The Australian Government has released its new land transport plan, AusLink describing it as the equivalent of two Snowy Mountains Schemes. It earmarks $11.8 billion for land transport spending, which will include a massive upgrade of Australia’s east coast road and rail systems.
Acting Prime Minister, John Anderson, and Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Senator Ian Campbell, released the plan in a detailed policy statement on 7 June. It is a $3.6 billion increase in the Government’s land transport funding.
The Acting Prime Minister said the massive increase showed that the Government was determined to meet the long term transport challenges facing Australia by building infrastructure projects of lasting benefit.
Senator Campbell said the AusLink White Paper detailed the major land transport projects that would be funded by the Government over the next five years.
“The Government will fund projects across Australia to improve the safety of our major highways, reduce traffic congestion and make it quicker and easier to transport freight,” Senator Campbell said. “We will all benefit from better land transport infrastructure: businesses, local communities, exporters and farmers. AusLink will have environmental benefits as well, because it will reduce congestion, pollution and make transport more efficient.
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President of the Australian Local Government Association, Councillor Mike Montgomery, said the AusLink White Paper strengthens the Australian Government’s commitment to the nation’s local road network, confirming the provision of $1.2 billion to renew the much needed and highly successful Roads to Recovery program.
“AusLink is a vital nation building initiative that focuses on the land transport infrastructure needs of Australia,” he said. “The AusLink announcement meets a number of Local Government concerns. It ensures:
- Roads to Recovery is continued beyond 2005 with quarantined funding
- the identified roads component of Federal assistance grants will not be diverted for any other purpose
- rail and freight priorities do not come at the expense of local roads
- additional funding has been made available for AusLink.
ALGA is concerned about how the $100 million a year ‘strategic’ component of the renewed Roads to Recovery program will operate. ALGA is lobbying for such funds should be distributed across Australia at the regional level – rather than being held at a national level, which could see some regions and possibly States and Territories missing out all together.
