RAILCARS — ALSTOM — KTK GROUP
1106. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Transport:
I refer to an email that was sent
to the minister's office from the Public Transport Authority at 1.41 pm
on 23 December 2020, as disclosed under the recent freedom of information
request on 10 September 2021.
(1) Did the minister consider directing Alstom to
source supplies from Australian suppliers instead of KTK Group, which is
banned in the United States due to concerns about human rights?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Given it was
reported that there would be very little impact in sourcing alternative
Australian supplies, will the minister consider directing Alstom to source
local suppliers now?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(4) The
contract between the state government and Alstom will deliver 246 locally
manufactured C series railcars in their entirety, returning railcar
manufacturing to Western Australia for the first time since the Liberal
government closed the Midland workshops. This contract includes the requirement
for more than 50 per cent Western Australian content, with the railcars to be
built at the new Bellevue railcar facility—only two per cent was
achieved under the former state government. The Public Transport Authority has
sought and received assurances from Alstom that it is confident in the
integrity of its supply chain.