Much-needed fixes for Hobart commuters years away
Timelines for local road projects have revealed much-needed fixes for Hobart commuters are years away from completion. FULL REPORT >>
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FEDERAL government timelines for local road projects have revealed much-needed fixes for Hobart commuters remain years away.
An update for projects announced in the 2018/19 budget reveal released during budget estimates hearings reveals major projects remain years away from completion.
Franklin MP Julie Collins says upgrades to the Kingston bypass and the Algona Road roundabout are not forecast to be complete until 2026/27.
The $60m Kingston bypass plan was a promise of the state government in the May state election.
The Kingston Bypass is to be increased to two lanes each way, the roundabout at the Algona Rd intersection will be given a major upgrade and new cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is being planned.
And Ms Collins said Rokeby Road-South Arm road upgrades will not be complete until 2025/26.
The state government had run into trouble delivering it’s much vaunted infrastructure program — falling short by $471m in 2020/21 alone.
Premier Peter Gutwein says the main reason his government was only able to deliver 57 per cent of what it promises is capacity constrains as the private sector bounces back from Covid/
Ms Collins said that the timelines for the delivery of the state-federal projects were already generous, so further blowouts were alarming.
“Motorists in southern Tasmania already face shocking congestion but under the Liberals vital infrastructure projects are stuck in the slow lane,” she said.
“The Liberals might claim Rome wasn’t built in a day, but taking six years to upgrade a roundabout is completely unacceptable. This just beggars belief.
“Time and time again the Liberals have talked a big game about ‘fast tracking’ road projects, but this just shows it’s a sham.
“After eight long years of infrastructure failures under the Morrison Government, no one can trust them to deliver on time.”
Premier Peter Gutwein said his govenrment provided plenty of updates on the progress of projects to keep the public informed of delays caused by “capacity constraints”.
Shortages of skilled workers in particular have been blamed for the govenrment’s failure to deliver $471m in stimulus spending last financial year.
“Obviously, we take ongoing advice and we provide information each year through a range of government reports in terms of where we’re at - preliminary outcomes, budgets, the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report ... and I’ll be providing an update in the media report again at Christmas, which will again, highlight where we are in terms of our infrastructure programme,” he said.
Mr Gutwein said the govenrment’s infrastructure spending had given the economy the stimulus it needed to return to boom times.
“Importantly, it’s worked. Confidence has remained high. We’ve got private investment that’s going gangbusters and across the board,” he said.
The federal latest projections have the log-awaited Bridgewater Bridge upgrade completed in 2024/25.
Liberals’ promised record infrastructure blitz a $471m fizzer
THE Liberals’ promised record infrastructure blitz is a fizzer.
The state government short-changed voters by half a billion dollars last financial year — while claiming credit for boosting the economy with unprecedented stimulus.
Premier Peter Gutwein has repeatedly spruiked his government’s credentials as big budget builders but failed to deliver almost half of the project spending he promised.
In his 2020/21 budget speech, Mr Gutwein announced “the largest and most significant infrastructure program in the state’s history”.
But the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report for the financial year reveals that the government ended up delivering just 57 per cent of what it budgeted.
Actual spending was $615m — $471m less than the billion-dollar plus bonanza that promised to rebuild after Covid.
It means State Growth didn’t build $144m worth of roads, the Department of Health underspent $132m on projects including upgrades at the Mersey Hospital and ambulance station upgrades, Parks didn’t spend $59m on infrastructure, Communities Tasmania failed to deliver $54m on projects including new social housing and the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management couldn’t shift $31m earmarked for Sorell emergency service hub and other police infrastructure.
Mr Gutwein hailed the report for showing the government was in good financial shape — in part thanks to all the unfinished projects.
“The Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report for 2020-21, released today, has confirmed Tasmania’s financial position is continuing to strengthen despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19,” he said.
State government spending was $7.2bn last financial year, down $300m on what was expected, while revenue jumped from $6.4bn to $6.9bn.
As a result, the deficit was $525m instead of $1.7bn and the state ended up only $516m in debt, instead of $1.3bn.
Labor Treasury spokesman Shane Broad said the underspend was reflected in potholed roads, a struggling health system and a social housing shortage.
“We heard in Question Time the government talking about how the budget is in much better shape,” Dr Broad said.
“A lot of the reasons why the budget hasn’t been as bad as has been predicted is because they haven’t spent the money.
“This is a long-term issue, there’s a problem with getting projects out the door. They get the credit for the work, by announcing it and reannoucing it and reannoucing it.
“The absolute howler is the Bridgewater Bridge. How many times have the promised and relaunched, and relaunched and promised? It’s a pea and thimble trick.”
“The question in people’s minds should be what have we got to show for all this: our emergency wait times are getting longer, times to get in to see a surgeon are going up, our NAPLAN results are getting worse and every time it rains there’s a heap of potholes on our roads.”
Since coming to power, the Liberals have been dogged by a chronic inability to deliver their promises on infrastructure.
The Pre-Election Budget Outlook noted: “over the period 2014-15 to 2019-20 an average annual underspend of approximately 25 per cent has occurred against the General Government Sector Infrastructure budget,” it said.
The time period corresponds with the Liberals’ entire time in office.
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the report has laid bare the government’s spin.
“It looks a lot like Peter Gutwein’s self-proclaimed financial genius is based on the money left in the bank because of his failure to spend on infrastructure,” she said.
If Peter Gutwein’s Liberals spent as much time building roads as they did talking about it, we’d have an eight lane Midlands Highway. Meanwhile, congestion just gets worse and worse, and the underinvestment in active and passenger transport is holding us back.
“In a housing crisis, the Liberals have failed to spend the planned $54 million budget to build homes for Tasmanians. This is a devastating realisation for the almost 4,500 people on the housing waiting list.
“We see the substance over failure over the spin of self-congratulation in the Treasurer’s annual report.”
Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said the government “deliberately loaded up the infrastructure program” to open up more job opportunities for Tasmanians.
“It worked. We delivered $317 million in the roads and bridges program in last year, the highest ever, and 245 per cent more than the last full year of the former Labor-Green Government in 2012-13,” he said.
“Meanwhile, our August budget increased our investments with a smoother growth profile - exactly what industry asked us to do.
“Right now our economy is the envy of the nation and every construction firm’s books are full.
“We won’t shy away from our ambitious infrastructure targets that will keep more Tasmanians in jobs for years to come.“
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