On 13 August 2015, the Senate moved that the decision to commit funding to the Perth Freight Link project be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 26 November 2015, with particular reference to:

1. the decision-making process that led to the announcement that the Perth Freight Link would receive Commonwealth funding,
2. the information relied upon by state and Commonwealth governments informing the decision to fund this project,
3. the importance of transparency of decision-making in relation to infrastructure decisions,
4. evaluation of options for managing growth in the Perth freight task, and
5. any related matters.