200 days after the Albanese Labor Government announced its 90 Day infrastructure review, the fate of vital South Australian infrastructure projects is now known with the Albanese Government announcing the withdrawal of support for key projects previously funded under the former Coalition Government and a reduced funding pool made available for future projects.
Federal funding budgeted for the former Coalition Government 10-year infrastructure pipeline will now be funnelled into the North South Corridor to cover the State Government’s cost blow outs on the major Adelaide road project.
Member for Barker responded to the news calling the decision short sighted, arguing that South Australia’s productivity would be put on hold as a result of the cuts and delays.
“The former Coalition Government set us on a trajectory of increased investment into road infrastructure, building what was needed for the safe and productive movement of goods and to ensure people get home to their loved ones,” Mr Pasin said.
The South Australian infrastructure projects cut from the 10-year pipeline include Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade, Main South Road Productivity Package, Old Belair Road upgrade, Onkaparinga Valley Road – Tiers Road-Nairne Road Intersection Upgrade and the Truro Freight Route.
“South Australia needs increased investment into our road network moving forward, not less.
“There are many productivity enhancing, road safety and nation building projects that we need moving forward. Instead, Labor has made the short-sighted decision to limit new investment to the North South Corridor while cutting funding from existing projects already in the pipeline,” Mr Pasin said.
The majority of cuts to the Infrastructure Investment Program have targeted well-supported regional projects across the nation, and there’s no commitment to reducing road trauma which has increased in regional areas over the past 18 months.
“The decision to abandon 80-20 funding splits will mean less road safety projects on regional highways because traditionally, the State Labor Government have never been interested in funding these works on a 50-50 basis.”
“The previous Federal Coalition Government created the option of 80-20 funding splits for regional projects to incentivise states to bring forward major highway upgrades in regional areas and reduce road trauma,” Mr Pasin said.
“Projects such as the now scrapped Truro Freight Route, the Duplication of the Sturt and Dukes Highways or key regional highway upgrades such as Mallee, Karoonda, Thiele, Ngarkat, Southern Ports, Horricks, Riddoch and Princes Highways will now be even harder to fund and deferred even further into the future as a result of Federal Government cuts combined with the very obvious city-centric mentality of our State Government,” Mr Pasin said.
“It’s an increasingly bleak future for SA under Labor, particularly for our regions,” Mr Pasin said.
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