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30-610: NFRA may refer to: National Faster Rail Agency , a former Australian Government agency; absorbed into High Speed Rail Authority and Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts National Financial Regulatory Administration (China) National Federation of Republican Assemblies National Financial Reporting Authority of India National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association Topics referred to by

60-427: A Master of Business Administration degree. Fletcher was one of seven Liberal MPs in the 46th Parliament of Australia who obtained degrees at an Oxbridge or Ivy League university, the others being Alan Tudge , Angus Taylor , Andrew Laming , Dave Sharma , Greg Hunt and Josh Frydenberg . In his early career, Fletcher worked as a management consultant, a corporate lawyer for Mallesons Stephen Jaques , and

90-510: A parliamentary secretary in the Abbott government from 2013 to 2015, before being promoted to the ministry by Malcolm Turnbull . Fletcher subsequently served as Minister for Major Projects, Territories, and Local Government (2015–2016), Urban Infrastructure and Cities (2016–2018), Families and Social Services (2018–2019), and Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts (2019–2022). He

120-422: A corporate strategist for TNT Limited. From 1996 to 2000, he worked as chief of staff to Minister for Communications Richard Alston , a Liberal Party politician. Fletcher joined Optus in 2000 and worked as director of corporate and regulatory affairs until 2008. He was a staunch opponent of Telstra , accusing the latter company of being a monopoly. After leaving Optus, Fletcher founded Fletchergroup Advisers,

150-568: A dedicated authority to deliver an eventual line from Melbourne to Brisbane . This mirrored a similar announcement by the Labor Party in November 2021, and a similar promise made at the 2019 federal election . The promise was criticised by members of the Liberal Party , with the then-Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher saying that Albanese "[needed] to come clean" regarding the cost and

180-401: A link to Geelong "would make sense") and include a stop at Melbourne Airport . The line would extend on to Shepparton , Albury and would eventually connect with the line from Sydney. Parker also said that the line should both be built and start operating in small segments. Paul Fletcher (politician) Paul William Fletcher (born 16 January 1965) is an Australian politician. He

210-605: A strategy consultancy focusing on the communications industry. He also wrote a book entitled Wired Brown Land? Telstra's Battle for Broadband that was published in 2009, discussing Telstra's bid to operate the Australian Government's proposed National Broadband Network . Fletcher joined the Young Liberals at the age of 16. In 2009, he won preselection from a field of 17 people to be the Liberal Party candidate at

240-598: Is a member of the Liberal Party and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2009, representing the New South Wales seat (aka division) of Bradfield . He held ministerial office in the Turnbull and Morrison governments from 2015 to 2022. Fletcher was management consultant, lawyer and corporate executive before entering politics. He was first elected to parliament at the 2009 Bradfield by-election . He served as

270-499: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages National Faster Rail Agency The Authority was part of a commitment made in November 2021 by the then-opposition Labor Party (and a further announcement by its leader Anthony Albanese in January 2022) to build a high-speed rail line from Sydney to Newcastle, and an eventual network from Melbourne to Brisbane. Legislation to establish

300-716: Is going, what it will cost or who will be paying for it". When drilling commenced on the Central Coast in November 2024, McKenzie labelled it a " Utopia -like stunt" that suggested "‘work has started’ on a [ sic ] high-speed rail" and opined that unless details were provided on funding and delivery, high-speed rail would be "just another infrastructure fantasy project". In November 2024, former Liberal member for Bennelong John Alexander suggested building stations just outside of major towns and cities to allow for new housing development. Alexander opined that this would allow for significant value capture and therefore allow

330-517: The 2009 Bradfield by-election , following the retirement of former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson . Bradfield, a seat located in the North Shore of Sydney, has been held continuously by the Liberal Party since its creation in 1949, and is one of the safest Liberal Party seats in Parliament. He was required to renounce his dual British citizenship before entering Parliament, as required by Section 44 of

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360-635: The Constitution of Australia . Fletcher had previously unsuccessfully sought Liberal Party pre-selection in the Division of Cook in 2007. Under the Abbott government , Fletcher was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications. In September 2015 Fletcher was appointed as the Minister for Major Projects, Territories, and Local Government in the Turnbull government . Fletcher served as

390-619: The Australian Government for planning and corridor works. Tenders for the development of the business case were released in March 2024 and successful tenderers were announced in June 2024. These announcements were followed in August 2024 by the commencement of geotechnical investigations and a briefing for industry. As of October 2024, the business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section is expected to be provided to

420-648: The Authority was introduced in September 2022 and gained assent in December 2022. The Authority commenced operations on 13 June 2023, and its CEO was appointed on 11 January 2024; the National Faster Rail Agency was abolished on the commencement of the Authority. The Authority is currently developing a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network, with $ 500 million allocated by

450-471: The Authority would advance the government's first priority of providing high-speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle, to which the government committed $ 500 million to commence early works and secure corridors. The Bill would abolish the National Faster Rail Agency and absorb its functions into the new authority. The Bill was passed by both houses on 24 November 2022, and gained assent on 12 December 2022. The authority commenced operations on 13 June 2023, and

480-420: The Authority would have an expert board and be tasked with overseeing "the construction and operation of a high-speed rail network along Australia's eastern seaboard" between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. The authority would consult with state governments, give advice to the federal government, and develop standards to ensure an interoperable high-speed rail network across jurisdictions. King announced

510-548: The Government by the end of 2024 along with a Product Definition Report for the entire network. In a speech in Newcastle on 2 January 2022, then-Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese promised, if he was successful in the 2022 federal election , to build a high-speed rail line between Sydney and Newcastle. Part of this commitment included an allocation of $ 500 million for planning, land purchases and early works, along with establishing

540-580: The Minister for Urban Infrastructure from July 2016 until he was promoted to Cabinet in 2018. Fletcher is a member of the Moderate/Modern Liberal faction of the Liberal Party. In June 2022 he was appointed Manager of Opposition Business in the House . He also serves as Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy, as well as Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts. Fletcher

570-561: The Minister. The board is required to hold at least four meetings a year. As of 2024, the Board members are: On 30 January 2024, it was announced that $ 78.8 million of funding would be released for the development of a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network. The tenders for the business case were released in March 2024 and were split into eight packages, including: In response to tender documents suggesting

600-759: The Sydney to Newcastle corridor) commenced on 26 August 2024, ahead of an industry briefing the next day. Starting in November 2024, six of these boreholes were drilled in Brisbane Water and the Hawkesbury River on the Central Coast using two drilling rigs. The Authority's geology advisor David Och said that the area along the proposed route had a diverse range of landscapes (from "spectacular sandstone plateaus" to "deeply dissected valleys"), fault zones and igneous dikes , along with varying types of vegetation. These features, Och said, were "the primary focus" of

630-530: The Sydney to Newcastle section on 27 August 2024, Tim Parker gave a presentation suggesting the following: Parker also gave the following target travel times: At the time of the industry briefing in August 2024, the shadow transport minister Bridget McKenzie commented that while the Coalition would "[deliver] the business case" for the Sydney to Newcastle section, she also commented that details were yet to be provided on "where it's [ sic ] proposal

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660-456: The consideration of a potential station at Broadmeadow (in contrast to the 2013 Phase 2 report, which suggested a station "located outside the current urban areas" of Newcastle), Tim Parker said that a line from Sydney to Broadmeadow was "achievable". The successful tenderers were announced on 13 June 2024, with the contracts being awarded to the following companies: Geotechnical investigations (starting with drilling of 27 boreholes along

690-555: The eastern suburbs of Sydney , where he was the dux of Sydney Grammar School in 1982. He subsequently attended the University of Sydney , graduating with first-class honours in economics and laws. At university he co-wrote two plays, titled The Fax of Life and Annually Fixated . In 1993, Fletcher was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to go to Columbia University 's Graduate School of Business in New York City, where he completed

720-618: The government to recoup the cost of the project. He criticised the potential station locations for this reason, saying that a station in Gosford would not result in an "uplift" in property values due to it being built up and surrounded by water, while saying that a potential station in Broadmeadow was "equally flawed". In October 2024, Tim Parker said that the Victorian end of the line should start at Southern Cross railway station (although he thought

750-521: The investigations. Another focus of the geotechnical investigations was the Hawkesbury River, due to the need to determine the "sediment thickness, bedrock depth and quality" on the river. These investigations, according to Och, were aimed at enabling "future drilling to target any geotechnical risk" that was identified during the initial geotechnical investigations and to ensure "safety and efficiency in future construction". At an industry briefing for

780-479: The party vice-president Teena McQueen saying the proposal was "not cost effective". In contrast, The Australia Institute 's Ebony Bennett said that it was a "smart announcement", adding that it would be popular "in areas [...] that stand to benefit a lot", including Newcastle. In September 2022, the then-recently elected Albanese government introduced legislation to establish a new national High Speed Rail Authority. The Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said

810-642: The permanent CEO Tim Parker was appointed on 11 January 2024. In the 2019–20 Budget, the Australian Government established the National Faster Rail Agency (NFRA), its purpose being to support "economic growth and social opportunity through faster rail connections between major capital cities and growing regional centres", and was tasked with producing a number of business cases for higher-speed rail between capital cities and regional centres. The Government allocated $ 40 million to assess five fast rail corridors: These assessments were in addition to

840-405: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title NFRA . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NFRA&oldid=1232740511 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

870-664: The three business cases already underway, started under the Turnbull government , examining the following corridors: On the commencement of the operation of the Authority, the Agency ceased operations, and all employees were transferred to either the Authority or the DITRDCA. Per the High Speed Rail Authority Act 2022 , the board of the Authority consists of the Chair and four other members, who are all appointed by - and report to -

900-595: Was appointed to cabinet in 2018 by Scott Morrison . After the Coalition 's defeat at the 2022 election he was named Manager of Opposition Business in the House . Fletcher was born in Devizes , Wiltshire , England, the son of Clive and Mary Fletcher. His father was a professor of computational engineering . He arrived in Australia with his family at the age of two, and held British citizenship until 2009 when he renounced it to stand for parliament. Fletcher grew up in

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