Councils across Australia are currently receiving the latest instalment of the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery and Financial Assistance Grants funding.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the 183 local government authorities that have so far submitted their returns for Roads to Recovery have now received their initial $69 million of funding.
“In September I wrote to each local government authority to advise of their allocation for the 2014-15 to 2018-19 period, which included a doubled allocation for the 2015-16 financial year.
“It means councils can now get on with their chosen projects to build and upgrade their local road and street networks.
“The Government has provided certainty for Roads to Recovery, as the new legislations abolishes the sunset clause that saw Labor unnecessarily hold up funding for five months.”
The second quarterly payment of $575 million under the Financial Assistance Grant programme has also been paid to councils.
“Importantly, the Australian Government’s funding comes with no strings attached, meaning councils are free to spend the money on local priorities.
“The Roads to Recovery programme and Financial Assistance Grants are key ways we are helping local councils to support their local communities.”
At the 2014 National Local Roads and Transport Congress, Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) President Mayor Troy Pickard said local roads are a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure.
“Our Congress in Tamworth has highlighted that local roads are critical to meeting the productivity challenge and they must be adequately funded at the national level.
“The way we fund our roads must change so that there is a better alignment between the needs of road users and the funding available to councils.
“The release of the State of the Local Road Assets Report highlights the scale of current under investment in local roads, with 11 percent of local roads and one in five timber bridges in a poor or very poor condition.”
