Three successive years of flooding prompts call for NT roads upgrade

For the third year in a row the Stuart Highway has been closed by floodwaters, and a key industry group wants it fixed. Read why they’re seething.

Territory cattlemen have called for governments to act to future-proof the NT’s major roads network after a third successive year of weather-enforced closures.

NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Will Evans said the regional road network must be “future-proofed” to ensure all-weather access for all major roads.

The call comes as Top End supermarket shelves have finally been restocked after days of shortages caused by road and rail closures following monsoonal rain last week.

Mr Evans said over the past three years the Territory had faced unprecedented supply chain failures, with government investment unable to keep up with the challenges of a decaying road network and regional workforce shortages.

Will Evans, chief executive, Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association.

“We need an honest assessment as to why every year, sometimes multiple times a year, the NT is cut-off from the rest of Australia,” Mr Evans said.

“This is something that no other jurisdiction accepts, but for us in the Territory it’s becoming a fact of life.

“No matter what the headlines say, no matter how much money is supposedly being invested, whatever we are doing is not working in the regions and it is hurting all Territorians. Our roads are getting worse and as they do, the costs of goods just keeps rising.

“We need a guarantee that government will deal with these challenges. No more strategic plans or consultation or consultant reports – Government needs to commit. Promise it and then make it so.”

Mr Evans said because of challenges attracting government workers to regional centres, infrastructure monitoring and assessments are outsourced to “overstretched” private companies who struggle to meet demands.

Empty shelves in Palmerston January 2024

“The issues that we have are well known, but our approach to meeting them is flawed,” Mr Evans said.

“Government has increasingly looked to limit their direct involvement and oversight of the regional road network over the past few years and we’re now seeing the results of these policies.”

“This is the one time of year where urban Territorians face the same challenges as those living in regional and remote areas face all year. The frustration of not being able to buy household staples in town, is very much understood by those in the regions who face these challenges constantly.”

The Territory’s main north-south route the Stuart Highway - which is a Commonwealth road - had been closed intermittently over the past week with a 20km detour still in place near the Carpentaria Highway.

Territory government roads such as Dorisvale Road at Daly River Crossing and Jim Jim Road between the Arnhem and Kakadu highway remain closed due to flooding.

The federal government noted the importance of a fully-functioning year-round NT road network in the Defence Strategic Review strategy document it released last year.

“Recent severe floods have highlighted the importance of well maintained resilient civil infrastructure, including ports and roads that support this network, and the need for an ability to restore such infrastructure quickly when lost or interrupted during severe weather events,” it was noted in chapter 10.

NT Infrastructure Minister Joel Bowden said the government is working to seal all Territory roads.

“We are working hard to seal roads across the entire Territory, like the Tanami and Carpenteria Highways, making sure the Territory is accessible,” he said. “We will always aim to deliver more, and will continue to work with our stakeholders, including NT Cattleman’s Association.”

The federal government has been contacted for a response.