MAPPING OUT THE FUTURE
GOVERNMENTS just love give money for roads funding. There are a few reasons why. Under Australia’s road funding system, states and territories have the responsibility to maintain and build roads but they get most of the money to do that from the federal revenue collected through taxes including the fuel excise, GST and personal income tax.
States and local governments submit their road priorities to bodies including Infrastructure Australia and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. It’s a system where politicians at every level get the chance to take credit when the work is done.
Local councils and the state government spruik new or improved roads as proof of their policies in action — as evidence of promises kept.
The federal government also claims credit when it announces big spending in budgets, as it has done in today’s paper.
Spending on roads is also visible. Motorists are reminded every day about roadworks as they travel to work or between major population centres. Over the past several years no driver could ignore the ongoing work on the Midland Highway. Big signs along the way remind us of the good work that is being done.
Governments also love building roads because they create jobs. When there have been economic downturns and high unemployment, maintaining and building new road infrastructure has been a quick and easy way to keep people employed.
One of the most famous road-building projects was to the top of kunanyi/Mt Wellington, which was constructed at the height of the Depression in the 1930s.
But you could argue that most road funding announced is governments fulfilling their responsibilities of maintaining safe and efficient infrastructure — or simply doing their job.
The disappointing part of the billions spent is that there is rarely any real vision.
The Hodgman government’s commitment, made nearly a decade ago, was to create a dual carriageway along the entire length of the Midland Highway. It was a bold vision and is an example of longerterm planning which is saving lives.
But where are the other projects which will change the way we live? Where are the alternate transport options which address issues like climate change and traffic congestion? Everyone knows that bypasses and extra lanes on roads like Hobart’s Southern Outlet do little to address the bottleneck in Macquarie and Davey streets.
What about infrastructure which takes traffic off our roads, like a proper ferry service or light rail? It has been talked about but where is the significant investment to back it up?
We need to be thinking beyond election cycles. It’s a time we looked a little further down the road to