The Surat Basin Rail Joint Venture has endeavoured to develop, and will continue to foster, a strong connection with the local community and affected landowners.

The project team has applied a ‘neighbourly’ approach to their liaison with landowners which has helped to identify possible property impacts and mitigation strategies for construction and operation.

Acquiring the corridor

Under the terms of the exclusive mandate, the Coordinator-General is responsible for acquiring the corridor for lease to the Joint Venture for construction and operation of the railway.

The Surat Basin Infrastructure Corridor State Development Area (SDA) was declared on 24 November 2011 by a regulation made under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971. This means the Coordinator-General can now regulate land uses in the corridor and acquire the land, or an interest in land, within the SDA to establish the infrastructure corridor.

The Office of the Coordinator-General will consult directly with all affected landowners on a case-by-case basis to assess fair and reasonable compensation in accordance with the provisions of the Acquisition of Land Act 1967.