft Haulage Regime aims to provide a framework for the negotiation of iron ore haulage services on commercial terms, which will be capable of certification under the provisions of Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
The PRAIC has now released its report to the WA Government on the outcomes of the public consultation process, as well as the final draft of the Haulage Regime:
The report to WA Government provides:
an outline of the reasons why third party access to the iron ore rail infrastructure in the Pilbara is important for the Western Australian economy;
detailed discussion of the feedback contained in stakeholder's submissions, including the PRAIC's response to this feedback; and
an overview of the implementation options available to the WA Government.
This report outlines the PRAIC's conclusions regarding the development of the haulage regime and has not been formally adopted by WA Government. As such, the positions reached by the PRAIC do not represent the WA Government's positions on these matters.
For further information, please email pilbararailaccess@dtf.wa.gov.au