Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The purpose of the Land Transport Infrastructure Amendment Bill 2014 is to amend the Nation Building Program (National Land Transport) Act 2009 and to repeal the Australian Land Transport Development Act 1988, the Roads to Recovery Act 2000 and the Railway Standardization (New South Wales and Victoria) Agreement Act 1958. For too long Australia has been without the infrastructure we need to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. This government is committed to building the infrastructure of the 21st century and this bill maps out the government's infrastructure priorities while repealing and amending Labor's legacy of failed policies.

We are working together with our state and territory government colleagues to deliver nationally significant infrastructure projects to support our country's growth. We are also partnering with the private sector to maximise private capital investment in infrastructure. Through the Infrastructure Investment program the coalition government has committed $35.5 billion over six years to road and rail projects. Of particular importance to the people of the city of Brisbane is the $1 billion commitment to continue the Gateway Motorway North upgrade. The government has also committed $300 million to finalise plans, engineering design and environmental assessments for the Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail project. Amendments to the Nation Building Program (National Land Transport) Act 2009 are necessary to facilitate the government's ambitious land transport infrastructure agenda.

Importantly, this bill enables the continuation of the successful Roads to Recovery program, which provides vital funding to local governments for the maintenance of the nation's local road infrastructure beyond 30 June 2014. This change is needed as the act currently specifies that the Roads to Recovery funding period is ending on 30 June 2014. This bill will remove the specification of the funding period from the act and place it in the Roads to Recovery list. This removes the need to amend the act every time the Roads to Recovery funding period changes and ensures that this very important program will continue.

The objective of Roads to Recovery is to contribute to the infrastructure investment program through supporting maintenance of the nation's local road infrastructure asset, which facilitates greater access for Australians and improves safety as well as economic and social outcomes. Indeed, what is the history of the Roads to Recovery program? Our local governments are responsible for planning, developing and maintaining a significant amount of the key infrastructure for their communities. This includes local roads, bridges and footpaths. In this context, of the nation's 810,000 kilometres of public roads, almost 650,000 kilometres, 80 per cent, are local roads. Approximately one-third of these roads are sealed, with the remainder unsealed.

However, local government is not included in the legislative powers of the Commonwealth specified by section 51 of the Constitution. As a consequence, local government remains the responsibility of state governments. In this respect local government bodies are established under state legislation and are subject to state government oversight. Nevertheless, since 1974-75 successive Australian governments have provided general purpose funding for local government through specific purpose payments to the states and territories. In November 2000 then Prime Minister John Howard stated:

One of the greatest strength of the Roads to Recovery Programme is that the funding will go direct to Local Government and allow councils to spend the money according to their priorities.

The initial program commenced in early 2001 as a single intervention to address the problem that a significant amount of local government road infrastructure was about to reach the end of its economic life and its replacement was well beyond the capacity of local government. A total of $1.2 billion was paid to more than 730 local government authorities between March 2001 and June 2005. In this respect the program is unusual in that funds were provided directly to local government rather than through the states and territories. The Roads to Recovery program was of such importance to local government that the Australian Local Government Association, ALGA, along with its member associations conducted a campaign during 2002 and 2003 to have Roads to Recovery renewed beyond June 2005.

According to ALGA, the key step was a review conducted jointly by ALGA and the Department of Transport and Regional Services to assess the first two years of the Roads to Recovery program. The review concluded that, notwithstanding the contribution Roads to Recovery funds had made, there remained deficiencies in both the existing road system and the need to upgrade, and in some cases extend, it. Given the review's clear endorsement of the program, ALGA has coordinated a national campaign to renew Roads to Recovery. This included assisting and encouraging local government associations to write to their local members as well as to relevant ministers. Apparently it worked and is still working, because from 2009-10 to 2013-14 the government will have provided $1.75 billion, including $373.5 million in 2013-14, under the Roads to Recovery program to be distributed directly to Australia's local councils, state and territory governments responsible for local roads in the unincorporated land and the Indian Ocean territories. More than $40 million has been allocated to the Brisbane City Council under the program, enabling the council to spend it on the priorities identified by their local communities.

The Australian Local Government Association has said:

The Australian Governments Roads to Recovery … program has become an essential element in local government's ability to maintain and upgrade the local roads network. It is an outstanding example of a partnership between the national and local governments and of providing direct funding to local communities.

In recognition of the growing backlog in local road maintenance, the Howard federal government established the Roads to Recovery program. This much-needed funding has helped local government begin to address the backlog of local road maintenance, improving safety, transport efficiency and stimulating economic development across the country. The government is also committed to the continuation of the Black Spot Program, which provides funding to address road sites that are high-risk areas for serious crashes. My electorate of Ryan has benefited from funding in this area over previous years. This is in addition to the coalition's new $300 million Bridges Renewal Program to restore dilapidated local bridges.

We are also allowing for funding of a new type of project within transport development and innovation projects for research to inform and enhance the management of the Infrastructure Investment program. As well, the coalition government is streamlining the operation of the act by combining national projects and off-network projects into a new part for investment projects. This removes unnecessary duplication from within the act—red-tape reduction. We must be able to deliver more appropriate, more efficient and more effective infrastructure to facilitate Australia's future growth and prosperity. The amendments in this bill will enable the coalition government to better deliver crucial infrastructure projects as part of our plan to deliver Australia's 21st century infrastructure agenda.

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