Maryborough MP John Barounis (left) and Manufacturing Minister Dale Last have announced that the recruiting process for jobs at Torbanlea is underway.(ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
Manufacturing powerhouse Downer has started recruiting workers to deliver the next generation of Queensland's trains, but employees facing redundancies at the company's nearby site have been told there is no guarantee they will secure a position.
The factory being constructed at Torbanlea on the Fraser Coast is expected to produce 65 locomotives between 2027 and 2032, in time for the Brisbane Olympic Games.
The state government selected Downer to build the new fleet and on Tuesday, the company opened applications for 300 jobs.
But more than 120 Downer employeesfacing an uncertain future have been told they cannot count on their applications being successful.
The workers from the company's nearby Maryborough facility were warned of possible redundancies in May due to a drop in expected work volume.
Recruitment for jobs at the under-construction Torbanlea facility is underway.(ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
Later that month Manufacturing Minister Dale Last said the workers facing job losses would be prioritised for employment at the new Torbanlea site.
But on Tuesday he said those workers had been informed about the new jobs a couple of weeks ago but would have to go through the same selection process as everyone else does.
Mr Last could not confirm whether the Maryborough employees had yet faced job cuts.
The jobs at the Maryborough Service Delivery Centre were the subject of a private contract between Downer and industry, but having said that, those affected workers have been given a couple of weeks to apply and express their interest for these [Torbanlea] jobs going forward.
Minister for Manufacturing Dale Last is encouraging Downer to be efficient with its recruitment.(ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
'Time is of the essence'
Mr Last said interviews for the jobs would take place this year and that successful applicants would to start work early next year.
The jobs on offer at the new site include 200 trade roles, including mechanical and electrical trades, fabricators and test technicians, as well as 100 white-collar roles.
Downer had been encouraged to complete the recruitment process as soon as possible, to minimise the time that any staff affected by the job cuts would be out of work.
Certainly that's a message that we've been portraying to Downer, that time is of the essence, Mr Last said.
If they can reduce that time-frame between their job loss at Maryborough and the commencement of their employment [at Torbanlea], then that would certainly be helpful for everyone.
Downer did not comment on the status of jobs at its Maryborough facility but a spokesperson said in a statement that the group welcomed the state government's assistance with the recruitment drive.
Downer and the Queensland government are committed to supporting the local industry and communities through the delivery of this state-shaping project, the statement said.
Tom Smith has accused the government of trying to fudge the facts.(ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
ALP shadow minister for manufacturing Tom Smith said the 300 roles at the Torbanlea facility would not make up for lost jobs in Maryborough.
This suggestion that they'll open expressions of interest for the 122 workers … who have their livelihoods on the line does not solve the problem of job losses in Maryborough, he said.
They're trying to fudge the facts and all they're doing is continuing to put fear and doubt into the workers who show up every single day so they can put food on the table and pay the bills for their families.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union declined the ABC's request for comment.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-08/applications-opens-train-manufacturing-jobs-at-downer/105505898
