Debate rages over the best ways to fix South Australia’s roads
An industry lobby wants a greater effort in getting big projects for South Australia on a national priority list. But the Treasurer believes there is another way.
SA News
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Frustrated by what it describes as a lack of progress the Civil Contractors Federation has gone straight to the Commonwealth agency tasked with determining where Federal funding for major infrastructure projects should be directed.
In an unusual step the Federation has pitched a list of ten projects they want fast tracked for priority listings by Infrastructure Australia - and another raft of projects for future consideration.
However, Treasurer Rob Lucas, who has vowed to “significantly boost” the state’s infrastructure spend in November’s Budget, said that shovel-ready projects are what will get more South Australians into work.
Federation SA chief Phil Sutherland said the list was sent after a decade of failures to get even one SA project on the agencies “highest priority” annual funding lists.
The list includes duplications to Dukes and Augusta highways, a rail extension to Aldinga, doubling the size of the Swanport Bridge and upgrades to Adelaide’s stormwater system and the South East drainage network that helps maintain the health of the key waterways.
“Identifying projects for funding isn’t difficult,” Mr Sutherland said.
“The State’s road network is 50 years out of date and in many places in poor condition. Nearly every road in the State has a hole or crack in it.”
Mr Lucas said there will be a significant number of projects announced on and in the lead up to November’s State Budget.
“We accept the fact that if you don’t have a long-term infrastructure plan, that we do have now but didn’t exist under the former government, you have to have projects being considered on the Infrastructure Australia schedule,” he said.
“But where we disagree is on the view which that is going to solve the problem that we are currently confronting.
“We are in the middle of a jobs crisis at the moment, getting a whole a series of things on the infrastructure program for the medium and long term is great, and important, but if we want to provide jobs son they have to be jobs that the government is already committed to and we know that we get up and going in a two year time frame.”
Exclusive polling for The Advertiser this week found that 60 per cent of South Australians want the focus of the State Budget to be stimulating the economy by building more infrastructure, even if it means more debt.