In March 2016, a scheduled appointment between CLARA and the office of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was reported by media outlets, along with rumours that the meeting would discuss a proposal for a high speed railway line between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Federal MP John Alexander emerged as a supporter of the plan, explaining that it was based on a "value capture" funding model including the purchase of regional land along the route.
[3] The CLARA plan was officially launched in Melbourne on 13 July, with chairman Nick Cleary announcing that deals had been finalised for the purchase of land on which to situate 8 new railway stations and greenfield property developments, following 12 months of negotiations.
Meanwhile, shadow infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese introduced a private member's bill to the parliament, calling for a dedicated High Speed Rail Planning Authority to be established by the federal government.
[10] Geoff Kettle, a former mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree Council in New South Wales, led the consultation process, stating that although CLARA had acquired rights to around 50% of the total land required, the remaining portion would become increasingly expensive to obtain because of development.
[13] At the same time, its plan was placed under consideration for a $20 million federal government grant to facilitate the development of a business case, while competing proposals from other companies and Transport for NSW were announced.
[19] Expert opinion on the CLARA plan on its initial launch was largely critical of its funding model, and focused on the ability of the rail line to compete with the established and extensive air travel market, especially that between Melbourne and Sydney.
Engineering groups noted that the complexities of developing a high-speed rail route from scratch and the enormous capital expenditure required for construction had deterred previous proposals and were not addressed by the CLARA plan.
[1] Similarly, a report by Foreground, the publishing arm of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, concluded that the radical CLARA plan was unlikely to find support from government because of the political issues inherent in prioritising the development of new regional centres over existing towns and cities.