For the local government sector, improving local roads is a matter of safety and equity and more support is needed from the Commonwealth to help councils address this issue, delegates have been told today at the opening of the National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Toowoomba by incoming President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Mayor David O’Loughlin.
Mayor O’Loughlin called for a doubling of Roads to Recovery funding, and for that funding to be made permanent.
“Council roads are our communities’ most valuable assets that connect people and provide access to properties, shops, and health and education services; upgrading these roads ensures our communities are safe and promotes social equity through improved local connectedness and quality of life,” Mayor O’Loughlin said.
“Councils already use a significant portion of the Roads to Recovery funding from the Federal Government – an estimated 25 percent – to directly address road safety issues, with every cent of the balance spent on maintaining or renewing our road networks.
“Our councils are working under immense financial constraints to manage this important infrastructure but they need more help to maintain these assets and also bring them up to standard for a more productive economic future.”
ALGA’s latest State of the Assets report shows that an estimated $19 billion of these local roads are in poor or very poor state and in need of significant renewal. It also found that 11 percent of sealed roads, 19 percent of unsealed roads and 22 percent of timber bridges are either physically unsound or in need of significant rehabilitation.
“Funding from the Roads to Recovery program has helped councils do more than they could have if they relied solely on their own source revenues. But the research shows that more needs to be done, and we can’t do it alone.
“That is why we have called for a doubling of Roads to Recovery funding and for that funding to be made permanent. From our perspective, it is a matter of safety and equity.
“Targeted intergovernmental strategies addressing the state of council-managed roads would enable a fairer, safer and more competitive Australia into the future.”
The National Local Roads and Transport Congress is being held in Toowoomba, Queensland from 10-11 November.
