Industry welcomes funding, but states unhappy

Transport industry bodies welcomed rail and road spending in this week’s (Tuesday, May 9) federal budget, but state and territory governments have labelled the allocation of funding anything from &#8220only adequate&#8221 to &#8220robbery&#8221. The Federal Government committed an extra $2.3bn to rail and road infrastructure, including $800m to duplicate the Hume Highway, but state government reaction is mixed. Local members in North Queensland welcomed $268m of funding to make the Bruce Highway between Cairns and Townsville a dual carriageway by 2009. But Queensland transport minister Paul Lucas said that the state had not received an adequate portion of the $1.7bn spent on national highways. Federal transport minister Warren Truss said the budget might have included funding for a 62km section of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Bundaberg, including a bypass of Gympie, if the state government had not decided to build a dam nearby. Queensland transport minister Paul Lucas said Mr Truss was trying to divert attention from inadequate funding allocated to the state. Mr Lucas was unhappy that just $268m of a reported $1.7bn allocated for national highways, was given to Queensland. He also wanted straightening of the main rail line north of Maryborough, which he said would improve freight times. Victorian premier Steve Bracks said his state had been &#8220robbed on roads&#8221 in the budget, with &#8220no new funding&#8221 for road projects in the state. &#8220Roads projects in New South Wales and Queensland have been funded ahead of Victorian projects using Auslink funding from the $542m previously earmarked for Eastlink,&#8221 Mr Bracks said. He said Victoria contributed 26% of Commonwealth fuel excise but received only 18% back in national road funding. Mr Bracks said he would have liked to see money for the duplication of the Western highway west of Ballarat and the Princess Highway between Geelong and Colac, as well as a bypass for the Goulburn Valley Highway. Western Australia received about $250m in new federal funding for roads, but planning and infrastructure minister Alannah MacTiernan said it was only a &#8220modest&#8221 amount. Ms MacTiernan said another $30m for the new Perth to Bunbury highway would have boosted the state’s freight capacity considerably. "The Commonwealth’s stubbornness in refusing to meet the State half-way in this crucial major infrastructure project is hard to understand given that the improved economic productivity and efficiency will ultimately flow into Canberra’s coffers," she said. "The Commonwealth is still only contributing an average of $35million per annum to maintenance over the next three years, which is 10.67 per cent of Federal maintenance funding when WA has 22.5 per cent of the National Road Transport Network. &#8220We are still having to spend millions of State funds to maintain the National Highway.&#8221 In contrast, the Australiasia Railways Association welcomed an extra $270m allocated for the Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor. ARA chief executive Bryan Nye said the funding would help address past underinvestment in Australia’s freight rail.

No Results