Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has announced a huge boost to road funding and other measures that the government says will improve road safety and reduce the administrative burden on local councils.
The measures include:
- Doubling the Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion per year
- Increasing the Black Spot funding from $110 million to $150 million per year
- Merging the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and the Bridges Renewal Program into a new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, with an annual budget of $200 million
- Phasing in the funding increases over the forward estimates to avoid inflation and supply issues
The changes are based on the recommendations of the Independent Strategic Review of the Infrastructure Investment Program, and follow the release last week of a Grattan Institute report identifying a massive funding shortfall to maintain local roads at an acceptable condition.
The President of peak body ALGA Linda Scott said the major funding increase was welcome news after ALGA’s strong advocacy and leadership over several years.
She said the funding boost would deliver safer and more productive roads and help to save lives.