James Bidgood (Dawson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the AusLink (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2008. The main provisions of this bill amend the definition of ‘road’ contained in the act so that it puts beyond doubt that projects for the development of off-road facilities used by heavy vehicles in connection with travel on the road may be funded and extend the Roads to Recovery program until 30 June 2014. The legislation also makes it clear that funds can be allocated under the Roads to Recovery program for use in a particular state whilst the most appropriate entity to finally receive the allocation is determined. This will allow funds to be preserved whilst, for example, arrangements are put in place to provide funds for roads in unincorporated areas where there is no local council or to provide bridges and access roads in remote areas. The bill broadens the definition of ‘road’ to allow funds to be used for the funding of rest areas, parking areas, heavy vehicle bays, decoupling areas, weigh stations and facilities that are associated with or similar to any of these as additional items in the definition. It is not intended that the funding of any commercial developments such as motels, food or fuel outlets would be covered by this addition to the definition.

The heavy vehicle safety and productivity program was announced in the May 2008 budget, subject to the Senate allowing the increase to the road user charge. The program will provide (a) additional heavy vehicle rest areas on key interstate routes, (b) heavy vehicle parking and decoupling areas and facilities in outer urban and regional centres, (c) new technology and vehicle electronic systems and (d) road capacity enhancement to allow access by higher productivity vehicles to more of the road network.

This amendment will enable the government to provide funding for these facilities under the government’s $70 million heavy vehicle safety and productivity package. Funding for the package is contingent on the passage of the enabling legislation for the 2007 heavy vehicle charges determination which was unanimously endorsed by the Australian Transport Council, composed of Commonwealth, state and territory transport ministers, in February this year.

This legislation has been blocked by the coalition in the Senate, even though the determination and policy was proposed by the former government. One in five road deaths involve heavy vehicles, with speed and fatigue being significant contributing factors. In 2007, there were over 200 road deaths in Australia involving heavy vehicles. The facilities that will be delivered under the heavy vehicle safety and productivity package will improve road safety and provide a better deal for truckies.

This bill also extends the Roads to Recovery program. Under the current act, the program will end on 30 June 2009. This bill will continue the program until 30 June 2014. The Roads to Recovery program was implemented in November 2000 to provide Australian government funding to local government for both urban and rural roads in all parts of Australia. The Roads to Recovery program provides some $350 million a year to local councils around Australia so they can make urgent repairs and upgrades to their roads. The bill extends the life of the Roads to Recovery program until 30 June 2014 by enabling a new list of funding recipients and their allocations to be determined from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2014.

The continuation of this program means that local government can confidently plan for the continued improvements of the roads for which they are responsible. The bill allows the minister to allocate funding for special projects of a state or territory and then reallocate that funding to the local government authorities which will be responsible for the special projects, by having the list determine allocations for funding recipients while at the same time preserving an amount, where appropriate, which will be allocated to particular funding recipients at a later date. It does this by allowing the minister to allocate funds under the program for use in a particular state where those funds are intended—and, in due course, for special projects—and correspondingly increase the allocations of funding to the local government authorities which the minister decides will be responsible for the special projects.

In my electorate of Dawson, under the 2008-09 allocation of funding for Roads to Recovery, this totals more that $4.5 million and includes $417,796 for the Burdekin Shire Council, $1,719,121 for Mackay Regional Council, $1,070,659 for Whitsunday Regional Council and $1,301,715 for Townsville City Council. This funding comes on top of local government grant allocations for roads which total $6.3 million for my electorate in 2008-09. That consists of $700,025 for the Burdekin Shire, $2,199,761 for Mackay Regional Council, $1,130,327 for Whitsunday Regional Council and $2,296,588 for Townsville City Council.

The AusLink Black Spot Program has also provided $271,000 in funding for dangerous black spots in the Burdekin, including $121,000 to build a roundabout at the intersection of Young and Burke Streets and erect give-way signs along Young Street, between Hoey Street and Wickham Street in Ayr; $120,000 to build a roundabout at the Young Street and Graham Street intersection in Ayr; and $30,000 to remove the kerb and improve the roundabout at the Chippendale Street and Cox Street intersection in Ayr. Add to this funding under AusLink in 2008-09 which includes $20 million of the government’s $95 million commitment to the Townsville port access road, $1.73 million for upgrades to Connors Road in Paget and $4 million of the government’s $25 million commitment to the Burdekin River bridge.

The government will contribute $95 million in matching funds for the $190 million Townsville port access road project. The funding will provide a highway link to the Port of Townsville. This will support continuing economic growth—in particular, in agricultural and mineral imports and exports through the port. The existing route to the port has operational constraints, due to adjacent residential development, and has significant safety and amenity—noise and vibration—problems. The port access road provides for the import, export and supply chain for North Queensland and, importantly, the north-western mineral province around Mount Isa and Cloncurry, which will enable quicker, more reliable and cheaper access to the port. The road will enhance important economic benefits to the national economy from existing industry and provide for the expected growth from within the northern growth triangle of Bowen to Townsville and inland to Mount Isa.

The port access road also provides a more efficient connection between rural and remote communities to the port and, from there, to interstate and international product markets. There will be an upgrade to Connors Road, Mackay, for a length of 1.23 kilometres between Boundary Road and Farrellys Lane, in the Paget industrial area, and improvements to the intersection between Farrellys Lane and Connors Road and the adjacent rail crossing. The establishment of the Paget industrial area means that Connors Road will need to have pavement of a standard that is suitable for heavy vehicles. The upgrade of the road will assist in the development of the industrial area as a site for heavy industry servicing Mackay and the region’s mining and related industries.

The Burdekin River bridge is a 50-year-old steel structure crossing the Burdekin River. This bridge is a vital link between the towns of Ayr and Home Hill. It is of strategic significance to Queensland as it provides the only safe and reliable connection for road and rail traffic between North Queensland and all points south. This project involves continued structural rehabilitation and patch-painting. The continued maintenance and rehabilitation of this bridge maintains economic productivity and access to the region through reduced travel time and improved route reliability.

I would just like to thank the LNP member for Burdekin, Rosemary Menkens, for her kind words. She said that I did well to secure the funding. Indeed, she is correct—just look at the previous member for Dawson’s record on delivering funding for the bridge. The previous government neglected roads in Dawson, and this government is delivering for the people of Dawson. If you add together all of the funding committed by this government in 2008-09 for roads in Dawson, you will get the figure of $36,800,000. Now, that is delivering for the people of Dawson. I would challenge anybody to compare the record of this government in delivering basic road infrastructure for the people of Dawson against the record of the previous government. The previous government and the previous member completely and utterly failed in delivering basic road infrastructure for the people of Dawson. This government will commit a total figure of $36,800,000 in 2008-09—in one financial year. Now, that is what I call delivering for the people of Dawson. I commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context