Over 300 delegates attended the 2nd National Rural Roads Congress in Mildura on 26-27 March. Representing Councils across Australia, they resolved to build a case for adequate long term ongoing funding for local roads.
President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Councillor John Ross, said that this resolution would support future road funding lobbying.
“It’s important that Government makes long term commitments to rural roads so that meaningful long term plans can be made for the maintenance of these roads,” John Ross said.
He said the Congress recognised that asset management has to play a major role in a strong case for ongoing funding being developed by Local Government.
The Congress identified the following five priorities for action that would support development of the case.
- To obtain standardised solid data on the benefits and cost of local road expenditure by Councils.
- To demonstrate the effective use of investment in local roads infrastructure.
- To undertake a detailed analysis of future transport infrastructure requirements and how it can be funded, on a national basis.
- Increased cooperation between Local and State Governments and industry bodies at the regional level.
- Demonstrated performance by benchmarking against best practice.
To pursue these priorities, the Congress has requested that ALGA establish a Strategic Committee. The composition of the Committee will be determined by ALGA.
The Congress also asked ALGA to seek a commitment from the Government and the Opposition to a comprehensive review of the Roads to Recovery program during the next four years.
“The Committee has been asked to report back to Local Governments in about 12 months on the progress made with the priorities, at a venue yet to be determined,” Councillor Ross said. “However, Councils, delegates and other key stakeholders will be kept informed of progress during the year.”
