November 10, 2016
Australian Local Government Association president David O’Loughlin has called for more federal funding to assist councils to improve local roads.
Mayor O’Loughlin was speaking at the opening of the National Local Roads and Transport Congress in Toowoomba on Thursday.
He said improving local roads was a matter of “safety and equity” and more support was needed from the Commonwealth to help councils address the issue.
Mayor O’Loughlin called for a doubling of Roads to Recovery funding, and for that funding to be made permanent.
“Council roads are our communities’ most valuable assets that connect people and provide access to properties, shops, and health and education services; upgrading these roads ensures our communities are safe and promotes social equity through improved local connectedness and quality of life,” he said.
“Councils already use a significant portion of the Roads to Recovery funding from the Federal Government – an estimated 25 per cent – to directly address road safety issues, with every cent of the balance spent on maintaining or renewing our road networks.
“Our councils are working under immense financial constraints to manage this important infrastructure but they need more help to maintain these assets and also bring them up to standard for a more productive economic future.”
The ALGA’s latest “State of the Assets” report shows that an estimated $19 billion of local roads throughout Australia were in poor or very poor state and needed significant renewal.
It also found that 11 per cent of sealed roads, 19 per cent of unsealed roads and 22 per cent of timber bridges were either physically unsound or in need of significant rehabilitation.
“Funding from the Roads to Recovery program has helped councils do more than they could have if they relied solely on their own source revenues. But the research shows that more needs to be done, and we can’t do it alone,” Mayor O’Loughlin said.
“That is why we have called for a doubling of Roads to Recovery funding and for that funding to be made permanent. From our perspective, it is a matter of safety and equity.
“Targeted intergovernmental strategies addressing the state of council-managed roads would enable a fairer, safer and more competitive Australia into the future.”
