Report warns local roads going to pot

Local roads are in a state of dangerous disrepair, especially in the bush, and they’re only going to get worse without an extra $1 billion in funding each year, according to a new Grattan Institute report. Potholes and pitfalls: how to fix local roads shows that a gradual erosion of federal funding over the past decade has been terrible for local roads. "Taxpayers would get better bang for their buck if the Federal Government spent an extra $1 billion on improving our local roads rather than on building new megaprojects in the major cities," Grattan Institute transport and cities program director Marion Terrill said. "What’s needed to put the road network on a better path is more funding better targeted at where it is needed most, and reforms to ensure that councils have the tools and time to fix the potholes and give their communities the roads they need." Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) chief executive officer Alison Smith said councils were battling massive cost increases – in excess of 60 per cent for some road materials – and more money was needed from the other two levels of government to maintain the roads that communities across the state relied on. “Missing road funding is one more cost-shift from the other levels of government that councils and their communities are having to pay for," she said. “LGAQ research has revealed that cost-shifting has soared 378 per cent in the past two decades, as reported by councils. “Just a few months ago, the Queensland Auditor-General released report that showed 46 councils are at moderate to high risk of not being financially sustainable, up from 45 councils the year before, and that costs were rising at twice the rate of revenue. “At the same time, the Commonwealth’s Financial Assistance Grants dipped again, from 0.52 percent to 0.5 per cent when they should be restored to 1 per cent and indexed. “And that comes on top of delays caused by the Infrastructure Investment Pipeline review that are only adding uncertainty and costs for councils on projects that were already approved." A $1 billion annual funding injection would mean an extra 25 per cent on top of what councils are currently spending on road maintenance. The Grattan Institute argued many councils did not have a realistic way of raising the money they need to keep their roads in good condition, especially rural and remote councils, while $1 billion was only about 10 per cent of what the Federal Government spent on roads last year. Its report recommends that the Federal Government cut back on the share of the funding pool that goes to the major city councils that are already self-sufficient. To help councils better manage their roads, it also recommends that the Federal Government establish a national road hierarchy, minimum service standards, and basic data specifications for councils to follow.

Report warns local roads going to pot

Industry Queensland

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