Fed: Division over highway funding

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2006
Fed: Division over highway funding

By Peter Veness and Peter Jean

CANBERRA, April 24 AAP - A $1 billion government plan to woo bush voters back to the
Nationals by improving highways has divided motoring organisations.

Up to $1 billion is mooted to be spent on finishing the dual carriageway of the Hume
Highway and further flood-proofing far north Queensland's Bruce Highway.

Only about 80 km of the Hume, all in southern NSW, needs to be duplicated to bring
it to dual carriageway status. Originally, the highway was meant to be duplicated by 1990.

The Bruce Highway, which runs from Brisbane all the way to Cairns, can suffer from
flooding in several places, effectively cutting off the only coastal road link for Queensland.

Nationals leader Mark Vaile, under pressure within his own party over his handling
of the wheat scandal, refused to confirm the $1 billion figure.

He said an upgrade of major transport links would benefit all road users, particularly
people in country areas.

But he admitted that if the funding was announced it would help restore his personal
profile after spending time in the witness box at the Cole Commission.

"I don't think there's any doubt, if you have a look at polls, that (the Cole Commission)
does have an impact on people's thinking," he said.

Labor's acting transport spokesman Martin Ferguson said $1 billion would fail to restore
the image of the Nationals who have faced a steady decline in support during the past
the last two decades.

"No amount of roads funding will restore the credibility of Mark Vaile or the National
Party," Mr Ferguson said.

During the 2004 election campaign, the government announced $80 million to flood-proof
a section of the Bruce Highway south of Cairns

And the government's major roads policy, AusLink, has already promised a $117 million
Hume Highway bypass for Coolac on the south-west slopes of NSW.

AusLink also committed $420 million in 2001 to the Albury bypass which is expected
to open in the middle of next year.

NRMA president Alan Evans has attacked the funding as politically motivated, saying
it ignored NSW's most pressing road need - an upgrade of the Pacific Highway.

"There's a lot of National party members who have got electorates on the Pacific Highway,"

Mr Evans said.

"We've got some surprises in store for them for the next year if they don't put funds
into the Pacific Highway."

But Australian Trucking Association chief executive, and former federal Nationals MP,
Stuart St Clair, called the possible funding good news.

"There's never enough that can be spent on roads and these are safety issues," Mr St Clair said.

The nation's largest truck insurer, National Transport Insurance (NTI), said the economy
would benefit from the highway upgrades.

"This anticipated package of spending should go a long way to saving lives and helping
make the back-bone of our economy still more efficient," NTI boss Wayne Patterson said.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma said his state deserved a big share of the $1 billion.

He said NSW taxpayers were subsidising other states and territories through the redistribution
of GST revenue and any extra funds for his state would be welcome.

AAP pv/sw/sd

KEYWORD: BUDGET06 NATS NIGHTLEAD

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