Campaign launched to get a greater slice of the Federal infrastructure pie

There are 180 neglected projects just waiting to break ground in South Australia, according to local leaders, who will tomorrow demand the State Government gets behind them.

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Councils across South Australia will demand funding for 180 “shovel ready” projects, from fixing neglected roads to upgrading swimming pools and airports, in a major lobbying campaign ahead of the Federal Election.

They say the plan, revealed today as part of The Advertiser’s Fair Go for the Regions campaign, would upgrade dated infrastructure, create jobs and attract families to the regions.

Mayors from around the state will tomorrow meet Premier Steven Marshall and Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll to discuss local government reform.

The meeting comes as the SA Local Government Association joins a push from its national association for the Federal Government to create a $300 million-a-year program for council infrastructure.

The Civil Contractors Federation says it is “flabbergasting” that none of the state’s worst roads are on Infrastructure Australia’s high priority list.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall alongside Transport Minister Stephan Knoll. Picture: AAP Image/Kelly Barnes

LGA President Sam Telfer told The Advertiser many crucial community facilities — including swimming pools, libraries, sports facilities, regional airports and jetties, were built decades ago and needed upgrades as well as better maintenance.

“New investment in the maintenance of community infrastructure will create jobs, support the lifestyles and living standards of hundreds of communities, and enable our towns to attract and retain people, particularly in regional and rural areas,” Mr Telfer said.

He said local government collected less than four per cent of national taxation and, in South Australia, was responsible for $22 billion worth of public assets.

Civil Contractors Federation chief executive Phil Sutherland said road funding — highlighted in Fair Go for the Regions as a key concern — would also be a key election issue.

The latest report from Infrastructure Australia, the independent authority that is the key source of advice for the Federal Government on nationally significant infrastructure needs, does not have a single SA road listed as a high priority project.

Mr Sutherland said of the 10 worst roads in the state the North-South corridor was the only one listed as a “priority” — one step down from “high priority.

“South Australia’s road network remains the worst in the nation and was largely built soon after the Second World War to service an entirely different economy,” he said.

Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack said investing in community infrastructure projects regional Australia needs to grow and thrive is a priority for the Federal Government.

He said local governments in SA had received $222.1 million from 2014-15 to 2018-19 through the Roads to Recovery Program and more than $160.8 million in Financial Assistance Grants, which are untied payments, this financial year alone.

“The Government’s new Regional Growth Fund will provide grants of $10 million or more for major transformational projects which support long-term economic growth and create jobs in regions undergoing structural adjustment,” he said.

“Two SA projects have been successful in proceeding to assessment Stage 2 (full business case) ­— the Mt Gambier Regional Sport and Recreation Centre and Port Spencer Deep Sea Wharf.”

Mr Knoll said the State Government was always willing to work with the Federal Government to secure more funding for South Australian infrastructure, including at a local government level.

“Councils already have access to a number of federal and state funding streams, including local roads funding, the Regional Growth Fund and Building Better Regions Fund among others,” he said.