DISMAL DOLLARS IN BUDGET FOR RURAL ROADS

By JEFFREY GIBBS

In the lead up to the 2021-22 Federal Budget, three prominent peak bodies representing Australia’s farmers and rural transporters – GrainGrowers, National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) – raised their collective voices to call for an emergency funding package of nearly $5.5 billion to address the perilous state of flood impacted rural roads. The organisations expressed their deep disappointment when the Budget announcement was made, revealing that the Government had only allocated a fraction of the recommended funds - $250 million.

“Given the scale of the damage facing regional Australia, the road funding announced last night was a drop in the ocean in terms of what’s needed,” said NFF CEO Tony Mahar. GrainGrowers Chair Rhys Turton added: “While we appreciate the financial constraints facing the Government, the current state of the roads is driving up inflation and putting regional drivers at risk.” One of the key areas of concern was the lack of additional funding for the Roads to Recovery program, which supports the construction and maintenance of the nation’s local road infrastructure assets, representing 87% of the nation’s road network.

The organisations also highlighted the fact that the Budget proposed to increase heavy vehicle charges by $742m over three years while returning just $250m in new road funding, which they argued was a backwards step likely to fuel inflation and hinder freight productivity for years to come. Furthermore, the organisations called for rural roads to not be overlooked when it comes to the Infrastructure Investment Program which is currently undergoing a 90-day review. “Rural roads must not be left behind in Australia’s $120 billion infrastructure investment pipeline,” said Mr Turton. The peak bodies urged those making budget decisions in Canberra to come and experience the reality of the roads in rural areas so they can fully understand the dire state of the infrastructure. “We invite those making budget decisions in Canberra to come and drive these roads so they can see just what state they’re in,” concluded Mr Mahar. Overall, the organisations remained resolute in their call for the Government to reconsider its commitment to improving the state of rural roads, emphasising the importance of ensuring regional infrastructure is not overlooked when it comes to budget considerations.

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