Australian 
Rail Track 
Corporation
ABN 75 081 455 754 
11 Sir Donald Bradman Drive 
Keswick Terminal, SA 5035
2022 ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL 
AND GOVERNANCE REPORT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 
as the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters on which 
we operate and honour their spiritual relationship and enduring 
connection to Country. 
We pay our respects to Elders past and present and recognise 
the hundreds of cultures, languages, and kinship structures that 
have existed for more than 65,000 years.
We celebrate the diverse traditions, customs, and storytelling, and recognise 
the importance of truth telling to create a positive future of belonging. 
© Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited (ARTC)
Disclaimer
This document has been prepared by ARTC for internal use and may not be relied on by any other party without 
ARTC’s prior written consent. Use of this document shall be subject to the terms of the relevant contract 
with ARTC.
ARTC and its employees shall have no liability to unauthorised users of the information for any loss, damage, 
cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of an unauthorised user using or relying upon the information in 
this document, whether caused by error, negligence, omission or misrepresentation in this document.
This document is uncontrolled when printed. 
Authorised users of this document should visit ARTC’s intranet or extranet (www.artc.com.au) to access the 
latest version of this document.
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JOURNEY Journey – Created for ARTC by Elenore Binge, proud Goomeroi/Kamilaroi woman
Created for ARTC by Elenore Binge,  
proud Goomeroi/Kamilaroi woman
Created for ARTC by Elenore Binge, 
proud Gomeroi/Kamilaroi woman
Elenore started painting at the age of 12 on her 
Auntie’s porch in Boggabilla. Great Aunty Colleen 
would sit with Elenore and share stories of the 
Dreamtime, as well as animals, nature, and symbols. 
Elenore studied at Canberra’s Institute of the Arts 
where she majored in printmaking. 
“Mother Earth is the land that we call Australia, and the 
waterways are her veins. Our Ancestors have walked this 
Country since time began. The Traditional Custodians of 
each Nation are our Spirit Guides, and they are there to 
protect our Lands and to make the reconciliation journey 
with ARTC a safe one, and the Value of No Harm which 
is the Heart of what you do. Represented also are the 
Traditional bush medicines, which is an acknowledgement 
of healing and moving forward with shared learning 
of the reconciliation journey.
The black and white hands are a symbolism of 
reconciliation between ARTC and the Traditional 
Custodians on which ARTC operates. With railway tracks 
depicted throughout, the blue lines are Mother Earth’s 
veins, representing our rivers and waterways.
The Meeting Place to the right is ARTC, with 
the Five Spirit Guides of the five states and the 
symbol of No Harm central and Meeting Place 
symbols a representation of the five states that 
ARTC operate on and through. White footprints 
of the Ancestors gone before us surrounded by 
Sacred Sites that may be on Country.”

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iv
CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS REPORT
This report is our inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance Report. 
This report outlines our strategic approach to managing the environmental, 
social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities facing our company 
and our key stakeholders. This report has been developed with reference 
to industry standards including the Core Global Reporting Initiative 
Standards and the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosure (TCFD).
In this report, we present our ESG Strategy, including the objectives 
and targets that provide the framework for reporting on our annual 
progress. Our strategy includes our five strategic priorities: growing 
new markets, skilled and diverse workforce, network safety and resilience, 
social responsibility and environmental benefits. 
Our ESG Materiality Assessment, conducted in 2021 and updated in 
2022, maps our 15 material issues to each of our strategic priorities. 
Our three‑year strategy was endorsed by our Board and Leadership 
Team and will be reviewed in response to considerations such as 
evolving community expectations and changing regulatory requirements. 
1.	 ABOUT ARTC 
6
2.	 VALUE OF MODAL SHIFT TO RAIL 
10
3.	 GOVERNANCE 
16
4.	 ESG APPROACH 
22
5.	 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 
28
6.	 TASKFORCE ON CLIMATE RELATED FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES (TCFD) 
32
7.	 NETWORK SAFETY AND RESILIENCE 
34
8.	 SKILLED AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE 
46
9.	 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 
54
10.	ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS 
62
11.	 GROWING NEW MARKETS 
72
12.	UN GLOBAL COMPACT 
80

CEO AND CFO MESSAGE
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3
We acknowledge and are deeply saddened by 
the severe consequences for those affected, 
including families, communities, first responders, 
and our workforce. We are committed to achieving 
zero harm across our network.
Delivery of Inland Rail will transform Australia’s rail 
freight task and is catalysing regional economic 
development opportunities. 
This year we are proud to publish our fourth Inland Rail 
Annual Sustainability Report sharing the outcomes we 
are achieving in partnership with our private sector 
delivery partners as we move further into construction. 
The report can be accessed here. 
ARTC is committed to supporting all our people, from 
diverse backgrounds, to reach their full potential and 
provide a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment. 
This year we launched our first Reconciliation Action Plan 
to forge stronger connections and create meaningful 
opportunities for our First Nations stakeholders, 
communities, and businesses. 
To date, 30% of our workforce have completed cultural 
awareness training and our ‘Journey’ artwork created for 
ARTC by proud Gomeroi/Kamilaroi woman Elenore Binge 
inspires change. 
This financial year we saw the number of women in senior 
leadership positions only increase from 25% in 2021 to 
26.1%, and we will continue to promote the benefits of 
a career in rail and foster a work environment where 
all employees can succeed. We are proud to state that 
as of June 2022, our Board of Directors now has equal 
representation of women and men.
We invite you to read this Report to discover the ESG 
initiatives we achieved in 2021–22 and those planned for 
our future which we believe will create enduring value for 
all our stakeholders – our people, Shareholder, customers, 
industry, regulators, and communities. 
On behalf of the leadership team, we thank all our 
stakeholders who contributed to our success and 
continue to champion our ESG ambition.
“As a Government Business, 
the ESG leadership position 
ARTC has adopted will support 
our nation’s sustainable future.” 

The Hon Warren Truss ac 
Chairman
We are proud to present our inaugural 
2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance 
(ESG) Report. We have set an ESG ambition 
of a ‘modal shift to rail for a sustainable 
future’ which aligns with ARTC’s stated 
purpose ‘to improve Australia’s productivity 
by making rail the mode of choice 
in the national logistics chain’.
Our ambition is supported by our ESG Strategy and 
our five strategic priorities: growing new markets, 
developing our skilled and diverse workforce, enhancing 
network safety and resilience, and our approach 
to social responsibility and environmental benefits.
Rail is a sustainable mode of transport and this report 
highlights many of the social, environmental, and 
economic benefits that flow from increasing the volume 
of freight that is transported by rail. 
We support Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions 
by 2050 and the United Nations call for countries to 
step up their efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable 
Development Goals. As a socially responsible business, 
we must play our part. 
In May 2022 we became signatories to the UN Global 
Compact and a member of the Business Council for 
Sustainable Development Australia. In this report we have 
included our first disclosure and implementation roadmap 
in line with the recommendations of the Taskforce 
on Climate-related Financial Disclosure. 
Collaboration and partnerships are key to meeting 
these objectives and we care about what matters 
to our stakeholders. 
We also value future thinking which inspires us 
to innovate, change the game and break through 
challenges and barriers. 
We must be resilient to the disruptions and changes 
that are happening on a global scale. Severe weather 
events, the war in Ukraine, and the impacts of the 
COVID-19 pandemic are impacting global supply chains 
in unprecedented ways. 
Our role as the provider of national freight rail 
infrastructure has never been more critical in 
ensuring the reliable and safe passage of goods to 
Australian consumers and export markets, and we 
recognise the importance of growing our network 
to meet future demand. 
Delivering value for our stakeholders is critical to our 
success. Every year we survey our employees, customers, 
government and value chain partners to understand 
their perspectives and priorities and how we can 
improve our service. We are committed to listening to 
our stakeholders and being responsive to the changing 
conditions in which we operate.
In delivering on our ESG commitments, ARTC strives 
to embrace the highest standards of governance, 
reflecting our status as an Australian Government 
Business Enterprise. 
We celebrate our achievements and have taken action 
to learn from our challenges.
Our unwavering focus to deliver ‘no harm’ has seen our 
All Injury Frequency Rate (AIFR) reduce from 9.85 in 
2019–20 to 6.14 in 2020–21 to 4.45 in 2021–22 supported 
by our Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy. 
We are committed to the safety, health and well-being 
of our employees, contractors, customers, and the 
communities in which we operate and continue to make 
significant progress implementing two key leader-led 
safety initiatives: Safe Work Improvement Program for 
track construction and maintenance workers and our 
Level Crossing Safety Strategy. 
Train and vehicle events at level crossings are one 
of ARTC’s highest potential risk events involving our 
customers and the community. Our commitment to 
reducing the potential risk of collision between a train 
and vehicle at one of the many level crossings across 
our vast network is uncompromising. 
We work closely with relevant authorities, community, 
and industry to reduce and eliminate fatalities and injuries 
on our rail network. Despite our efforts, there were 
11 vehicle collisions in 2021–22 including one fatality 
and two serious injuries. Mark Campbell, CEO and Managing DirectorThe Hon Warren Truss signature
Mark Campbell
CEO and 
Managing DirectorKylie Gallasch, Chief Financial OfficerThe Hon Warren Truss signature
Kylie Gallasch
Chief Financial Officer

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5
New signatory to 
UN Global Compact 
and Business Council 
for Sustainable 
Development 
Australia member
50% (4 of 8) 
ARTC Board 
members are female
63% 
employee 
engagement score 
(up from 60% in 2020–21)
3.1% or 62 
First Nations Peoples 
representation 
in the workforce 
(up from 2.8% in 2020–21)
4.45 
All Injury Frequency 
Rate (AIFR) 
(down from 6.14 in 2020–21)
0 
significant 
non‑compliances 
with environmental 
laws and regulations 
since 2016
26.1% 
women in senior 
leadership positions 
(up from 25.0% in 2020–21)
Scope 1 and 2 total 
operational GHG 
emissions of
21,914tCO2e 
First Taskforce 
on Climate-Related 
Financial (TCFD) 
disclosure and 
roadmap published
2nd Modern 
Slavery Statement 
published in 
August 2021
$251.2m 
construction 
spend with local 
businesses since 
commencement 
of Inland Rail
$620,000 
in community 
sponsorship 
and grants
ESG 2021–2022 HIGHLIGHTS

OUR COMPANY
Australian Rail Track Corporation 
(ARTC) is proud to be a vital part of 
the transport supply chain and the 
economic development of Australia. 
We manage the transit of hundreds of 
freight and passenger trains across our 
network every day. We are champions 
of rail as an efficient, reliable, and lower 
carbon mode of transport that helps 
to relieve congestion and improve 
the safety of Australia’s roads.
1.	
ABOUT ARTC
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SERVING AUSTRALIA SINCE 1998
We were established by the Commonwealth Government 
as a way to provide efficient and seamless transit 
operations across the nation and we have been 
proudly serving customers across Australia since 1998. 
As a Government Business Enterprise (GBE) we are 
held to rigorous governance and disclosure standards. 
The Auditor General is responsible for auditing the 
company’s financial statements and ARTC’s Annual 
Report is tabled in Parliament, with all financial reporting 
lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments 
Commission (ASIC). You can view our 2021–22 
Annual Report here.
ABOUT OUR BUSINESS
We manage and maintain an 8,500km network across 
five states. Through our network, we facilitate the 
planning and routes of hundreds of trains which enable 
Australian products to be transported to market. 
Our customers use our network to transport a variety 
of products across the country – including fresh produce, 
coal, timber, and aggregates for interstate, intrastate 
and export markets. Our customers also rely on our 
network to deliver regional rail passenger services.
Over the last fifteen years, we’ve invested $8 billion 
dollars to build, extend and upgrade our network to 
shift freight off-road and onto rail. One of the largest 
expansions to our network is the construction of Inland 
Rail which is comprised of 1,700km of rail stretching 
across regional Victoria, New South Wales, and 
Queensland. It will increase freight efficiencies by reducing 
transit times between Brisbane and Melbourne down 
to 24 hours – increasing competitiveness with trucked 
freight. The Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail 
is already operational with the remainder of the line 
to be completed over the coming years. 
OUR PEOPLE
We are proud to employ more than 2,000 employees 
across 59 sites including main offices, provisioning 
centres, network control centres, and construction 
projects. We seek to be an employer of choice for people 
from diverse backgrounds and are actively seeking to 
increase the representation of women and First Nations 
peoples within our company, particularly in leadership 
roles. The safety and well-being of our people is our 
number one priority, and we believe in investing in 
our people’s mental health and well-being, as well as 
proactively protecting their physical safety.
FUTURE NETWORK
Interstate rail reliability and efficiency have vastly 
improved over the last decade. Rail freight is forecast 
to grow by 20% between 2022 and 20301. This equates 
to an annual growth rate of 2.5%, compared to road 
and coastal shipping at 2.0% and -0.1%, respectively. 
We believe a modal shift to rail can play an integral 
role in meeting the growing demand for freight while 
supporting the low carbon energy transition by shifting 
a higher percentage of Australia’s growing freight needs 
from trucks to trains.
REGULATION
ARTC operates within a closely regulated industry and 
complies with a range of laws, regulations, and industry 
standards. The Office of the National Rail Safety 
Regulator (ONRSR), Comcare, Australian Consumer 
and Competition Commission (ACCC), state‑based 
access regulators such as NSW Independent Pricing 
and Regulatory Tribunal and state‑based Environment 
Protection Agencies ensure we comply with 
the regulatory and legislative frameworks within 
which we conduct our business activities safely 
and on sound commercial principles.
1.	
2020 Deloitte Access Economics

OUR NETWORK
ARTC connects customers 
to markets and communities 
to economic opportunity. Map of our network
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Our Interstate network’s east-west corridor links 
Kalgoorlie in the west to Whyalla and Crystal Brook 
in South Australia before diverging to Parkes and 
Melbourne via Adelaide. The north-south corridor 
links Melbourne to Acacia Ridge in Queensland 
via Sydney along the east coast
Connections between our network and key locations 
such as Perth, Darwin and central and northern 
Queensland operated by third-party network owners 
such as Arc Infrastructure, Sydney Trains, One Rail 
Australia, and Queensland Rail.
Our Hunter Valley network connects the 
Port Newcastle with mines in the Hunter Valley, 
Gunnedah Basin and Ulan 
The Tarcoola to Alice Springs section of the line 
to Darwin is operated by One Rail Australia under 
a long-term lease
Inland Rail will link Melbourne to Brisbane 
through regional Victoria, New South Wales 
and Queensland. As each section of Inland Rail 
is constructed it is transferred to our Interstate 
network for operation

2.	
VALUE OF 
MODAL SHIFT 
TO RAIL
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At ARTC, we seek to create long-term value for our 
people, government, customers, partners, and the 
communities in which we operate. 
According to the Value of Rail Report2, shifting freight from road to rail 
has significant social, economic, and environmental benefits to Australian 
communities. Australia’s rail freight needs are set to grow by 2.5% per year 
between 2022 and 2030 at a time when we need to reduce national GHG 
emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change. 
ARTC is supporting efficient, low-cost supply chains – ensuring the nation’s 
growing freight task can be transported safely with the lowest social, 
economic, and environmental cost to society while optimising benefits.
According to the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy 2019, 
Australia’s freight volumes are projected to grow by over 35% between 
2018 and 2040. Urban freight is growing at a rapid pace and is forecast 
to increase by nearly 60% over 20 years to 2040. 
Due to the significant increase in freight volumes, increased capacity for 
freight transport is required, as well as better integration and adaptability. 
ARTC plays a vital role in this, increasing Australia’s rail freight capacity 
and connecting rail to other transport modes.
ENVIRONMENT
ARTC recognises that we all have a responsibility 
to act on climate change. Rail freight provides a safer, 
lower emissions alternative to other logistics modes and 
our rail networks play a crucial role in the decarbonisation 
of our national transportation sector. 
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 
globally, rail accounts for about 9% of freight activity 
but only 3% of transport energy use, making rail the 
least energy and carbon intensive way to move freight 
of any land-based transport mode. 
As one of Australia’s largest rail freight network providers, 
we have a significant and positive influence on the 
decarbonisation of Australian freight supply chains 
by providing the essential infrastructure to get more 
freight off-road and on rail. 
Rail freight produces 16 times less carbon pollution 
per tonne kilometre travelled than internal combustion 
engine road freight. In addition, one freight train can carry 
the equivalent of around 110 B-double trucks. 
Once operational ARTC’s 
Inland Rail is predicted to 
reduce carbon emissions 
by 750,000 tonnes per year 
by 2050. This is the equivalent 
of the annual emissions from 
40,000 Australian households. 
We are also committed to reducing the emissions from 
our activities, including construction, maintenance, 
and energy consumption. 
We have set a target of a 10% reduction in emissions 
by the end of June 2024. We also have a goal to assess 
our full network for climate-related risks and vulnerabilities 
by the end of June 2024.
2.	 Unless otherwise specified, general benefits of rail figures included in this section are 
based on the 2020 Deloitte Access Economics report.

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COMMUNITY
We are proud of the social and economic benefits we 
provide to the local communities in which we operate, 
and we work hard to ensure negative impacts, such as 
noise pollution and safety risks, are minimised. 
Transport accidents represent 
a huge toll on Australian 
communities. Rail has a strong 
track record of lower accident 
rates than road freight equivalents. 
Inland Rail is estimated to eliminate the equivalent 
of 15 serious crashes on roads per year compared 
to trucks, saving Australian families from preventable 
injuries, fatalities, and the associated social and 
economic impacts. 
A single container of freight switched from road to rail, 
between Sydney and Melbourne, is predicted to reduce 
accident costs by approximately $109 each year. 
Rail also offers improved health benefits through reduced 
road congestion and air pollution from trucks. Rail freight 
is estimated to generate 92% less PM10 than road freight 
for each tonne per kilometre of freight moved. 
Overall, for every 1% of the national freight task that 
moves to rail, there are estimated benefits to Australian 
communities of approximately $72 million a year. 
We are also building our partnerships with First Nations 
communities, working together to provide more 
opportunities for First Nations peoples to engage in our 
expanding business, as suppliers of choice, employees, 
and active stakeholders. 
We have set a goal to increase the representation of 
First Nations employees in our workforce to 4% and 
women to 33.3% by end of June 2024.
ECONOMY 
ARTC provides over 2000 jobs across Australia, 
with more than 30% of our employees living outside 
capital cities and in regional locations. 
We are proud of the support we provide to regional 
businesses and communities. 
In 2015, we worked with PwC to develop the Australian 
Government Inland Rail 2015 Program Business Case. 
The report outlines how Inland Rail will increase gross 
domestic product (GDP) by $16 billion over the 10-year 
delivery period and first 50 years of operation.
A subsequent report by Ernst and Young (2020) was 
undertaken which assessed the potential positive 
economic impacts of Inland Rail on regional communities 
across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. 
The study found that complementary investments along 
the corridor such as in intermodal terminals would add 
benefits of up to $13.3 billion in Gross Regional Product 
over the first 50 years of operation.
Inland Rail is predicted to support more than 21,500 direct 
and indirect jobs at the peak of construction. We are also 
proud of the support we provide to regional producers 
and business owners. 
Rail freight is the most cost-effective form of land 
transport – reducing costs for regional producers 
exporting products across Australia and overseas. 
ARTC FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 
The last 12 months have seen positive economic 
conditions within the Interstate and Hunter Valley 
operating business units. For comprehensive reporting 
on our 2021–22 financial performance, please visit our 
2021–22 Annual Report here.
ARTC generates the majority of its revenue by charging 
access fees to train operators and other producers for 
the use of our rail network. In 2021–22, 88% of our total 
revenue came from access fees paid by our customers, 
with the remainder coming from government grants 
and a small percentage from sources such as third-party 
revenue, rents, and scrap metal sales. 62% of our access 
revenue came from the Hunter Valley network, with 
the remaining 38% derived from our Interstate network. 
ARTC provides open access rail 
infrastructure which means we 
move commodities on our network 
as dictated by market demand. 
We are also growing our network 
to meet future demand. 
2021–22 Revenue Split: Access
 revenue – A$744.8
m, 88%; Grant – A$
58.4m, 
7%; Other – A$40.5m, 5%
2021–22 Total Access Revenue
 Split: Hunter Valley – A
$459.2m
, 52%; Inter
state – A$285.6m, 38%

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DEMAND FOR EXPORT COAL
Coal is the most significant export commodity moved on 
our network. In 2021–22, 60.6% of ARTC’s revenue was 
related to access revenue from customers transporting 
coal. This is a decrease from 62.5% the previous year.
Most of this transportation occurs on our rail network 
in the Hunter Valley, with state regulators mandating 
the carriage of coal by rail, rather than road, for 
environmental and safety reasons. 
We recognise the important logistics role we play in 
Australia’s coal supply chain. The Port of Newcastle is 
the largest coal export port in the world and 93% of 
coal transported by rail is for export, with key markets 
including Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. 
The coal transported on our network is primarily thermal 
(90%, with 10% metallurgical) and is amongst the highest 
quality coal globally with high energy and low ash and 
sulphur content, the benefits of which are maximised 
through supercritical high energy and low emission 
(HELE) power station technologies in end-user markets.
This financial year the global energy transition continued 
to chart an undefined path, with energy security and 
benefits of Australia’s higher quality Hunter Valley coal 
continuing to dominate demand for coal moved on our 
network. However, future indications of transition and 
diversification are also evident. 
Recent geopolitical tensions, in particular the war in 
Ukraine, have seen a renewed global focus on energy 
security with upside for Hunter Valley producers evident 
in global coal prices as some end user markets seek 
to secure alternatives to Russian coal and gas. 
It has been recognised by numerous commentators that 
if Australia’s relatively higher quality coal exports were 
to be disrupted, then end user markets would substitute 
Australian coal with lower quality coal from alternative 
sources which would potentially increase global emissions. 
In the Hunter Valley, this year BHP announced the early 
closure of the Mt Arthur export coal mine in 2030 – 
15 years ahead of its scheduled end of life. AGL also 
announced the retirement of Liddell Power Station 
in 2023, transforming their site into a clean energy hub. 
In collaboration with our key stakeholders in the Hunter 
Valley, we are exploring the impacts of a longer-term 
global energy transition away from coal including 
diversification scenarios and new economic futures 
for the region. 
We are working with key partners to support the Hunter 
Valley in becoming a leader in green hydrogen production 
through our participation in the Committee for the 
Hunter. Read more about the Committee’s strategy 
for the region here. 
We will continue to provide updates on our partnerships 
and progress regarding managing transition risks 
and sustainable regional diversification as part of 
our annual ESG reporting. 
Our network in the Hunter Valley also supports the 
movement of grain as well as regional passenger traffic. 
GROWTH IN DOMESTIC MARKETS
ARTC’s nation-wide network services a broad range of 
supply chains and markets. Our two major corridors in 
the north-south and east-west transports groceries, 
building materials, cars, and electronic goods for domestic 
markets, export steel and mineral ore, bulk agricultural 
produce and regional passenger traffic. 
We are investing heavily to grow our network in response 
to market demand by investing in Inland Rail which will 
transform inter-capital and inter-modal freight capacity 
in Australia.
Inland Rail capital expenditure represents the majority 
of ARTC’s spending pipeline. Following completion 
of Inland Rail, the proportion of our overall revenue 
related to the transportation of coal by our customers 
is expected to decrease. 
Due to projected increase in domestic demand, non-coal 
volumes represent a growing portion of ARTC’s business. 
Refer to the Growth in New Markets section on page 72 
for further details.

OUR SHAREHOLDER
The Commonwealth of Australia holds all shares in ARTC. 
The responsible Shareholder Ministers are the Minister 
for Finance, and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, 
Regional Development and Local Government. 
The Board of Directors of ARTC are appointed by the 
Shareholder Ministers in accordance with the company’s 
Constitution, and Commonwealth Government Business 
Enterprise Governance and Oversight Guidelines 
(GBE Guidelines).
ARTC recognises, upholds, and facilitates the effective 
exercise of the rights of the single Shareholder, the 
Commonwealth of Australia. In this regard, the company 
is subject to the PGPA Act and the GBE Guidelines in 
addition to the Corporations Act 2001. 
ARTC complies with the GBE Guidelines, including the 
development and publication of an annual Corporate Plan, 
and regular Shareholder liaison, including formal quarterly 
Shareholder meetings, regular Inland Rail Sponsor Group 
meetings and related reports. 
Although there is no Shareholder requirement that 
ARTC publishes an ESG report, this activity has 
been undertaken voluntarily in recognition of its 
broader importance.
BOARD AND 
MANAGEMENT
ARTC recognises the respective roles and responsibilities 
of the Board and management through its system of 
formal delegations and a schedule of matters reserved 
for the Board. 
This enables the Board to provide strategic guidance for 
the company and effective oversight of management. 
It also clarifies the respective roles and responsibilities 
of Board members and senior executives to facilitate 
Board and management accountability to both the group 
and Shareholders. 
Government policy (Section 115(c), Cabinet Handbook 
2018, 12th Edition) requires that due regard be paid to 
gender balance in appointments. The GBE Guidelines 
refer to the Cabinet Handbook as per Section 2.14. 
As of 30 June 2022, the Board was comprised of 
four women and four men.
ARTC has five committees under the Board of Directors, 
each Committee is governed by its own Charter, 
detailing the Committee’s role, membership requirements 
and duties and is reviewed periodically and revised 
when appropriate.
ARTC’s system of corporate governance 
reflects the ASX Corporate Governance 
Principles and Recommendations covering 
management, Board structure, ethics, 
reporting, disclosures, risk management, 
and remuneration. 
Our Corporate Governance approach is further 
detailed in our Annual Report.
As a Government Business Enterprise (GBE) we are 
proud to be held to rigorous standards of governance 
and disclosure. Under Section 98 of the Public 
Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 
2013 (PGPA Act), the Auditor General is responsible 
for auditing the company’s financial statements. In 
addition, ARTC’s Annual Report is tabled in Parliament 
and financial accounts are lodged with the Australian 
Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
3.	
GOVERNANCE
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ARTC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD ESG RESPONSIBILITIES
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1 	Warren Truss AC – Chairman
2 	Mark Campbell – MD/CEO
3 	David Saxelby
4 	Jennifer Seabrook
5 	Rocheen Garnon
6 	Katrina Hodgkinson
7 	Keira Brennan
8 	Ryan Arrold
SHAREHOLDER (COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA)
ARTC
ARTC BOARD
Responsible for overseeing the operations and performance of ARTC. Oversees ARTC’s strategic approach 
with ESG as a standing agenda item. Also includes review and approval of public ESG reporting and 
public bi‑annual progress reports.
BOARD COMMITTEES
Five committees assist in the discharge of the Board’s responsibilities
RISK
Responsibilities 
include the 
review of the 
effectiveness of the 
Risk Management 
framework, 
monitoring of risk 
profiles, including 
ESG‑specific risks.
AUDIT AND 
COMPLIANCE 
Reviews any formal 
public reporting 
and determines 
completeness 
and consistency 
with information 
known to the 
Committee, reviews 
appropriateness 
of ESG standards 
and frameworks, 
and recommends 
acceptance of 
public ESG reporting 
to the Board.
PEOPLE AND 
PERFORMANCE 
Assists with 
responsibilities 
related to policies, 
procedures, and 
practices that 
affect employees, 
contractors, or 
others, and makes 
recommendations to 
the Board regarding 
remuneration of 
the CEO and 
key management 
personnel including 
linkages to 
ESG goals.
ENVIRONMENTAL 
HEALTH AND 
SAFETY 
Assists with 
responsibilities for 
management of 
risks associated 
with environment, 
public and work 
health and 
safety functions, 
and monitors 
processes and 
programs adopted 
by management 
to ensure 
compliance with 
relevant policies 
and procedures.
INLAND RAIL
Assists with 
responsibilities 
relating to the 
oversight and 
management of the 
Inland Rail project.
ARTC is managed by an Executive Management Team who provide leadership across the business.
ARTC’s ESG Executive Champion is the Chief Financial Officer.Mark Campbell – MD/CEO
2Warren Truss AC – Chairman
1Jennifer Seabrook
4Keira Brennan
7David Saxelby
3Katrina Hodgkinson
6Rocheen Garnon
5Ryan Arrold
8

RISK MANAGEMENT
ESG risks are identified and managed as part of our Risk Management Framework. Risk management is conducted 
within ARTC to meet our company objectives through a clear, defined, and continual process. ARTC’s management 
of risks operates on a three lines of defence model:
1st line of defence
2nd line of defence
3rd line of defence
A robust framework of internal 
policies and procedures which 
guide how all major activities within 
the business are conducted
A series of self-attestation and 
independent assurance activities 
confirm the effectiveness of 
the application of policies and 
procedures covering safety, 
financial delegations, ethical 
matters, and policy compliance
Independent internal audit review
ARTC has a range of policies, procedures and practices that relate to the management of environmental, social, 
and governance aspects of the company. Of significance, the key ESG-related policies are:
	
– ARTC’s Code of Conduct recognises the importance 
of integrity and ethical behaviour, which sets out 
principles of conduct and behaviour required 
from our employees.
	
– ARTC has a framework for the disclosure of 
suspected wrongdoing and the protection of whistle 
blowers, in accordance with the Public Interest 
Disclosure Act, which applies to disclosures made 
by ARTC staff.
	
– Under ARTC’s Code of Conduct and Conflict 
of Interest Policy, all staff is required to disclose 
any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts 
of interest to the General Counsel and company 
for evaluation and advice.
	
– All procurement activity must be conducted without 
prejudice or favour and in accordance with our 
Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy. 
All participants in any procurement activity 
must declare any potential, actual, or perceived 
conflicts of interest.
	
– The goal of no one harmed on our network is outlined 
in our Safety Policy which outlines commitments 
to a Pathway to Zero and Fatal and Severe Risks.
	
– ARTC’s Environment Policy commits to undertaking 
our activities in a safe and environmentally responsible 
manner supported by Environmental Principles.
	
– ARTC’s Diversity Policy outlines the company’s 
commitment to valuing diversity, treating all 
job applicants equally, and promoting equal 
opportunities for all employees.
	
– Annual ARTC Modern Slavery Statements outline our 
commitment to ensuring that slavery in any form does 
not occur within our supply chain by strengthening 
practices to reduce our exposure.
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STRATEGY 
ARTC developed our ESG Strategy over two years from 2020–2022. 
This process involved benchmarking key peers, assessing current 
ESG activities, and engaging key teams across the business including 
our Executive and Board to help define material issues, ambition, 
and strategic priorities. 
Our mission: ‘A modal shift to rail for a sustainable future’ is supported by 
five strategic ESG priorities. See pages 26–27 for further details.
To develop our ESG strategy, we undertook a materiality assessment 
which was informed by the Global Reporting Initiative methodology. 
We assessed a long list of over 50 topics according to relevance to 
our business activities and importance to our key stakeholders. 
Stakeholder perspectives were informed through 2021 reputation 
research insights, employee engagement survey, as well as a review 
of media commentary. 
ARTC has assessed risks to the business from climate change using 
recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure 
(TCFD) on pages 32–33. We intend to implement our roadmap and achieve 
fuller compliance over the next 3–5 years.
Integration of our ESG Strategy within the business strategy will enable 
us to build on activities already underway and progressively embed ESG 
into our core business activities. 
We acknowledge the ongoing efforts of our people right across 
the business who continue to drive positive change.
4.	
ESG APPROACH
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MATERIAL TOPICS
In 2021–22 ARTC identified 15 topics that are of most importance to our business and key stakeholders. These topics 
have been mapped to our strategic priorities – aligning our strategy with the issues that matter most to the future 
success of our company. 
Decarbonisation: 
Reducing our operational emissions and supporting 
the decarbonisation of Australian freight through 
the expansion of rail.
Network resilience to climate impacts: 
Mitigating risks from more frequent and extreme weather 
events to increase network resilience and reliability.
Environmental impacts: 
Minimising negative environmental impacts from 
ARTC’s activities.
Community and customer safety: 
Ensuring community and customer safety at all times 
on and around our network.
Worker health, safety, and wellbeing: 
Supporting the physical, emotional, and mental health 
of all our employees and contractors.
Social and economic impacts: 
Creating social and economic benefits for the local 
communities in which we operate, while ensuring negative 
impacts, such as noise and safety risks, are minimised. 
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: 
Supporting equality of opportunity, engagement, 
and well-being for all of our people.
Attract and retain new talent: 
Attract new talent to ARTC. Develop the skills and 
capabilities of our people and make ARTC a great 
place to work.
Stakeholder engagement: 
Engaging with our regulators, all levels of government, 
customers, supply chain partners, and the broader industry.
Connecting with First Nations peoples: 
Focussing on reconciliation, positive engagement, 
and economic opportunity.
More freight on rail: 
Ensuring rail is the mode of choice in the national 
logistics chain.
Accessing finance: 
Ensure we are well positioned to access finance in 
a context where ESG and climate issues are influencing 
financiers’ decision making.
Allocation of Capital: 
Maximising the benefits from delivery of Inland Rail 
and major construction projects.
Business ethics: 
Maintaining an ethical culture and transparent reporting, 
supported by programs, procedures, and governance 
that reflect national best practice.
Innovation and technology: 
Utilising emerging technologies and digital solutions 
to drive customer growth, improvements in safety 
and increase long-term business resilience. 
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ARTC ESG STRATEGY OVERVIEW
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27
	
– Worker health, safety, and wellbeing
	
– Community and customer safety
	
– Network resilience to climate impacts
	
– Innovation and technology
MATERIAL TOPICS
	
– Business ethics
	
– Social and economic impacts
	
– Connecting with First Nations people 
	
– Stakeholder engagement
	
– Decarbonisation
	
– Environmental impacts
	
– Network resilience to climate impacts
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Allocation of capital
	
– Accessing finance
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Diversity, equity and inclusion
	
– Attract and retain talent
	
– Connecting with First Nations peoples
	
– Innovation and technology
NETWORK SAFETY AND RESILIENCE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
GROWING NEW MARKETS
SKILLED AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE
Ensure rail remains the safest form of freight 
transport. Reduce network failures or stoppages 
due to increasing severity of climate risks. 
Improve workforce safety.
Maintain reputation and social licence with 
host communities and key stakeholders.
Provide low carbon transport option that 
supports environments.
Grow intermodal, intercapital markets and reduce 
risks associated with declining coal production.
Ensure workforce has the skills to innovate, 
collaborate and deliver.
NETWORK SAFETY 
AND RESILIENCE
SKILLED AND DIVERSE 
WORKFORCE
SOCIAL 
RESPONSIBILITY
MODAL SHIFT 
TO RAIL 
FOR A 
SUSTAINABLE 
FUTURE
GROWING NEW 
MARKETS
ENVIRONMENTAL 
BENEFITS

Understanding our stakeholders’ 
priorities is critical to our company’s 
success. At ARTC, we actively engage 
key stakeholders throughout our 
value chain to understand their needs, 
identify opportunities for positive 
impact and collaboration, and ensure 
that we continue to deliver value. 
We use a variety of engagement 
methods including face‑to‑face and 
virtual meetings, as well as surveys. 
We also conduct ongoing media analysis 
to track key issues of interest to 
communities, activists, and NGOs.
ANNUAL STAKEHOLDER SURVEYS
ARTC conducts three separate annual stakeholder 
surveys: Customer Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, 
and Stakeholder Research. These engagement efforts 
support the identification of stakeholder perceptions of 
ARTC, stakeholder priorities, risks, and opportunities to 
build trust and improve our performance. 
The stakeholders that participated in these research 
surveys included:
	
– Employees 
	
– Customers including freight, coal and non-coal 
producers and passenger
	
– Government
	
– Community
	
– Banks and Financial Institutions
	
– Supply Chain Partners (freight and logistics)
	
– Suppliers and Delivery Partners (project partners)
	
– Peak Bodies and Industry Associations
	
– Regulators.
See the summary of ARTC’s key stakeholder groups on 
the next pages and their reported core areas of interest. 
In 2021–22 ARTC’s trust score with external stakeholders 
as measured through the Tier 1 stakeholder research 
has moderated to 52% from 79% in 2020–21. 
According to our independent research firm, this remains 
within the range of a “positive” reputation outcome. 
However, a range of factors have driven what remains 
as a decline from the year before including a broader 
involvement from participating stakeholder groups which 
has highlighted the significance of continuing to improve 
community relationships and our responsiveness and 
openness to concerns. Our customer satisfaction score 
was 7.8/10, up from 7.4/10 in 2020–21 and our employee 
engagement score 63%, up from 60% in 2020–21.
5.	
STAKEHOLDER 
ENGAGEMENT
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ARTC STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholder 
Group
Stakeholder 
Description 
Topics of Interest
Relevant Material issues
Government 
Federal and State 
Government officers 
	
– Network operations 
and implementation 
	
– Inland Rail
	
– Transparency and professionalism
	
– Innovation
	
– Collaboration
	
– Communication and management of 
community impacts
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Business ethics
	
– Capital allocation
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Social and economic impacts
	
– Stakeholder engagement 
Decarbonisation
Employees 
ARTC employees
	
– Workplace values and 
leadership effectiveness 
	
– Role clarity and performance 
management 
	
– Safety and inclusion
	
– Collaboration and cross-
functional communication 
	
– Innovation
	
– Reward and recognition
	
– Future-oriented decision-making 
	
– Worker health, safety, 
and wellbeing
	
– Diversity, equity, and inclusion 
	
– Attract and retain talent
	
– Community and customer safety 
	
– Innovation and technology
Customers
Includes bulk and 
import/export 
freight customers, 
passenger services 
and coal producers
	
– Innovation 
	
– Proactive communication 
and responsiveness 
	
– Collaborative engagement
	
– Fairness/equity/consistency
	
– Flexibility
	
– Value for money and 
price transparency
	
– Competitiveness of rail
	
– Customer service 
	
– Management of customer impacts
	
– Track reliability 
	
– Community and customer safety 
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Business ethics
	
– Network resilience 
to climate impacts
Community 
Local councils
Community groups 
	
– Accessible touchpoints 
	
– Opportunities for two-way 
communication
	
– Contributions to communities 
	
– Noise pollution
	
– Community impacts related 
to coal freight movement
	
– Social and economic impacts
	
– Environmental impacts
	
– Stakeholder engagement
	
– Connecting with First 
Nations peoples
	
– Decarbonisation
First Nations 
Peoples
First Nation 
communities, 
Elders, and 
stakeholders 
including 
Traditional Owners 
of the land where 
ARTC operates
	
– Native Title 
	
– Active Local Aboriginal Land Council 
engagement
	
– Cultural heritage 
	
– Employment/procurement
	
– Sites of significance 
	
– Connecting with First 
Nations peoples
	
– Stakeholder engagement 
Diversity, equity, and inclusion 
	
– Social and economic impacts
	
– Environmental impacts
Stakeholder 
Group
Stakeholder 
Description 
Topics of Interest
Relevant Material issues
Suppliers
Commercial 
supply and project 
delivery partners
	
– Regulation and best practice 
	
– Innovation 
	
– Partnerships 
	
– Transparency and consistency 
	
– Streamlined, accessible interfaces 
	
– Competitiveness of rail over time
	
– Global energy transition
	
– Inland Rail
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Business ethics
	
– Capital allocation
	
– Innovation and technology
Peak Bodies 
and Industry 
Associations 
Organisations or 
advocacy groups 
that represent 
the rail, transport, 
energy and 
resources sectors
	
– Innovation 
	
– Transparency and flexibility
	
– Industry best practice
	
– Streamlined, accessible interfaces 
	
– Energy transition
	
– Management of community impacts 
related to employment and revenue
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Decarbonisation
	
– Business ethics
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Social and economic impacts
Regulators
Regulatory bodies
	
– Timely information and engagement 
	
– Transparency and professionalism
	
– Inland Rail 
	
– Advanced Train Management 
System (ATMS)
	
– ESG/Sustainability reporting
	
– Community and customer safety
	
– Worker health, safety, 
and wellbeing
	
– Capital allocation
	
– Business ethics
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Network resilience 
to climate impacts
Banks and 
Financial 
Institutions 
Financial services 
companies 
(including banks, 
and insurance 
companies)
	
– Trustworthiness
	
– Innovation
	
– Sustainable investment solutions 
and future practices 
	
– Global energy transition
	
– Accessing finance 
	
– Decarbonisation
	
– Capital allocation
	
– Business ethics
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Network resilience 
to climate impacts
Freight and 
Logistics 
Supply Chain 
Partners
Other freight, 
logistic, and supply 
chain operators 
	
– Competence and safety focus 
	
– Trustworthiness 
	
– Growth-orientation
	
– Competitiveness of rail, 
now and in the future 
	
– Resilience to climate change
	
– Global energy transition
	
– More freight on rail
	
– Allocation of capital
	
– Innovation and technology
	
– Business ethics
	
– Decarbonisation
	
– Network resilience 
to climate impacts
NGOs and 
Activists
Vocal groups on 
general operations 
and projects 
	
– Benefits to community and 
industry (i.e. agriculture)
	
– Visual amenity
	
– Noise and dust impacts
	
– Flora and fauna impacts
	
– Design and cost of Inland Rail
	
– Community impacts related 
to coal freight movement
	
– Environmental impacts
	
– Social and economic impacts
	
– Stakeholder engagement
	
– Capital allocation
	
– Decarbonisation
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31

6.	
TASKFORCE ON CLIMATE 
RELATED FINANCIAL 
DISCLOSURES (TCFD)
DISCLOSURE
This is ARTC’s first disclosure in line with the 
recommendations of the TCFD Guidelines and covers 
the four key criteria of Governance, Strategy, Risk 
Management, Metrics and Reporting. 
The impacts of climate change, both physical 
and transitional, are increasingly being realised 
around the world. 
Our management of climate risks and maximisation 
of opportunities is critical to the role we play as 
a key provider of national infrastructure. 
We understand the importance of a reliable freight 
network for train operators, customers, producers, 
and communities across Australia and seek to proactively 
address the physical and transitional risks associated 
with a changing climate. 
ARTC acknowledges and supports the scientific 
consensus on climate change and is committed to 
supporting the Australian Government’s commitment 
to net-zero by 2050 under the Paris Agreement. 
We recognise the value of these disclosures in 
supporting our stakeholders’ understanding of ARTC’s 
responses to the physical and transition risks which 
may impact our operations, supply chain, customers, 
and other stakeholders. 
ARTC continues to collect and disclosure its Scope 1 
and Scope 2 emissions. We are also committed to 
developing and implementing a GHG emissions reduction 
plan across Scope 1 and 2 emissions and are developing 
a better understanding of our Scope 3 emissions 
(see pages 66–67). 
We recognise that climate change impacts and the 
frequency of extreme weather events will continue to 
impact the reliability, safety, and efficiency of our network, 
and are exploring how we can design and upgrade our 
network for improved resilience (see page 45).
We are also actively considering the impacts of the global 
energy transition on commodity markets and in particular 
the long-term impacts on coal volumes in the Hunter 
Valley and what this means in terms transitional financial 
risks and a sustainable economic future for the region 
(see pages 14–15).
As we continue to identify and understand our climate 
risks and opportunities, we will work to identify additional 
metrics to support our understanding of risk management 
and opportunity maximisation. 
In future reporting periods, we will disclose and report 
our progress in accordance with our TCFD roadmap. 
Further detail on our TCFD disclosures can also be found 
in our Annual Report here.
TCFD ROADMAP
2021–22
2022–24
2025>
Governance
	
– Chief Financial Officer 
appointed ESG 
Executive sponsor
	
– Support of Paris Agreement
	
– Regular ESG risk update 
provided to Board 
and Management
	
– Board oversight of Hunter 
Valley long term Financial 
Scenario Analysis
	
– Network Resilience 
Risk Analysis and 
Recommendations developed
Strategy
	
– Physical climate risk considered 
in design of Inland Rail and 
operational sections of 
the network
	
– Network of the Future 
considerations commenced for 
Hunter Valley
	
– Regular ESG updates provided 
to Board commenced 
as a formal agenda item 
Risk Management
	
– Implementation of Climate 
Change Risk Assessment 
Framework for Inland Rail
	
– Physical risk mitigation 
measures identified for 
most of network
Metrics and Reporting
	
– Reporting of group Scope 1 
and 2 emissions
	
– Target for 10% reduction in 
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions 
by end of June 2024
	
– Target to complete network 
wide climate risk and 
vulnerability assessment 
by end of June 2024
Governance
	
– Ensure climate‑risk governance 
is articulated alongside 
ESG risk considerations
	
– Consideration of ESG 
within remuneration
	
– Ensure consistent processes 
across whole of ARTC
Strategy
	
– Undertake transition scenario 
analysis to complement 
physical resilience program
	
– Disclose climate risks and 
opportunities in-line with 
the TCFD recommendations, 
including impact on business 
and strategy
Risk Management
	
– Articulate and implement 
whole of organisation process 
for climate risk identification 
and assessment
	
– Assessment of implementation 
of internal carbon price
Metrics and Reporting
	
– Develop understanding 
of source and quantity 
of Scope 3 emissions
	
– Explore reduction target 
for Scope 3 emissions for 
whole of business
	
– Identify metrics and targets 
aligned to the management 
of identified significant climate 
related risks and opportunities
Governance 
	
– Full disclosure aligned with 
the recommendations 
of the TCFD
Strategy 
	
– Disclosure of material 
climate‑related risks 
and opportunities
	
– Embedding of 
climate‑related risks into 
broader business strategy
	
– Continued review of scenario 
assumptions and impact 
on business
Risk Management 
	
– Continued review of 
the management of 
climate related risks 
and opportunities
Metrics and Reporting 
	
– Reporting against 
climate‑related risk 
metrics and public 
disclosure of targets
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7.	
NETWORK 
SAFETY AND 
RESILIENCE
OBJECTIVE 
We have an uncompromising commitment 
to the safety and well-being of our 
employees, contractors, suppliers, 
customers, and the communities in 
which we operate. ARTC is committed 
to ensuring rail remains the safest form 
of transport. Our objective is that no one 
is harmed at work or on our network 
and to improve our safety culture and 
performance. We are implementing 
technology and digital solutions to drive 
safety improvements.
COMMUNITY AND 
CUSTOMER SAFETY
Many different stakeholders interact with the ARTC rail 
network including contractors, regulators, train operators, 
and members of the public. ARTC as a Person Conducting 
a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) has an obligation to 
ensure the health and safety of others in our workplace 
or where our work may impact others. 
In addition to complying with relevant legislation, 
we undertake consultation, coordination, and cooperation 
with relevant stakeholders in the provision of safe railway 
operations ARTC regularly engages with government 
and local communities to raise awareness of safe rail 
behaviours in the community. We invest in community 
outreach programs and partnerships and have been 
a long-standing supporter of TrackSafe Foundation. 
ARTC recognises the importance of not only ensuring our 
employees and contractors are safe and healthy, but also 
ensuring the health and safety of our local communities.
The safety of our customers – the train operators who 
use our network – is managed through our operational 
standards publicly available on our website and we 
engage with our customers on safety matters through 
various industry consultation forums and relationships. 
Operational standards include safe working systems 
and procedures for all aspects of rail operations, 
including responsibilities and safe behaviours.
NETWORK RESILIENCE 
TO CLIMATE IMPACTS
We acknowledge the effects that climate change 
impacts can have on the safety, reliability, and efficiency 
of ARTC network, impacting our stakeholders and 
employees, building more resilience and capacity through 
weather monitoring, infrastructure design, updates 
to standards, maintenance, and network rules and 
procedures will increase the ability of ARTC to manage 
climate impacts and protect the safety of employees, 
customers, and communities. 
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
We utilise technology and data analytics to help improve 
safety on, and around, our network. This is driven by our 
Pathway to Zero Strategy initiatives and includes our 
internal cloud-based Horizon 360 safety and environment 
platform, the industry-leading train communications safe 
working system called Advanced Train Management System 
(ATMS) (more details on ATMS are in the Growing New 
Markets section on pages 78–79), and data and technology 
applications in SWIP and Level Crossing Safety initiatives.
ACHIEVEMENTS 
The implementation of robust governance systems, 
training, and compliance programs, has resulted in 
changes in behaviours, seen by a decrease in employee 
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate from 1.01 in 2019–2020 
to 0.71 in 2020–21 to 0.67 in 2021–22, and All Injury 
Frequency Rate (AIFR) from 6.14 in 2020–21 to 4.45 in 
2021–22. 
We have appointed a new Executive for Safety and 
Environment to continue to drive our focus, and 
two new general manager-level safety roles will 
commence in 2022–23. 
We have promoted the benefits of vaccination to our 
people and continue to promote booster shots to 
assist in the health impacts of COVID-19. We achieved 
a COVID-19 double vaccination rate of 90.9%. 
ARTC’s Inland Rail Safety and Wellbeing Program 
was awarded the Safety Leadership/Program by Rail 
Industry Safety Standards Board (RISSB) for 2022.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Key initiatives in 2022–23 and 2023–24 include:
	
– Complete integration of track worker Safe Work 
Improvement Program (SWIP) actions and Driver 
and Vehicle Safety Strategy
	
– Continued implementation of Level Crossing 
Safety Strategy
	
– Continued implementation of Contractor Safety Program 
	
– Continue to follow government COVID-19 guidelines 
and adapt our management of the pandemic to 
reflect the risk profile.
	
– Implement the ARTC Network Resilience Strategy.
HOW WE MANAGE OUR 
MATERIAL ISSUES
WORKER HEALTH, SAFETY 
AND WELL-BEING
ARTC’s Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy defines the 
actions required to improve safety culture and manage 
risks; for our people working in the rail corridor, 
in our office environments, and our local communities. 
The Strategy includes key programs such as Safe 
Work Improvement Program (SWIP), Level Crossing 
Safety Strategy, Contractor Safety program and 
Driver and Vehicle Safety Strategy
ARTC is committed to supporting the mental health 
and well-being of our employees. We demonstrate this 
through the implementation of programs such as free 
counselling and support services, delivering mental health 
first aid training, and roll-out of the Building Personal 
Resilience Program.
MATERIAL ISSUES
Worker health, safety, and well-being: 
Supports the physical, emotional, and mental health 
of all our employees and contractors.
Community and customer safety: 
Ensuring community and customer safety 
at all times on and around our network. 
Network resilience to climate impacts: 
Mitigating risks from more frequent and extreme weather 
events to increase network resilience and reliability.
Innovation and technology: 
Utilising emerging technologies and digital solutions 
to drive customer growth, safety improvements, 
and increase long-term business resilience.
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OUR PEOPLE’S SAFETY
Our values articulate that safety is everything, 
it doesn’t matter how big or small, doing things safely 
means doing things right. We value active engagement 
and are committed to the safety and well-being 
of our customers, stakeholders, and employees. 
ARTC takes a proactive approach to health, safety, 
and wellbeing. We approach health and safety 
holistically. We work to identify and eliminate hazards 
and we prioritise supporting employee and contractor 
wellbeing. ARTC shares health and safety learnings 
and best practices across the organisation, including 
with our contractors and external stakeholders. 
We have built strong relationships with our work health 
and safety regulator Comcare, and rail regulator the 
Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, our priority 
is to ensure we meet all regulatory requirements.
ARTC is accredited as a Rail Infrastructure Manager 
(RIM) and Rolling Stock Operator (RSO) by the 
Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR). 
ARTC must maintain a Safety Management System 
to retain our Accreditation.
In compliance with Work Health and Safety and Rail 
Safety legislation and alignment with ISO45001, ARTC 
has developed a Safety Management System that 
covers all ARTC workplaces including the railway 
operations. The SMS articulates health and well-being 
requirements such as the ARTC drug and alcohol 
policy, rail safety worker competency requirements, 
and fatigue procedures.
Our values articulate that safety 
is everything, it doesn’t matter 
how big or small, doing things 
safely means doing things right.
I
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ry
 f
re
qu
ency 
rates
 – Ro
lling
 12 m
onths
 to D
ate (
Numbe
r of 
injur
ies f
or ev
ery m
illio
n hou
rs wo
r
k
ed
 (
AR
TC
 em
ployees)); Medically Tr
eated Injury Frequency Rate: 0.
67 in 2021/22; Los
t Time Injury Frequency Rate: 0.67 in 2021/22.
YEAR TO DATE TRENDS COMPANY SAFETY PERFORMANCE
We track our safety performance through several indicators. Illustrated is the injury frequency rates for 2021–22. 
The trend line across all injury types has decreased.
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37

PATHWAY TO ZERO HARM STRATEGY
ARTC’s Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy was established in 2017 to help drive improvements in safety culture and 
mitigation of risks – for all of our key stakeholders. The Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy focuses on four strategic themes:
Our People internally motivated about 
the safety and wellbeing of themselves 
and their workmates
Our Organisation uses data and 
indicators to drive improvement 
in safety performance
Our Leaders embody the values and the 
safety behaviours of the organisation 
and take personal responsibility for 
their safety and that of their team
Our Safety Systems are integrated, 
simple to use and support our leaders 
and our people in meeting the needs 
of the business
Key safety initiatives implemented under the Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy include:
	
– Safe Work Improvement Program – refer next page
	
– Level Crossing Safety Strategy – refer page 40
	
– Horizon 360 – In 2020–21, ARTC established a new, 
innovative safety and environment event reporting 
platform called ‘Horizon 360’ which is based on the 
SAI360 platform across Inland Rail. Horizon 360 will 
significantly improve our ability to record, analyse 
and identify safety and environment events and 
compliance. The second phase of implementation 
is now in planning for delivery in 2023.
	
– Contractor Safety Program – ARTC recognises 
the need for sustainable improvements in our 
approach to contractor safety and the inherent 
safety aspects of contractor engagements. 
The Contractor Safety Program aims to develop 
a consistent, proactive and systemised approach 
to contractor management, reducing high risk events, 
injuries and supplier related risks.
Our program focusses on six key areas: training 
and development, clear expectations of contractors, 
contractor led safety investigations, principal contractor 
engagements, monitoring contractor performance and 
ARTC terms and conditions. In 2021–22 we matured 
and delivered a contractor management procedure 
and supporting documents. We are now developing 
a training plan for front line contractor managers 
and teams for implementation in 2022. 
	
– Driver and Vehicle Safety Program – ARTC 
commenced our Driver Vehicle Safety Strategy in 
August 2021. This two-year program is focussed on 
improving our safe driving culture, with a particular 
focus on using heavy vehicles and Chain of 
Responsibility. Over the last 12 months we have rolled 
out safety training to all heavy vehicle drivers across 
the business. Our recent trial involving installation of 
telematics in seven heavy vehicles was successful 
enabling tracking and monitoring of safety factors 
such as speed, fatigue, and seatbelts. 
Telematics will now be installed on all ARTC heavy 
vehicles ensuring our proactive compliance with 
National Heavy Vehicle Law including roll-out 
of electronic driver work diaries and pre-starts. 
Under development are e-learning modules 
on driving safely and Chain of Responsibility 
awareness for all employees. 
WORKING SAFELY ON TRACK
Every day, ARTC employees and contractors access 
the rail corridor to undertake work, which requires safe 
separation between workers and trains. One of the 
highest potential risk events at ARTC is the possibility of 
train collision with our people on track. 
As part of our Pathway to Zero Harm Strategy, our Safe 
Work Improvement Program (SWIP) is one of our key 
safety initiatives to help us reduce our safety risk across 
the business, especially for people who work in our rail 
corridors. SWIP focuses on long-term reduction of risk 
across the business and is a holistic change program 
consisting of eight projects designed to deliver a single, 
companywide approach to improve track worker safety. 
The program is dedicated to simplified, unified, and safe 
track worker protection across the ARTC network.
Key focus areas for SWIP:
	
– Build on conversations about safe behaviours to help 
us improve safe work practices being used on site
	
– Enable everyone to engage in two-way conversations 
about safety, risk, and their work
	
– Opportunity for everyone working in our business 
to understand what works and what doesn’t work 
so that together we can create a safer workplace
	
– Focus on what is being done well and what we can 
improve to make everyone safer
	
– Operationalise our Just and Fair Culture Framework 
and demonstrate that we value team input 
in improving safety outcomes.
As of the end of June 2022, ARTC is 24 months into the three-year program, and we have delivered the following projects:
A review of the core 
technical knowledge of safe 
working personnel updated 
with our RTOs
We have defined the hierarchy 
of protection for the whole 
ARTC network
We can manage internal staff 
work in the field through mobile 
devices using our enterprise 
asset management system
Introduced a single source 
of truth for Notices, Waivers 
and Alerts
Implemented a process to 
identify and authorise access 
to people wishing to enter 
the ARTC rail corridor
Implemented an ARTC 
competency framework that 
enhances the Non-Technical 
Skills required to deliver 
effective Safe working
Updated Pre-work brief 
and WPP process
Implementation 
of ARTC Network 
Communication Standard
Deployment of eTAP in NSW
SWIP is striving to ensure a risk-based approach is used when undertaking track protection resulting in a reduced risk 
profile. We want our people to think safe and work safe, to go home safe, every day.
Our website provides more detailed information about our SWIP. 
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LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY 
Train and vehicle events at level crossings are one of 
ARTC’s highest potential risk events and we take level 
crossing safety very seriously. As the population of 
Australia increases and the freight task continues to 
grow our level of community, industry, and government 
engagement and investment in safer outcomes 
must continue to adapt to changing circumstances. 
ARTC has approximately 3,520 level crossings of which 
735 are signal activated with boom gates and/or flashing 
lights. A review of incident investigations indicates that 
drivers are often familiar with the level crossing where 
an incident occurs, and that driver error/behaviours 
can contribute to these types of incidents. 
While level crossing incidents are less frequent than 
general road incidents, level crossing incidents have 
the potential to be higher consequences for road users 
and consequential trauma injuries for rail workers, 
first responders, and communities. 
In 2021–22, there were 11 collisions at ARTC level crossings. 
This led to four casualties of which one was a fatality, 
two were serious injuries and one was a minor injury. 
This financial year our Level Crossing Strategy focus 
team developed the ARTC Level Crossing Action Plan 
(2022–2024) providing a guidance framework to ensure 
we work consistently, smarter, and collaboratively 
to better manage our safety risks at level crossings.
COVID-19 RESPONSE 
COVID-19 has posed many challenges across 
the world. Not only have there been health, safety, 
and well‑being‑related challenges, but also logistical 
challenges for transporting freight and goods. 
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both worker 
and product shortages, driven changes in demands and 
supplies, and created negative health impacts to people. 
However, the freight network proved resilient throughout 
these impacts, with limited disruptions. 
Initiatives that have been taken as part of the COVID-19 
response include:
	
– Creation of an information hub for our staff, as well as 
regular updates and support of our people
	
– Activated business continuity plans and other 
arrangements to support and isolate our critical business 
functions, such as our Network Control Centres
	
– Flexible working from home arrangements for 
a large sector of our staff
	
– Limiting all non-essential and domestic travel and 
delivering as much work where possible with locally 
based employees and contractors (rather than intra 
or interstate workers)
	
– Working with our contractor partners and suppliers 
to ensure appropriate standards are in place for 
workers and de-scoping non-essential project works
	
– We continue to adapt our management response 
to reflect the risk profile and consideration 
of government and health authority advice
As part of our ongoing efforts to protect our people 
and communities, we encourage our employees to be 
double vaccinated and have implemented rapid antigen 
testing regimes.
Key focus actions areas include:
Elimination
	
– Grade separate public crossings
	
– Close or consolidated public, private and service level crossings
Engineering
	
– Implement level crossing risk mitigation strategies
	
– Develop and apply consistent level crossing standards
	
– Support technology enhancements, innovation, and R&D
Education
	
– Develop campaigns by using data to target safe road behaviour and identify high exposure/risk locations
Enforcement
	
– Support existing law enforcement activities
	
– Improve road user compliance with level crossing controls
	
– Share incident data and trends
Other key initiatives in 2021–22 include the completion of a road camera pilot program in regional NSW to monitor 
how motorists respond to stop signs at level crossings. The results revealed more than half of motorists ignore stop 
signs – data from this trial will be used to progress ongoing safety efforts with government and other stakeholders 
to help increase awareness and address safety risks. 
As part of our ongoing commitment to level crossing safety, ARTC continues to work with state governments 
across the country to complete upgrades and improvements via a risk-based assessment approach. 
As of the 6 June 2022, 90.9% 
of the ARTC workforce is double 
vaccinated against COVID-19.
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41

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
ARTC is committed to supporting the mental health and 
well-being of our employees and the community through 
the implementation of programs to support employees 
and communities and provide a safe and supportive 
workplace. We want all our people to actively care for 
themselves through healthy lifestyles and behaviours, 
so we have procured several partnerships to help 
employees make healthy choices inside and outside work. 
Over the last two years more than 300 employees 
have completed mental health training under programs 
such as the Mental Health First Aid certificate and 
Building Personal Resilience Program. 
Periods of high stress and personal or work-related 
issues can impact a person’s health, mental and 
emotional wellbeing, and ability to focus fully and work 
effectively. We have implemented a range of mental 
health and wellbeing initiatives and programs for 
employees and contractors, including: 
Free counselling and support service available 
to employees and their families for issues that 
may disrupt wellbeing and work effectiveness. 
The service is available 24 hours a day, all year round 
and can be utilised for personal and work-related 
issues. The service is strictly confidential.
Raising awareness of mental health through 
participation in industry-wide initiatives such as 
mental health first aid training courses, Mental Health 
Awareness Month, Rail R U OK Day, and R U OK Day.
Roll-out of the Building Personal Resilience Program 
to provide a framework and tools to build resilience, 
both in the moment and the longer term.
Employee Fitness Passport which provides access 
to a wide variety of gyms, pools, and fitness outlets 
for our people at discounted rates.
ARTC supports community initiatives and organisations that can positively impact the mental health and well‑being 
of the communities in which we operate. The mental health and well-being initiatives that were undertaken for 
the community include: 
Lifeline partnership
ARTC has partnered with Lifeline over the last two 
years to help provide face-to-face counselling services 
in the Hunter Valley in response to community need 
(see page 58 for more details).
MATES in Construction partnership
In October 2021, through Inland Rail we announced 
this partnership, to ensure there is a dedicated 
focus on suicide prevention and early intervention 
in the project’s construction workforce.
TrackSAFE Foundation
ARTC is a corporate supporter of the TrackSAFE 
Foundation – a charity focussed on harm prevention 
through rail safety campaigns, level crossing safety, 
school education, suicide prevention and trauma 
management frameworks for rail workers and 
train operators.
Primary Health Networks (PHNs)
Through Inland Rail, ARTC partnered with six PHNs 
along the Inland Rail alignment to promote local, 
independent mental health services that are accessible 
to stakeholders at no cost, ensure local mental health 
services and GPs are aware of Inland Rail’s progress 
in local areas and provide resources to services to 
mitigate any increased demand caused by Inland Rail.
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43

CLIMATE RESILIENT NETWORK
ARTC is a provider of critical national infrastructure 
and we understand the importance of a reliable 
freight network for train operators, customers, 
producers, and other businesses across Australia. 
Our network operates as part of an interdependent 
and complex supply chain.
ARTC is committed to providing a safe and reliable 
network, however, disruptions outside of ARTC’s control 
pose risks to the network. Increasing frequency and 
severity of severe weather events and changes in 
temperature and precipitation can affect ARTC’s network 
and impact the safety of employees, communities, 
and customers from unsafe driving conditions, 
derailments, collisions, and damage to infrastructure. 
In 2021–22 the ARTC network was impacted by three 
significant flood events – widespread flooding impacting 
the Queensland and New South Wales network in 
November 2021 and March 2022 and the 1 in 300 rain 
event and flooding that impacted the network between 
Port Augusta and Tarcoola, resulting in significant supply 
impacts in Perth and Darwin.
ARTC has developed a Network Resilience Strategy 
to define our approach and ensure resilience is 
maximised across the network with consideration of 
options that either improve reliability, build resiliency, 
increase resistance or prepare for recovery.
The objective of network resilience is to minimise 
the impacts of delayed events and ensure our 
infrastructure can continue to provide essential services 
by withstanding, adapting, and recovering positively 
from whatever shocks and stresses have developed.
ARTC identifies four Resilience Principles for our network, these are:
RESILIENCE
Redundancy
Space capacity or 
diversion routes
Resistance
Physical robustness
Reliability
Ability to operate 
under a variety 
of conditions
Recovery
Respond and 
recover from 
disruptions
Over the years, ARTC has undertaken significant ongoing work to understand and model flooding risks to different 
sections of the network and implement remedial actions. More recently, following the recent flooding near Tarcoola, 
we are developing new flood models to understand our risk – and account for an increased range of rainfall events 
across the whole corridor. This financial year, on the Telarah to Acacia Ridge and Sydney to Albury corridors, we are 
undertaking climate risk and opportunity assessments to understand:
	
– Climate projections under various scenarios 
and timelines
	
– Assets most vulnerable to these changes 
and their condition
	
– The operation and maintenance protocols that 
need to be strengthened
	
– Increases in design standards are required to 
reduce vulnerability and enhance resiliency
	
– The priority areas for investing in and implementing 
resiliency measures across the network.
Updates from this important work will be included in the next ESG report and as part of our TCFD disclosures.
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45

8.	
SKILLED AND 
DIVERSE 
WORKFORCE
OBJECTIVE 
We aim to attract, retain and support 
all our people, from diverse backgrounds, 
to reach their full potential by investing 
in their future. Furthermore, we aim to 
ensure our workforce has the skills to 
innovate and collaborate. We deliver 
this through our policies and employee 
programs including mentoring and skills 
development, and diversity, equity, 
and inclusion services. 
We are working to forge stronger 
connections with First Nations peoples 
and create meaningful opportunities 
for First Australians, communities, 
and businesses. We are committed to 
embedding strong cultural awareness 
across ARTC. Our Code of Conduct 
and company values define our 
expectations of employee behaviour. 
ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT 
ARTC recognises the important role inclusion and 
diversity in the workplace plays in attracting and 
retaining the best talent. Inclusion and diversity 
ensure we have a variety of perspectives that can 
lead to increased innovation, better problem-solving, 
and higher engagement of our colleagues. We have a 
range of incentives and programs to attract and retain 
employees such as employee development programs, 
employee bonus schemes, employee assistance programs, 
flexible working arrangements, fitness passports, 
and leave including parental, domestic violence, 
sick and carer leave. We also provide traineeships 
to attract people to the rail industry. 
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY 
ARTC is focusing on initiatives that automate and 
systemise workflows and processes, support effective 
remote working, and provide seamless management 
of information and data. Further details on how we are 
using innovation to drive safety improvements is on 
pages 38–39 and drive customer growth on pages 78–79.
CONNECTING WITH 
FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES
We strive to be an employer of choice for First Nation 
peoples, offering an inclusive workplace and attractive 
regional and inner-city job opportunities. We have a goal 
of lifting our current representation of 3.1% Aboriginal 
and Torres Strait Islander people in our workforce, 
to 4% by the end of June 2024. We are also strongly 
committed to increasing the representation of First 
Nations peoples within our company leadership.
ACHIEVEMENTS 
In 2022, ARTC conducted an engagement survey, 
which had a 63% employee engagement score. 
ARTC continues to pursue greater diversity and gender 
balance in the workplace. Our employee breakdown in 
2021–22 included:
	
– 28.0% female employees – down from 30%
	
– 26.1% female leadership – up from 25%
	
– 3.1% First Nations employees – up from 2.8%.
In 2021–22, 43 employees completed formal leadership 
training in Certificate IV or Diploma of Leadership 
and management.
We also launched a new human resource information 
system called People Platform to better manage HR data.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Key initiatives for 2022–23 and 2023–24 include:
	
– Refresh diversity and inclusion initiatives, 
including establishing a network of champions
	
– Implement Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 
and develop and prepare Innovate RAP
	
– Deliver future staff reward and employment structures 
that strengthen culture and performance
	
– Develop and implement new professional development 
training and programs
	
– Continued implementation of our Digital Strategy
	
– Identify and prioritise opportunities to 
improve organisational productivity through 
technology platforms.
HOW WE MANAGE OUR 
MATERIAL ISSUES
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, 
AND INCLUSION 
Diversity allows us to broaden our talent pool to foster 
greater innovation and creativity, develop stronger 
problem-solving skills through different ways of thinking, 
and increase morale, motivation, and engagement. Our 
Diversity and Inclusion Policy supports our strategic 
objectives. Each year ARTC provides the Workplace 
Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) information about 
ARTC to complete the compliance reporting required 
under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, which is 
then published. We know having a diverse and inclusive 
work environment goes beyond gender and local 
representation. 
MATERIAL ISSUES
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Supporting equality 
of opportunity, engagement, and well-being for all 
our people.
Attract and retain new talent: Attract new talent to 
ARTC. Develop the skills and capabilities of our people 
and make ARTC a great place to work.
Innovation and technology: Utilising emerging 
technologies and digital solutions to improve 
organisational productivity, drive customer growth, safety 
improvements, and increase long-term business resilience. 
Connecting with First Nations peoples: 
Focussing on reconciliation, positive engagement, 
and economic opportunity.
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION 
ARTC recognises that a talented and diverse 
workforce is fundamental to building a competitive 
and customer‑focused organisation that will give rail 
a competitive advantage.
We believe that our workforce should reflect the 
communities in which we operate. ARTC aims to 
support all employees and foster a work environment 
that promotes and recognises a diverse workforce. 
We aim to ensure a truly inclusive workplace where 
individual differences are embraced and where 
all employees have the opportunity to succeed. 
We see value in a diverse workforce and thus 
recognise equal opportunities for all employees. 
Our Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement was 
developed in 2015 to support our strategic objective of 
attracting, developing, and retaining high-performing 
employees who contribute to our long-term success 
and corporate values through a broader range 
of perspectives, experiences, and ideas.
Key diversity and inclusion focus areas for ARTC include:
Fostering and promoting an awareness and commitment to 
workplace diversity
Developing recruitment strategies that attract a diverse pool 
of qualified candidates
Increasing female and First Nations peoples’ participation in 
key employment categories
Enabling flexible work arrangements to support work and 
personal life balance
Establishing and assessing measurable objectives for 
achieving improved diversity
Age of ARTC employees. Less tha
n 30 years old: 12.30%. 
30-50 years old: 59.70%. More t
han
 50 years old: 28.30%.
ARTC has 2,037 employees and 179 contractors, 
we have 28.0% female representation in our workforce. 
Of the 53 senior leadership positions, 15 are female, 
which represents 2.6% of the total workforce. 
The majority of our employees are aged between 
30 and 50 years old. 
In 2020–21, ARTC implemented an organisational‑wide 
gender pay gap analysis to ensure we proactively 
address this issue. When comparing the same or similar 
roles, no material discrimination or cognitive bias was 
identified in ARTC’s pay practices. This financial year 
Inland Rail implemented a cognitive bias training program 
for employees.
ARTC is also participating in the Australasian Railway 
Association’s Women in Rail Mentoring Program, which 
encourages greater participation and advancement of 
women in rail to support the industry’s long-term success. 
The program is a six-month mentoring program designed 
to support, guide, and help retain women working in rail.
In 2021-22 ARTC’s workforce included 3.1% or 62 First 
Nation people. Refer to page 60 for more information on 
how we are building relationships with First Nation people 
through out Reconciliation Action Plan. 
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49

ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT 
ARTC’s People and Culture Strategy allows us to invest in the frameworks, systems, and initiatives that better support 
our people to deliver business goals and attract, develop, reward, and retain employees. In 2020–21, ARTC had 
an employee turnover rate of 13.0% which increased to 19.1% in 2021–22. This increase in turnover is reflective of 
significant increase in investment and infrastructure projects across the nation (in-particular the rail sector), coupled 
with the current external environment of inflation and wages growth.  The markets in which ARTC competes for talent 
is becoming highly competitive indicating specific skills shortage, especially in relation to project engineering and 
related capabilities.
Having a diverse workforce means we can attract and retain the best talent by actively addressing the barriers many 
in our society face. ARTC provides a variety of incentives and programs to attract and retain employees, including:
EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES AND PROGRAMS
Employee Development 
Programs
Employee Bonus 
Scheme
Employee Assistance 
Program
Flexible Work 
Arrangements
Parental Leave
Domestic Violence Leave
Sick and Carers Leave
Fitness Passport
Employee location. Capital cit
y location: 69.30%. Regiona
l locati
ons: 30.70%.
Our people are located nationally with over 30% of 
employees based in regional areas outside of capital cities. 
We are committed to the success of our employees 
and embody this through active engagement. 
We aim to foster a positive workplace culture where 
we take initiative and pay attention to employees’ 
views. We seek to listen to our employees’ perspectives 
through our annual employee survey, and we benchmark 
our results against our peers. 
The 2022 Employee Engagement Survey had 
63% employee engagement, which met the 
designated Key Performance Indicator (KPI), and 
63% female engagement, which was above the KPI. 
The survey showed that 71% of employees agree or 
strongly agree that ‘my leader takes personal action 
to improve safety and environmental performance, 
showing enthusiasm, decisiveness and support’. 
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SKILLS AND CAPABILITY
Cultivating a workforce of skilled employees is critical 
to ARTC’s sustainable growth and success. 
At ARTC, we believe that building skills, leadership 
capability, and technical competencies should be 
an opportunity that every employee can access. 
In 2021–22, to build change leadership skills we 
leveraged the expertise of external consultants and 
our Capability Team to deliver Change Leadership 
Programs to support the impacts of change on 
team members and enhance skills in coaching and 
business partnering. We also delivered Targeted 
Leadership Programs designed and delivered 
based on a 360-degree capability assessment 
and focused on enhancing people leadership skills. 
ARTC is committed to supporting our people to meet 
their full potential in their current roles as well as 
preparing them for career growth – attracting the right 
people, but also developing the skills of current staff, are 
fundamental aspects for the success of our business. 
ARTC recognises the important contribution that every 
individual in its team makes towards achieving our 
goals. In 2021–22, ARTC supported skills and capability 
development through:
1
Continuing to develop and implement 
individual employee development plans 
over a defined period. Employees and 
managers discuss their performance 
objectives and agree what development 
will assist them to achieve individual 
and corporate goals.
2
Providing traineeships to attract 
new employees into the rail industry. 
Traineeships provide you with on 
and off‑the-job training to enhance 
skills and knowledge to support your 
future career in rail.
3
Supporting the ongoing development of 
our employees are our Certificate IV and 
Diploma in Leadership and Management 
Programs. In 2021–22, we had 
43 employees complete the program.
Our commitment to future thinking is embedded in our 
corporate values. It informs how we innovate, operate 
dynamically, and approach challenges and barriers. 
ARTC’s Digital Strategy defines our technology priorities 
and in 2021–22 our primary focus was on delivering 
enabling technologies to progressively improve our 
digital maturity as an organisation.
The fast-tracked roll-out of Microsoft Teams coupled 
with existing infrastructure and capabilities enabled 
a rapid roll‑out of remote working during the COVID-19 
pandemic. This ensured ARTC’s business continuity 
throughout the pandemic, with as much as 40% of our 
workforce working from home during the pandemic. 
Our Digital Strategy will continue to help us make smarter 
investments to meet the day-to-day needs of our people 
in line with the overarching goals of the company.
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SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS
The communities in which we operate are our valued 
stakeholder and ARTC is committed to building positive 
relationships. We actively engage with communities 
along our alignment, responding to feedback, ensuring 
that community matters are addressed appropriately, 
and that negative impacts are minimised. Our network 
is primarily located in regional areas and we aim to 
support regional economic development outcomes 
through our major construction projects such as Inland 
Rail and community sponsorship and donation programs.
BUSINESS ETHICS
As a Government Business Enterprise, ARTC strives 
to embrace the highest standards of governance. 
ARTC’s system of corporate governance reflects 
the ASX Corporate Governance Principles and 
Recommendations. We have policies, procedures, 
and practices that relate to the management of 
environmental, social, and governance aspects of 
the company. Refer to Governance in section 3 
for more information.
ACHIEVEMENTS 
In 2021–22 ARTC were proud to publish our first 
Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan. We also appointed 
a First Nations Strategy and Engagement Specialist 
to drive implementation of the RAP.
Other achievements this financial year include:
	
– We invested $672,000 in around 115 community 
organisations through our community sponsorship 
and donations programs 
	
– The second Modern Slavery Statement was published, 
and associated activities implemented 
	
– Inland Rail community investment and local and 
First Nations workforce and industry participation 
outcomes continues to generate a positive legacy 
in the communities in which we operate. 
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Key initiatives in 2022–23 and 2023–24 include:
	
– Implement Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 
and develop Innovate RAP with the aim of 
developing new ways for local and First Nations 
communities to access economic opportunities 
and community benefits throughout our value chain 
and across our network
	
– Continue to implement activities under 
the Modern Slavery Statement 
	
– New corporate Sustainable Procurement Policy 
and associated activities
	
– Stakeholder input to ESG materiality assessment 
and review of the strategic approach
	
– Engage key stakeholders and participate in 
industry collaborations in relation to ESG.
9.	
SOCIAL 
RESPONSIBILITY
OBJECTIVE 
Social responsibility is at the heart of our 
business. Our objective is to meaningfully 
engage with our key stakeholders, 
including local communities and 
First Nations peoples, to better collaborate 
and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. 
We are also committed to maintaining 
an ethical organisational culture and 
governance practices that reflect national 
best practices. A key component of this is 
transparent reporting on our performance 
through both our Annual and ESG reports. 
HOW WE MANAGE OUR 
MATERIAL ISSUES
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 
Understanding our stakeholders’ priorities is important to 
us and we regularly undertake engagement activities and 
survey research to determine how we can continue to 
improve communication and achieve mutually beneficial 
outcomes. You can view our approach to stakeholder 
engagement on pages 28–29. 
CONNECTING WITH 
FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES 
We strive to build and maintain strong relationships with 
First Nations communities that are mutually beneficial 
and support meaningful and long-term opportunities for 
First Nations peoples, including within our supply chain. 
Through the construction of Inland Rail, we continue to 
engage with First Nations peoples along our alignment in 
the spirit of advancing reconciliation, preserving cultural 
heritage, and identifying partnership opportunities.
MATERIAL ISSUES
Stakeholder engagement: Engaging with our regulators, 
all levels of government, customers, supply chain 
partners, and the broader industry.
Connecting with First Nations peoples: 
Focussing on reconciliation, positive engagement, 
and economic opportunity.
Social and economic impacts: Creating social 
and economic benefits for the local communities 
in which we operate, while ensuring negative impacts, 
such as noise and safety risks, are minimised. 
Business ethics: Maintaining an ethical culture 
and transparent reporting, supported by programs, 
procedures, and governance that reflect national 
best practice.
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MANAGING COMMUNITY IMPACTS 
We value the communities in which we operate as 
important stakeholders. Developing mutually beneficial 
relationships with local communities based on trust and 
goodwill is a core priority. ARTC is committed to listening 
and responding to feedback provided by communities 
and building relationships through open and transparent 
communication and engagement. 
We are committed to pursuing best practice community 
outcomes through alignment with standards set by the 
International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) 
of which we have been a member since 2017. We are 
proud to state that 100% of all community matters 
received are addressed by our dedicated community 
relations and stakeholder engagement professionals.
We developed our first Environment and Community 
Strategy in 2020–21 to recognise the strong 
link between environmental management and 
community engagement. In 2022, we received 
1538 communications from the community on 
matters relating to our operational network. Of these, 
228 related to operational railway noise. 
All community communications are received via our 
dedicated 24-hour hotline (1300 550 402) or email 
(enviroline@artc.com.au) and managed by our 
Community Relations Team. Key issues we addressed 
in 2021–22 related to vegetation management, noise, 
fencing, and rail maintenance work: 
Vegetation Management
The visual condition of the local environment is an important concern for local communities. ARTC has 
a dedicated maintenance program clearing vegetation, weeds, and feral animals from rail land. Before fire season, 
additional targeted clearance of vegetation is undertaken to ensure the rail corridor remains safe from fire. 
Noise
People living close to railway lines can experience varying levels of noise from rail activity. While noise is 
unavoidable, our goal is to reduce and manage sources of noise through management measures, such as 
working with our train operators and customers to decrease noise, scheduling maintenance activities, 
or working with regulators to address community needs on a wider basis. 
Fencing
While fencing laws vary by state, ARTC’s focus remains to ensure the safe separation of farmland and livestock 
and to work with neighbours to ensure residents and stock are kept safely away from rail lines. 
Rail Maintenance Work 
ARTC ensures that residents, community groups, and local governments are kept informed of important 
activities in our community, such as maintenance or urgent work. This allows the community to be involved 
in our decision‑making and prioritise works and impacts that matter at a local level.
On Inland Rail, ARTC managed a total of 5,326 community 
matters in 2021–22 relating to matters such as property 
access, property acquisition, flooding/drainage, 
and project design. 
ARTC is committed to engaging with landowners, 
residents and other community stakeholders respectfully, 
sensitively and fairly, incorporating more local knowledge 
and building trust.
The final report of the Senate Inquiry into the 
Management of the Inland Rail project by ARTC and 
the Commonwealth Government was tabled in parliament 
in December 2021. Senate hearings are an important 
part of our political process that provides a voice to 
the community and provides an opportunity to hear 
different perspectives about Inland Rail but also share 
the history, thinking, and detail that has gone into 
developing Inland Rail and consider why it is so crucial 
for this country’s future.
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SUPPORTING SOCIAL AND 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The ARTC network is primarily located in regional areas 
and at least 85% of our $7 billion capital investment in 
the network to date has been outside the capital cities. 
A large proportion of goods transported on our network 
are produced in regional areas – such as grain, minerals, 
and steel – directly and indirectly supporting regional jobs. 
New or upgraded freight rail track helps to generate 
construction jobs and procurement opportunities while 
also attracting significant investment in complementary 
transport and logistics infrastructure. Through the 
delivery of the Inland Rail program, we are building a new 
‘corridor of commerce’, enabling regional communities 
to embrace the immediate and long-term economic 
opportunities created by freight rail. To date, the 
public and private sectors have invested significantly 
in the planning and construction of intermodal hubs 
along the Inland Rail alignment, including in Parkes, 
Narrabri, the Riverina, and Toowoomba.
ARTC contributes to community programs and initiatives 
our employees care about and areas where we are 
well placed to have a positive impact. In 2021–22, 
ARTC supported around 115 community organisations 
totalling almost $620,000 in value. This included 
just under $280,000 invested in 84 local community 
organisations through our Inland Rail sponsorship 
and donations program. 
Over the last two years through our Hunter Valley 
network, ARTC has invested $460,000 in a partnership 
with Lifeline enabling more people to benefit from 
Lifeline’s local, face-to-face counselling service in 
the Hunter Valley region. This partnership is an effective 
and tangible way to support the local community in their 
time of need, recognising additional stressors such as 
the COVID-19 pandemic.
REGIONAL JOBS AND 
SKILLS PATHWAYS
ARTC is committed to supporting meaningful economic 
development and employment outcomes for local and 
First Nations communities. As at 2021–22, in collaboration 
with our private sector delivery partners for the Parkes 
to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star (Phase 1) 
segments of Inland Rail, ARTC has: 
	
– Supported 1,298 local construction-related jobs 
of which 325 are local and First Nations workers
	
– Invested $251.2 million in construction spending 
in local businesses including $3.2 million in local 
First Nations businesses 
	
– Invested $24.15 million in First Nations businesses 
Australia wide.
The Inland Rail Skills Academy supports our job 
creation strategy by offering programs for residents 
and businesses to build capabilities aligned to the skills 
Australia needs to not only support the delivery of Inland 
Rail but broader construction and infrastructure projects. 
ETHICAL SUPPLY
We strongly believe that all people around the world have 
the right to live free from exploitation. We are committed 
to doing our part to ensure that slavery in any form 
does not occur within our supply chain. 
We published our first Modern Slavery Statement in 
2020 outlining our approach to preventing modern 
slavery in our supply chain and continued to build 
on these foundations. In 2021 we assessed our 
Tier 1 supply chain and identified that 99.7% of the 
suppliers we contact are directly located in Australia, 
and over 90% of goods and services are sourced or 
manufactured in Australia. We also began assessing 
Tier 2 supply chain which captures the suppliers that 
our Tier 1 suppliers contract with. 
Key activities implemented in 2021–22 include:
	
– Continuing to implement the 2021 Modern 
Slavery Statement 
	
– Requiring all new vendors to complete 
a compulsory modern slavery questionnaire
	
– Making modern slavery training available 
to all employees as part of induction
	
– Participated in an industry information session 
relating to modern slavery issues. 
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CONNECTING WITH 
FIRST NATIONS 
COMMUNITIES 
ARTC strives to build and maintain strong relationships 
with First Nations communities that are mutually 
beneficial, and support meaningful, long-term 
opportunities while enhancing ARTC’s operations, 
workforce, and reputation. 
We continue to engage with First Nations peoples 
along our alignment in the spirit of advancing 
reconciliation, preserving cultural heritage, 
and identifying partnership opportunities. 
Our Hunter Valley Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 
Action Group supports local economic and procurement 
opportunities for First Nations peoples. 
In early 2021, the Group facilitated the Quirindi Mural 
Project – five new murals created by the Quirindi 
community on the new Jacob and Joseph Creek Bridge. 
The murals were an opportunity to work with the 
community and give a new identity to the bridge which 
ARTC recently replaced. ARTC engaged the art group 
UP&UP to work with a local Kamilaroi artist. 
Engaging local communities to share culture is an 
important step in building trust and this year the 
Port Waratah Provisioning Centre received artwork 
on a surfboard from proud Worimi Elder Debbie, 
of her grandmother’s totem – a turtle. 
In addition to the important construction job and 
supply outcomes on Inland Rail outlined on page 58, 
cultural tours have been an invaluable opportunity for 
Traditional Owners and Elders to share their knowledge 
and for our teams to connect with culture. 
In 2021–22 Inland Rail through the Skills Academy 
program commenced a new partnership with Clontarf 
Foundation supporting over 1000 young Aboriginal 
and Torres Strait Islander men in 14 schools along 
the alignment over two years.
To support community engagement and outcomes 
across our Interstate Network we are recruiting 
a new Indigenous Engagement Advisor role.
REFLECT 
RECONCILIATION 
ACTION PLAN
In 2021, ARTC established our first Reconciliation Action 
Committee, a team of passionate people across the 
nation focused on developing our first Reconciliation 
Action Plan (RAP) and making a genuine difference 
to our company culture. 
The vision is to create a clear strategy to positively 
engage and impact First Nations peoples within our 
business and within the communities in which we operate. 
Our Reconciliation Action Committee has the full 
support of our Executive team and senior leadership. 
Our organisation knows we need to better understand 
the diversity of the First Nations communities in which 
we operate and identify opportunities to work together. 
ARTC launched our Reflect RAP in March 2022, 
which serves as the start of our pursuit of deeper 
knowledge and connections among our people and 
local communities. 
The Reflect RAP, endorsed by Reconciliation 
Australia and available on ARTC’s website, contains 
13 forward‑focused actions for delivery in 2022 and 2023 
focussed on four key objectives, Respect, Relationships, 
Governance, and Opportunities. 
In support of our RAP, ARTC on boarded our First Nations 
Strategy and Engagement Specialist – a new role 
within the company to provide leadership, guidance, 
and governance to enable ARTC to build a greater 
sense of belonging for all employees. 
We need to consider the support structures we have 
in place so that we can attract more First Nations 
employees and understand our role in closing the gap. 
Through this process, we will learn and grow as individuals 
and as a business, gaining a deeper understanding and 
appreciation of First Nations cultures and communities.
In 2021–22, 30% or 590 ARTC employees completed 
cultural awareness training to date with a target 
of 50% completion by end of the 2022–23.
Proud Gomeroi elder Aunty Elaine Edwards leading the Toomelah cultural appreciation tour 
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10.	 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
BENEFITS
OBJECTIVE 
ARTC is committed to undertaking 
our activities in a safe and environmentally 
responsible manner to achieve 
positive outcomes for our customers, 
stakeholders, community, and the 
environment. We acknowledge climate 
change science and support the 
Paris Agreement goals. Climate change 
is one of the most significant challenges 
the world faces, and we play an important 
role in the decarbonisation of our national 
transportation sector. We are committed 
to reducing our operational carbon 
footprint and investing in low‑carbon 
solutions to speed the transition to 
a lower-carbon economy. We are also 
committed to minimising the impact of 
construction and operational activities 
on the natural environment including 
the impact on flora and fauna and 
minimising the generation of waste. 
ACHIEVEMENTS
We are proud to achieve six years in a row of 
zero significant non-compliance events with 
environmental laws and regulations.
In 2020–21 we updated our Environment 
Policy and created a new set of Environment 
Principles for the business. We also launched our 
Environment and Community Strategy 2021–2023. 
These documents move ARTC beyond compliance 
and towards a contemporary vision for environmental 
management that defines standards that will influence 
our environmental culture and behaviour. 
This financial year we commenced development of 
a GHG emissions reduction plan and waste stream 
assessment project. We are also increasing our capacity 
in vegetation management and contaminated land 
management with the recruitment of two new roles 
on our Interstate Network.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Key initiatives in 2022–23 and 2023–24 include:
	
– GHG emissions reduction plan, with future 
consideration of Scope 3 emissions
	
– Waste reduction, recovery, and recycling, focussing 
initially on assessing and quantifying key waste 
streams and current waste data reporting systems
	
– Sustainable materials and circular economy principles 
for trial, demonstration, approvals and use of recycled 
and low embodied carbon material on the network 
	
– Biodiversity improvement and opportunities as 
part of our environmental management approach.
	
– Continue rollout and monitoring of ARTC’s 
Environment and Community Strategy and 
Environment Policy and Principles to raise 
environmental awareness and drive action 
	
– Hunter Valley Network Bronze certification under the 
NSW Government Sustainability Advantage Program
	
– Publish Heritage Management Policy.
DECARBONISATION
ARTC is a large player in coal transportation in Australia. 
We acknowledge that as part of the global energy 
transition and in accordance with the Paris Agreement 
and country commitments to net zero emissions 
by 2050 there will be a world-wide transition away from 
coal use. In collaboration with our key stakeholders 
in the Hunter Valley, we are exploring the impacts of 
a longer-term global transition away from coal including 
diversification scenarios and new economic futures 
for the region such as the potential to become a hub 
for green hydrogen (refer pages 14–15 for further details). 
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
We have implemented our Environmental Management 
System (EMS) for the evaluation, management, and 
reporting of environmental issues. The EMS supports 
our Environment Policy and Principles and has been 
developed with consideration of ISO14001. Due to 
our expansive network, we operate under five state 
government jurisdictions as well as the Commonwealth 
of Australia, therefore we must abide by all relevant 
legal requirements for environmental management. 
NETWORK RESILIENCE 
TO CLIMATE IMPACTS
ARTC is focussed on building more resilience and capacity 
to manage climate impacts through initiatives such as 
implementation of the Network Resilience Strategy, 
weather monitoring and hydrological and climate 
assessments. For more information refer to page 45.
MATERIAL ISSUES
Decarbonisation: Reducing our operational emissions 
and supporting the decarbonisation of Australian freight 
through the expansion of rail.
Environmental impacts: Minimising negative 
environmental impacts from ARTC’s activities.
Network resilience to climate impacts: 
Mitigating risks from more frequent and extreme weather 
events to increase network resilience and reliability.
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OUR APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENT
We are committed to minimising the potential impact 
of construction and operational activities on the natural 
environment, including soil and water, biodiversity, 
air, and the responsible stewardship of waste. 
Our Environmental Management System (EMS) guides 
our activities, and our performance is audited regularly 
and reported to management. We communicate with 
our stakeholders regularly about our environmental 
management activity. 


Environmental matters actively managed 
by ARTC include:
Noise and vibration
Air Quality
Biosecurity
Waste
Soil and water
Biodiversity
Heritage
In the Managing Community Impacts section 
(refer page 56) we outline our approach to 
managing environmental issues of ongoing importance 
to communities along our alignment including 
noise and vegetation management.
ARTC developed our first Environment and Community 
Strategy for financial years 2020–21 to 2022–23 
to strengthen our management of environment 
and community matters and identify actions that 
will be undertaken to ensure the environment is at 
the forefront of our projects. This is supported by 
our updated Environmental Policy and Principles.
The Strategic themes of this strategy are:
REDUCE ENVIRONMENT 
AND COMMUNITY RISK
We are focusing on leading and positioning 
our business to address emerging needs 
and move beyond compliance.
IMPROVE RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
We are positioning ourselves in our 
consumption of resources which can result 
in business improvements combined with 
environmental, economic, and social benefits.
PROTECT AND PROMOTE 
OUR REPUTATION
Ensure ARTC can continue to earn a positive 
and respected reputation which is founded on 
our contribution to social value and continual 
improvement to achieve more than compliance.
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ENVIRONMENTAL 
PERFORMANCE 
ARTC manages a significant area of land covering rail 
corridor and associated property across five states. 
ARTC’s portfolio of assets is diverse and includes listed 
heritage assets covering all aspects of Australia’s heritage 
such as cultural heritage, archaeology, movable heritage, 
the built environment, and natural and cultural landscapes. 
We are committed to recognising and protecting 
Australia’s railway heritage and building relationships 
with First Nations communities along our alignment 
to identify and protect Cultural Heritage. 
ARTC measures our environmental 
performance to identify 
trends and opportunities for 
improvement. In 2021–22, 
there were no significant 
(Level 1) non-compliance 
events with environmental laws 
and/or regulations, following 
a similar track record for 
the previous five years.
GREENHOUSE GAS 
EMISSIONS
ARTC reports operational greenhouse gas emissions 
(GHG) to the Australian Government under the National 
Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 1997 (NGER). 
Every year we collate data on direct and estimated 
Scope 1 and 2 emissions for: 
	
– Fuel consumption from general transport, generators, 
maintenance, and minor construction activities (Scope 1)
	
– Electricity usage from provisioning centres, offices, 
and other ARTC-operated facilities (Scope 2).
Our Scope 1 and 2 emissions profile over the last five 
years is shown in the figure. Increases from 2018–19 to 
2019–20 were due to increased project activity as part 
of Inland Rail and Major Construction Project associated 
facility and fleet usage. The emissions profile largely 
remained similar for 2020–21, taking into consideration 
lockdown restrictions associated with the COVID-19 
pandemic. In 2021–22 emissions increased by 4.2% 
largely due to the increase in electricity and general fuel 
usage associated with relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions.
In 2021–22 ARTC commenced the development of 
a GHG reduction plan, investigating actions to meet 
our 10% reduction target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions 
by the end of June 2024. 
The study will be completed in 2022 and will support 
ARTC with meeting our targets and also consider our 
approach to managing Scope 3 emissions, as well as 
potential to developing future reduction targets in line 
with global commitments. 
Construction of Inland Rail is a significant contributor 
to ARTC’s Scope 3 emissions profile. These emissions 
are generated by activities such as the operation of 
diesel‑powered plant and machinery and vegetation 
clearing. Construction-related emissions also includes 
installation of materials such as steel and concrete which 
have high embodied carbon. Other significant Scope 3 
emissions are diesel combustion by trains operating on 
our network and emissions associated with employee 
work from home, commuting and corporate travel.Scope 1: Direct sources. Scope 2: Indirect sources. Scope 3: Other indirect sources across ARTC's value chain.
ARTC Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
ARTC GHG Emissions Profile
A
RTC 
Scope
 1 an
d 2 G
HG em
issi
ons.
 Sco
pe 1
: 12
,235 t CO2-e in F
Y22; Scope 2: 9,6
79 t C
O2-e 
in FY2
2.
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WASTE DIVERSION AND REUSE 
The effective management of waste, generated by our 
maintenance, upgrade and construction activities, brings 
an opportunity to reduce costs to the business and 
minimise impacts on the environment and communities. 
ARTC has commenced work in assessing key waste 
streams, associated quantities, forecast generation, 
and its ability to accurately gather data on the various 
waste streams. The work is intended to help identify 
process improvements and assist in identifying waste 
diversion, reuse, and recycling opportunities aligned 
with circular economy principles.
This will build on the waste audit conducted by 
Interstate Network in 2019–20 which resulted in an 
increase in re-use and resource sale as well as activities 
being undertaken by Hunter Valley as part of the 
NSW Government Sustainability Advantage Program.
Waste generation and resource recovery from large 
construction sites and operational maintenance 
activities are managed through a collaborative 
approach with our contractors to achieve lower rates 
of disposal and higher rates of recycling and recovery. 
The Infrastructure Sustainability rating process also 
outlines waste diversion targets and is applied to 
Inland Rail and other major construction projects.
Working with the NSW Environmental Protection 
Agency, ARTC has established two Resource Recovery 
Exemptions that facilitate the re-use of waste soil and 
aggregate as well as waste timbers from the rail corridor. 
On the Inland Rail Parkes to Narromine project, 
ARTC achieved almost 98% beneficial re-use of 
the 200km length of steel rail track removed with the 
majority being used for applications on the Country 
Rail Network (NSW) and the remaining on sections of 
ARTC’s network. For un-usable rail track and associated 
trimmings, ARTC has pursued scrap steel sales.
TOWARDS A MORE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR MATERIALS
ARTC aims to minimise negative environmental impacts and create positive environmental outcomes. ARTC is ramping 
up our focus on gathering data and systemising the way we recycle on-site materials and considering applications 
of third-party recycled or sustainable materials as part of a wider circular economy. Examples of this include:
	
– Following a successful trial conducted with Duratrack 
and Monash University, ARTC has type approval 
for use of composite plastic sleepers in low-speed 
settings (sidings and yards)
	
– ARTC updated the relevant type approval and 
is progressively replacing petrochemical-based 
curve greases with biodegradable alternatives to 
reduce impacts to potentially sensitive receptors 
in the environment
	
– ARTC has previously applied re-purposed tyre 
waste to create a retaining wall on the ARTC 
network at Kooragang called eco-flex the product 
repurposes waste and meets relevant design 
and technical standards
	
– Composite plastic (FFU) sleepers have been used 
in bridge transoms across the network, this product 
is made from new plastic materials  and have an 
expected 50-year design life. ARTC are reviewing 
options for recycling, re-use and disposal to ensure 
an adequate understanding of product life cycle.
Progressively diverting over 
16,000t waste timbers on 
Inland Rail between Parkes 
and the NSW/QLD Border.
Trials in the Hunter Valley to 
beneficially re-use excavated 
spoil material back into rail 
infrastructure.
Investigate beneficial re-use of 
surplus spoil materials as fill for 
internal and external projects.
Diversion of 9,000t excavated 
material from Mt Murray Loop project 
for general fill on neighbouring 
approved developments.
Recent waste outcomes
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BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT 
ARTC is committed to minimising the impact of 
construction and operational activities on the natural 
environment and supporting wider environmental benefits 
in balance with safe and efficient operations. 
We recognise that construction and operation of 
linear infrastructure such as railways and roads have 
traditionally had negative impacts on biodiversity due to 
fragmenting landscapes, disrupting wildlife movements, 
mortality from vehicle interactions, and the introduction 
of weeds and pests. 
The extensive size of infrastructure corridors has 
also resulted in growing recognition of the unique 
opportunities provided to some groups of fauna, such as 
large areas of foraging resources for insects and birds, 
as well as roost sites for bats and nest sites for birds.
Due to the breadth of ARTC’s operations, our network 
traverses nine Conservation Management Zones, being:
	
– Arid Shrublands and Desert
	
– Eastern Australia Woodlands
	
– Eastern Australia Temperate and Subtropical forests
	
– South Australian Eucalypt Woodlands
	
– South Eastern Australia Mallee Woodlands
	
– South Eastern Australia Temperate Woodlands
	
– Brigalow Woodlands
	
– Naracoorte Woodlands
	
– South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests 
Woodlands and Grasslands
Some sections of the ARTC network are in landscapes 
that have significant biodiversity values. For example, 
in the north coast/border region of NSW, our railway is 
adjacent to and surrounded by the World Heritage-listed 
Gondwana Rainforest, which is listed as Border Ranges 
National Park.
MAINTAINING TRACK 
IN ENVIRONMENTALLY 
SENSITIVE LOCATIONS
To ensure effective management of lands of biodiversity 
value, sections of the network have a current ecological 
assessment, and locations have been risk mapped. 
Detailed management plans have been prepared 
for high‑risk vegetation communities and species, 
which ensure that maintenance activities apply 
appropriate avoidance and mitigation actions 
in these environmentally sensitive locations.
Mitigation management plans for Critically Endangered 
Ecological Communities (CEEC), such as between 
Muswellbrook and Turrawan in the Hunter Valley ensure 
that activity can be undertaken in a manner that 
prevents harm. 
BIODIVERSITY OFFSETS 
FROM CONSTRUCTION
As part of our Inland Rail project, ARTC secured 
2,068 biodiversity credits created on a property near 
Moree. These offset credits contribute to the offset 
liability for vegetation communities impacted by the 
construction of the Inland Rail Parkes to Narromine 
project. The 169-hectare offset package will provide 
greater protection for koala habitat and endangered 
ecological communities.
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11.	 
GROWING 
NEW MARKETS
OBJECTIVE 
Australia’s freight needs are changing. 
This is happening in response to expanding 
consumer demand for domestic goods 
across Australia, technological innovations 
in network safety, efficiency, and 
reliability, and the impacts of global energy 
transition policies which are resulting 
in the phase‑down of coal production. 
Our objective is to take a leadership role 
in advocating for policies and reforms 
that improve rail freight’s competitiveness 
in the national logistics and supply chain 
industry and supports us to continue to 
adapt to rapidly changing customer needs 
and the evolving ESG finance landscape.
ALLOCATION OF CAPITAL
We enable the investment of billions of dollars of 
capital in regional Australia via Inland Rail and major 
construction projects, the creation of regional 
jobs, and work with diverse Australian suppliers, 
including local, regional and First Nations businesses 
supporting regional economic development.
ACCESSING FINANCE
We are actively working to embed ESG into the 
core strategy of our company to meet the growing 
expectations of insurers and investors for robust 
approaches to ESG risk assessment, management, 
and governance. Integration of ESG into ARTC’s 
strategy will position ARTC to respond to the needs 
and opportunities presented by debt markets, which 
continue to evolve in response to ESG considerations 
including the proliferation of sustainability-linked 
loans and products. 
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
We are deploying new technologies that enable 
data‑driven insights to optimise operational performance, 
safety, and ongoing management. We are investing in 
world-class research innovation to ensure we continue 
to attract new customers by being the transit mode of 
choice in Australian freight logistics.
HOW WE MANAGE OUR 
MATERIAL ISSUES
MORE FREIGHT ON RAIL 
We actively advocate for policies at the local, state, and 
national levels that improve rail freight’s competitiveness. 
Our unique position as a Government Business Enterprise 
(GBE) means we are optimally positioned to work with 
private sector partners, regional producers, and all 
levels of government on finding ways to increase the 
percentage of freight being transported on rail in ways 
that are mutually beneficial for all stakeholders and allows 
us to expand new markets.
MATERIAL ISSUES
More freight on rail: Ensuring rail is the mode of choice 
in the national logistics chain.
Allocation of capital: Maximising the benefits from 
delivery of Inland Rail and major construction projects.
Accessing finance: Ensure we are well-positioned 
to access finance in a context where ESG and climate 
issues are influencing financiers’ decision-making,
Innovation and technology: Utilising emerging 
technologies and digital solutions to drive customer 
growth, safety improvements, and increase 
long‑term business resilience.
ACHIEVEMENTS
	
– Customer satisfaction score of 7.8/10, up from 
7.4/10 in 2020–21 
	
– Over 100km of new/upgraded Inland Rail 
track operational 
	
– Port Botany and Cabramatta Loop project 
environmental and planning approvals were received, 
and Design and Construction proponents appointed
	
– Advanced Train Management System implemented 
across 75km to date 
	
– ARTC Network Control Optimisation Project operational 
	
– Expansion of Wayside Rollingstock Condition 
Monitoring network coverage. 
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Key initiatives in 2022–23 and 2023–24 include:
	
– Define the future supply chain and the analysis of 
long-term diversification scenarios for Hunter Valley 
	
– Encourage new market entrants and grow our 
business including progress on Melbourne and 
Brisbane intermodal terminals 
	
– Sustainability minimum standards/targets for major 
construction projects 
	
– Continue industry policy and advocacy around our 
ESG ambitions for modal shift and leadership on 
matters relevant to industry and key stakeholders 
	
– Continued implementation of our Network of the 
Future vision including infrastructure and technology 
improvements targeted at future customers.
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ADVOCATING FOR MODAL SHIFT
ARTC’s unique position as a Government Business 
Enterprise (GBE) enables us to take a leadership role in 
policy and advocacy. We actively advocate for policies 
and reforms that improve rail freight’s competitiveness in 
the national logistics and supply chain industry and which 
support more freight on rail. 
Despite the well-proven and important benefits of 
rail, freight is still transported by heavy road vehicles 
even where a rail transport option is available. This is 
particularly the case for the Melbourne to Sydney corridor 
where rail freight’s mode share is less than 5%. ARTC 
continues to focus on an efficiency and productivity 
agenda and on policies that support a level playing field. 
We are champions of freight on rail and committed 
to promoting outcomes that drive improved 
competitiveness of rail by: 
	
– Improving the end-to-end service offering for customers 
	
– Raising recognition of the relative benefits of rail 
	
– Lowering the unit cost of rail
	
– Improving competition and lowering barriers to entry. 
Governments
Infrastructure Investment, Policy and Reform
Industry
ARTC’s unique position as a Government Business 
Enterprise enables us to advocate for infrastructure 
investment and policy reform that benefits the rail 
industry in Australia.
GROWING OUR CUSTOMER BASE
Australia’s freight volumes are projected to increase 
by nearly 60% over 20 years to 2040 with urban and 
domestic freight accounting for most of this growth 
(see Value for of Modal Shift to Rail on pages 10–12 
for more detail).
ARTC operates in a competitive freight transport market 
and we understand that our customers, businesses, 
and producers have choices when selecting and procuring 
logistic solutions. We need to ensure that rail remains 
the most efficient, reliable, and lower carbon mode of 
transport for heavy haul and long-distance freight.
Over the last two years, there has been a change in 
the volumes of commodities that have been transported 
on ARTC’s rail network. This is due to large grain 
crops generating additional demand for freight rail 
transportation in 2020–21 and 2021–22 after several 
years of drought, as well as improved iron ore prices. 
Additionally, a focus by our customers to diversify away 
from coal and grow alternative bulk opportunities has 
seen modal shift from sea to rail this financial year.
Future volume growth is anticipated to be driven by bulk 
agricultural products in the Hunter Valley and northwest 
of NSW, iron ore and other heavy minerals opportunities 
across regional areas, as well as industries in the north-
south corridor taking advantage of ARTC’s upgraded and 
expanded network between Melbourne and Brisbane as 
part of the Inland Rail program. 
Our customers are key stakeholders, and we are 
committed to supporting customer needs through 
advocating for freight on rail and optimising our network 
efficiency, reliability, and capacity. The operators 
that currently use our network are identified on our 
website here. 
To use our network, customers are required to 
comply with network access requirements and are 
approved to use the network through long term 
track access agreements. 
Every dollar invested in our network not only helps 
our business but the national supply chain network. 
Our network enables the nation’s businesses and 
producers to compete in the global marketplace. ARTC 
is investing in its vast interstate network to meet future 
demand for intermodal and bulk freight markets. 
2020–21
2021–22
% Growth in non-coal volumes compared to 2019–2020 baseline
6.3%
7.3%
% Accumulated growth capital invested in non-coal focussed 
infrastructure compared to 2019–2020 baseline
13.1%
31.5%
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GROWING NETWORK CAPACITY
INLAND RAIL
Our largest and most significant inter-capital project is 
Inland Rail. It comprises 13 projects across three states 
covering 1,700km.
This financial year Inland Rail had more than 607 active 
contracts and $1.85 billion in committed spend.
When completed, Inland Rail is expected to deliver 
significant benefits including reduced transit time 
and freight costs between Melbourne and Brisbane, 
improved access to markets, increased reliability and 
network resilience, and enhanced safety and sustainability. 
It is expected that rail freight will become highly 
competitive with road freight, rail mode share on 
this corridor will increase from 26% currently to 
over 60% by 2050.
Inland Rail will help meet the 14 million tonne freight 
task expected between Melbourne and Brisbane by 
2040 and is catalysing complementary developments 
along the corridor, including at Parkes and Narromine. 
Business cases are being developed for potential 
investments elsewhere along the route that will support 
agricultural producers, industries and local communities 
while boosting our competitiveness. 
ARTC is designing and constructing Inland Rail in line 
with industry best practices for sustainability. Inland Rail 
has developed a project-specific sustainability strategy 
outlining objectives and targets for how the program 
will drive change and leave a positive legacy. 
For more information visit www.inlandrail.artc.com.au.
MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
In 2021, we restructured our business to create 
a new Major Construction Projects business unit. 
This was developed to meet the significant growth 
in our non‑Inland Rail capital projects portfolio. 
Key major construction projects include the 
Cabramatta Loop Project and Botany Rail Duplication 
in New South Wales which support the projected increase 
in freight demand on the Southern Sydney Freight Line. 
The two projects have received environmental and 
planning approvals and the design and construction 
proponents have been appointed. 
Connecting to the ARTC network is the Moorebank 
Logistics Park (MLP), the largest intermodal precinct 
in Australia that will link Port Botany to rail terminals 
and warehousing on a 243ha site. Key businesses 
intending to lease at the facility include Woolworths 
which estimates that direct rail access to Port Botany 
will help remove at least 26,000 of its truck movements 
from NSW roads each year.
Major Construction Projects Division is currently drafting 
a Sustainability Manual for inclusion in the Program 
and Project Management Framework to outline what is 
expected of those involved at each stage of a program 
or project delivered by the Division. The Manual will set 
Sustainability Principles and Goals, define the procedures 
for sustainably planning and delivering major construction 
projects and ensure Major Projects can contribute 
to ARTC’s ESG strategy.
<24 hours
TRANSIT TIME
98%
RELIABILITY
$$
PRICE
FREIGHT 
AVAILABILITY
Move freight from 
Melbourne to Brisbane 
in less than 24 hours.
Deliver 98% reliability 
for freight customers.
Deliver competitive 
pricing for freight 
customers.
Achieve a schedule for 
freight at times that 
suit customers.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 
AND CONSTRUCTION 
ARTC has been a member of the Infrastructure 
Sustainability Council (IS Council) since 2016. 
The IS Council administers the Infrastructure 
Sustainability (IS) rating scheme which provides 
a comprehensive system for evaluating sustainability 
across design, construction, and operation phases, 
and creates a common language around sustainability 
as well as a formal framework for its application.
Achieving an IS rating is a mandated requirement 
for state significant critical infrastructure projects in 
New South Wales and is mandated for projects greater 
than $100 million in value in Queensland and Victoria. 
ARTC has committed to achieving an ‘Excellent’ level 
IS rating for the design and construction of Inland Rail 
in collaboration with our private sector partners. 
We also recently registered our Major Construction 
Projects – Cabramatta Loop Project and Botany 
Rail Duplication for IS ratings. 
In 2020–21, the first ARTC project to be rated – Inland 
Rail Narrabri to North Star (phase 1) section – achieved 
an ‘excellent’ design rating and in 2021–22 the Parkes to 
Narromine project received an ‘excellent’ as-built rating. 
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NETWORK INNOVATION AND DIGITISATION
Technology and innovation are at the heart of how ARTC 
is transforming our business. With a comprehensive vision 
to create the ‘Network of the Future’, we are accelerating 
our transformation into a digital network. The Network 
of the Future is resilient, responsive and digitally enabled.
As innovation in the freight and logistics sector increasingly 
offers avenues for technological disruption through 
application of sensors, geographic information systems 
(GIS), automation of data and predictive platforms, 
we are preparing our business to meet the challenge 
and harness the opportunities of digital solutions. 
Our strategic technology investments support ARTC’s 
new direction of moving from a traditional ‘time and 
tonnes’ to a ‘risk and condition’ approach. Through our 
Asset Management Improvement Program, we continue 
to benchmark and improve our performance against the 
ISO 55001 best practice standards and the Global Forum 
on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM). 
In 2020–21, a Network Rail Independent Audit noted 
that ARTC’s use of asset management technology, 
particularly in managing defects, was world leading. 
Asset management technologies and digital datasets 
we deploy on our network include:
	
– Track conditioning monitoring train ‘AK Car’ provides 
automated quarterly reports on the performance 
of track quality
	
– VTI sensor systems on board rolling stock measure 
the dynamic response of a rail vehicle to the track
	
– Wayside monitoring sensors enable track and rolling 
stock owners to identify wear and manage condition 
based on lead indicators
	
– Spatial inventory of 9,000km of the network using 
Mobile Laser Scanning and visualisation diagnostics
	
– eTAP app provides location assurance, 
improving safety control for Track Workers.
Key to our vision is the deployment and embedding of our Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) and ARTC 
Network Control Optimisation (ANCO) initiatives. These new technologies enable an array of capabilities that harness 
the power of data-driven insights to optimise operational performance, safety, and asset management. 
Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) 
is a communications-based safe working system 
that will allow much of the lineside signalling 
infrastructure to be removed. It provides the 
control, location accuracy, and intervention ability 
to allow trains to safely operate at closer headways 
than is possible today. 
ATMS will provide significantly upgraded 
capabilities to the ARTC network. It will 
support ARTC’s objectives of improving 
rail network capacity, operational flexibility, 
train service availability, transit times, rail safety, 
and system reliability. 
In 2020–21 ATMS was trialled and installed 
between Port Augusta and Whyalla covering 75km 
of the Interstate network. The next stage of ATMS 
roll-out will be 1,200km between Port Augusta 
and Kalgoorlie over the next few years.
The ARTC Network Control Optimisation 
(ANCO) project optimises ARTC’s network control 
in the Hunter Valley through the enhanced dynamic 
capability to manage variation and streamline 
network‑wide train management.
Locally based train control professionals make 
thousands of decisions every day to safely 
transport the daily movement of more than 
215 coal, freight, grain and passenger trains.
ANCO considers multiple factors including train 
schedules, traffic control systems and train 
movements relative to each other and develops 
an optimised traffic plan for the trains throughout 
the network improving safety and efficiency 
for customers. In 2020–21, ANCO became fully 
operational across our Hunter Valley network.
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NETWORK OF THE FUTURE
Pathway to 
Automation
Digitising 
Customer 
Experience
Embracing 
Technology 
to Manage Assets

In May 2022, ARTC became a signatory 
to the United Nations (UN) Global 
Compact and committed to aligning 
our strategies and operations with 
the ten principles of human rights, 
labour, environment, and anti-corruption. 
ARTC’s commitment supports our 
increasing focus on ESG within 
our company and our ESG ambition 
of a modal shift to rail for a sustainable 
future supported by priority actions 
and targets. 
The Ten Principles of the UN Global 
Compact are derived from the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights, the 
International Labour Organization’s 
Declaration on Fundamental Principles 
and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration 
on Environment and Development, 
and the United Nations Convention 
Against Corruption.
12.	
UN GLOBAL 
COMPACT
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES INITIAL ASSESSMENT
This table represents our initial assessment of the UN Global Compact Ten Principles and we will commence 
our annual Communication of Progress in 2022–2023.
Human Rights
	
– Businesses should support and respect 
the protection of internationally 
proclaimed human rights
	
– Businesses should ensure that they are 
not complicit in human rights abuses
ARTC has developed a Diversity and Inclusion Policy, 
a Reconciliation Action Plan, and an annual Modern Slavery 
Statement that addresses risks associated with human rights. 
No significant human rights-related issues were identified 
in this reporting period.
Labour
	
– Businesses should uphold the 
freedom of association and 
the effective recognition of the 
right to collective bargaining
	
– Businesses should uphold 
the elimination of forced or 
compulsory labour
	
– Businesses should uphold the 
effective abolition of child labour
	
– Businesses should uphold the 
elimination of discrimination in respect 
of employment and occupation
The diverse nature of our business means we have a mix of 
collective and individually regulated employment arrangements. 
Whatever the nature of those arrangements, we recognise 
the right of our employees to freely associate and join trade 
unions. ARTC consults with its employee’s unions as required 
and recognises and supports the rights of trade unions to enter 
the workplace to hold discussions and investigate alleged breaches 
as per Fair Work Act 2009. 
We are not aware of any ARTC business activities which 
are at risk from forced/compulsory labour and child labour 
issues. Assessments of our supply chain labour risks are 
undertaken through our Modern Slavery Statements.
ARTC meets its obligations under anti-discrimination legislation, 
which is supported by our policies regarding the making of 
complaints, Code of Conduct, People Plan and Diversity and 
Inclusion Policy. ARTC’s remuneration policy and practices 
do not differentiate based on gender.
Human Rights
Environment 
	
– Businesses should support 
a precautionary approach to 
environmental challenges 
	
– Businesses should undertake 
initiatives to promote greater 
environmental responsibility
	
– Businesses should encourage 
the development and diffusion of 
environmentally friendly technologies
ARTC has developed an Environmental Policy and Principles, 
and Environment and Community Strategy which define the 
environmental initiatives ARTC will pursue. Embedding risk 
management processes into all our critical business systems allows 
us to adopt a precautionary approach to business management 
that is based on valid data and sound science.
ARTC’s environmental innovation approaches include showcasing 
environmental best practices across the business through 
sustainability working groups, and trialling and type approval 
for sustainable and recycled material.
Anti-Corruption 
Businesses should work against 
all forms of corruption, including 
extortion and bribery
ARTC has a Code of Conduct and associated annual training 
and engagement, Whistleblower and Public Interest Disclosure 
procedure including the provision of an external whistle blower 
hotline, and probity advisors for significant procurements. 
ARTC will not make political contributions in cash or in-kind 
and will not participate directly in the activities of political parties.
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