AusLink

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AusLink is an Australian Government land transport funding program, established in June 2004 and administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services. It was first proposed in a Green Paper (see Green Paper), issued in November 2002. In response 550 submissions were lodged by State and Local Governments, Industry, Environment Groups, Tertiary Education and Research Groups, Bicycle Groups and interested members of the public. In May 2004 the Australian Government issued a White Paper (see White Paper), setting out the policy to be adopted by the Government in response.

The White Paper states that AusLink is based on better long-term planning, encouragement of the best ideas and solutions and targeting investment to achieve the best outcomes for people, the national economy, regions and communities and that it has the following core components:

  • a defined National Network (superseding the former National Highway system) of important road and rail infrastructure links and their intermodal connections;
  • the National Land Transport Plan which outlines the Government's approach to improving and integrating the National Network and the investments it will make;
  • a single funding regime, under a new AusLink programme, for the National Network
  • separately earmarked funding for local and regional transport improvements;
  • new legislative, intergovernmental and institutional mechanisms.

AusLink is administered under the AusLink (National Land Transport Act) 2005.

Contents

[edit] National Network

Australian Government land transport funding is focused on the National Network, which includes rail and road corridors, connecting at one or both ends to State Capital Cities (see AusLink National Network):

The White Paper announced funding of $12,708 million for road and rail projects in the first five years of AusLink, 2004-05 to 2008-09 (Australian financial years run from 1 July to 30 June).

[edit] Road funding

Major projects in the first five years of AusLink include (Auslink project search):

Sydney - Melbourne (Hume Highway)

  • Coolac bypass ($179m) - tenders closed in May 2005. The construction contract was awarded to Abigroup and construction was due to start in April 2007, but the construction of the bypass has been delayed, pending resolution of indigenous heritage issues that have been on going since 2005. Now construction is due to be completed by 2009. The pre-contruction of the alignment of the highway has been changed because of one tree [1] [2] [3] and[1]
  • M5 motorway northbound widening (from 2 lanes to 4 lanes), near Ingleburn in Campbelltown ($30.1m: 20% funded by New South Wales) - Due to be opened by 2008 [4] [5] [6].
  • Duplication of the unduplicated sections between Table Top and the Sturt Highway Junction, even including duplication of the Sheahan bridge in Gundagai (Except for three sections totalling about 20 km near Tarcutta, Holbrook, and Woomargama ) / ($800m) - Due to be opened by the end of 2009 [7].

Sydney - Brisbane Pacific Highway route [8].

Sydney - Brisbane (New England and Cunningham Highways route)

Sydney - Adelaide (Sturt Highway)

  • No major projects

Melbourne - Adelaide (Western and Dukes Highways)

  • Deer Park Bypass and Leakes Road Interchange, in western Melbourne ($294m, 20% funded by Victoria) - due to be completed in 2009

Melbourne - Brisbane (Goulburn Valley, Newell, Gore and Warrego Highways)

Adelaide - Perth (Princes, Eyre, Coolgardie-Esperance and Great Eastern Highways) Perth - Darwin (Princes and Victoria Highways)

  • Great Northern Highway upgrading, Perth to Wubin ($86m) - Completion due in 2009[citation needed]
  • Victoria Highway - Victoria River and Lost Creek Bridge Replacement ($20m) - completion due in 2008

Adelaide - Darwin (Stuart Highway)

  • Tiger Brennan Drive/Berrimah Road upgrade in Darwin ($27.3m. joint funded) - due for completion in 2008

Brisbane - Darwin (Warrego, Landsborough and Barkly Highways)

Brisbane - Cairns (Bruce Highway)

  • Caboolture Motorway widening ($200m) - due to be completed in 2009
  • Plain Creek to Saltwater Creek (Wilmington Railway Crossing), between Bowen and Ayr ($23m) - due to be completed in September 2007
  • Douglas Arterial and Townsville Ring Road ($77m: shared funding, about half to be funded by Queensland) - due to be completed in 2009
  • Tully Flood Immunity ($80m) - due to be completed in 2009

Townsville - Mount Isa (Flinders Highway)

  • No projects

Melbourne - Sale (Princes Highway)

Perth - Bunbury (South Western Highway)

  • Peel Deviation and Kwinana Freeway extension/New Perth-Bunbury Hwy ($450m: $170m from Australian government, balance from Western Australia)

Hobart - Burnie, including link to Bell Bay (Midland, Bass and East Tamar Highway)

Melbourne - Mildura (Calder Highway)

  • Kyneton to Faraday duplication ($178m: joint funding from Australian and Victorian Governments) - due to be completed in 2009
  • Faraday to Ravenswood duplication ($214m: joint funding from Australian and Victorian Governments) - due to be completed in 2009

Sydney - Dubbo (Great Western and Mitchell Highways)

Canberra connectors to the Hume Highway (Federal and Barton Highways)

Sydney - Wollongong (Southern Freeway and Princes Highway)

  • Oak Flats to Dunmore - due to be completed in 2009. [22]

Melbourne - Geelong (Princes Highway)

  • Geelong Bypass ($380m, joint funding: $186m from Australian Government, balance from Victoria) - due to be completed 2009

[edit] Rail funding

Rail funding has been announced for the following projects (Auslink project search):

[edit] Criticism

With the large bugets allocated to transport projects, AusLink is promoted in highlighting government spending on infrastructure.

However organisations such as the Australian Automobile Association are outspoken in their criticism that the spending equates to less than 15% of the excise the federal government collects on petrol, is spent on road related projects.[1]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c David Humphries. "More lanes and a push to rev up rail rivals", 10 May 2006. Retrieved on February 19, 2007.
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