How trucking fared after federal infrastructure cuts

Proposed improvements to several major freight routes around Australia are now up in the air after Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced that a total of 50 projects will no longer receive funding from the Commonwealth.

Casualties include a large section of the Great Western Highway in NSW and in Victoria the Rutherglen heavy vehicle alternative route, while in WA the biggest losers include the proposed Great Southern Secondary Freight Network and the Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation – stages 1 and 2.

Queensland was also left reeling with news that the government is now stalling its share of the promised $1 billion in funding for the eagerly-anticipated Inland Freight Route.

The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) said that the announcement today that the project is being referred for “further business case analysis” is a major setback for Queensland productivity.

“Has the new Melbourne Suburban Rail Link been subject to any business case analysis?” asked QTA CEO Gary Mahon.

“Queenslanders know how they are being treated. This will significantly impact the progression of this key freight route in Queensland and leave Queensland with a flood-prone single national highway.

“Queensland will have no viable alternative to the Bruce Highway, which is known to be vulnerable to a raft of road safety, flooding, capacity and congestion issues.”

Mahon said the minister has also overlooked the critical benefits infrastructure investment would yield for northern Australia, including enabling forecast growth in the agriculture and resource sector, value-adding to regional production and distribution and reducing the carbon footprint through increased capacity for high productivity vehicles.

“The practical impacts for our economy of not investing in road infrastructure represents higher costs of doing business, higher cost of living, decreased efficiency and productivity and delayed business expansion activities and a reduction in liveability of our regions and in turn, their workforces,” Mahon said.

Interestingly, added Mahon, as recently as September this year, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles announced the Garrison City of Townsville as Australia’s new army capital and the location of Australia’s only combat armoured brigade.

“The reductions and delays in funding for critical new road investments will now limit the country’s primary combat force to only being able to access the rest of the country via the most flood prone highway in Australia, the Bruce Highway.”

NSW Roads Minister John Graham said NSW is disappointed the Commonwealth intends to withdraw funding for a M7-M12 Interchange, a project in delivery that services Western Sydney Airport.

“We echo the words of the Roads Minister and support the minister’s further discussions on M7/M12 interchange funding with the federal government over the coming week,” said Road Freight NSW CEO Simon O’Hara.

“It is clear, today, NSW has copped the lion’s share of cuts from the federal government to infrastructure projects.”

Earlier this week the Albanese government announced it was withdrawing from the traditional 80:20 split for funding projects and would now only fund on a 50:50 arrangement with states and territories.

Infrastructure projects to have federal funding axed

NSW

Blaxland Road/Balaclava Road intersection improvements
Bruxner Highway – Wollongbar to Goonellabah
Commuter Car Park Upgrade – T1 North Shore, Northern and Western Line – Kingswood
Commuter Car Park Upgrade – T1 North Shore, Northern and Western Line – St Marys
Commuter Car Park Upgrade – Woy Woy
Great Western Highway Upgrade – Katoomba to Lithgow – construction of east and west sections
Gwydir Highway Improvements – planning
M7-M12 Interchange Mulgoa Road stage two – Glenmore Parkway to Jeanette Street, stage 5A Blaikie Road to Jamison Road and stage 5B Jamison Road to Union Road
Northern NSW Inland Port – Narrabri
Oxley Highway stage two – Planning
Remembrance Driveway corridor upgrade – Camden Council
Southern Connector Road, Jindabyne
Sydney to Newcastle – Tuggerah – Wyong faster rail upgrade
Toowoomba to Seymour – New South Wales – Moree intermodal overpass
Werrington Arterial stage two – Planning Western City Road transport network development – planning

Victoria

Business case for Melbourne Inland Rail Intermodal Terminal
Calder Freeway – Gap Road to the M80 Ring Road
Camberwell Road / Monteath Avenue / Redfern Road intersection upgrade
Frankston to Baxter rail upgrade
Geelong Fast Rail
Goulburn Valley Highway – Shepparton bypass stage one
Improving connectivity to Port of Melbourne – business case
McKoy Street – Hume Freeway intersection upgrade
Mornington Peninsula Freeway upgrade
Rutherglen heavy vehicle alternative route
Victorian faster rail corridor investigations
Western Freeway upgrade – M80 Ring Road to Ferris Road

Queensland

Beenleigh Station commuter car park
Beenleigh Emu Swamp Dam Supporting Infrastructure, Stanthorpe
High Road and Easterly Street, Waterford upgrade
Kenmore roundabout upgrade
Loganlea Station commuter car park, Loganlea
Mooloolah River Interchange upgrade (packages one and two)
New England Highway upgrade, Cabarlah
Nicklin Way-Third Avenue Connection, Caloundra
Tennant Creek to Townsville corridor upgrade – Dingo Park Road intersection upgrade