❓ A WA parliamentary question scrutinises the necessity, purpose, and outcomes of a trip by three Public Transport Authority staff to India to inspect Alstom's manufacturing of railcar shells, including hospitality received and resulting changes to the manufacturing process or car body shells.

I refer to the Report on Overseas Air Travel for the 3 months to 31 December 2024 and the trips for three separate officers in mid-November to visit the Alstom Manufacturing Facility in India to inspect the car body shell for the new Australind Diesel rail car. Can the Minister advise:(a) Why was it necessary for three staff to attend these inspections;(b) What was the purpose of these inspections;(c) Have concerns arisen regarding previous manufacturing of car body shells by Alstom that necessitated these visits;(d) Was hospitality provided by Alstom to the three officers from the Public Transport Authority:(i) If so, what was it, at what estimated cost and have these been declared on departmental gift registers; and(ii) If not, why not;(e) What was the outcome from the inspections undertaken by these three staff;(f) Has a report been prepared and submitted to the department and or Government:(i) If not, why not; and(ii) If so, can the Minister table a copy of this report:(A) If not, why not;(g) Has the visit resulted in any changes to the car body shells for the railcar sets, if so in what way and why; and(h) Did the visit result in any changes to the manufacturing process in India and or the assembly in Perth:(i) If so, in what way?

(a)-(h)  The contract allows PTA staff to visit Alstom facilities at any time. These visits are done to check quality and make sure the project is providing value for money, whether or not there is a specific issue.