The state government has responded to a new federal governmet road funding plan by calling for an increased share of the funds.
The state government has responded to a new federal government road funding plan by calling for an increased share of the funds.
A government announcement is pasted below:
Western Australia's economic growth will be stifled unless the State receives its fair share of Canberra's $19 billion Auslink infrastructure funding package.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan called on Canberra to give WA's road and rail proper recognition and not overlook the State in favour of marginal Eastern States seats, as it did with the first funding package.
"WA is doing the heavy lifting and it is time the Federal Government shared the load," Ms MacTiernan said.
"Last year, Canberra took $28 billion out of the State in taxes and royalties, but only returned $24 billion in funds and services."
The Minister said that while the State Government's infrastructure spending was at record levels, WA needed more help to cater for the extraordinary growth in exports.
She said the State needed the Commonwealth to contribute to:
- upgrading of road and rail in all of WA's eight regional ports;
- restoring the State's grain freight railway following a disastrous privatisation and now the departure of the profit-taking original buyer, which had left up to 1,000km of track facing closure;
- upgrading Brand Highway and North West Coastal major routes for the servicing of oil, gas and other resources sectors, which the Federal Government so far had refused to consider for funding; and
- a greater share to the Perth-Bunbury Highway.
"While it took us four years of pleading to get $170 million towards the vital $510+ million Perth Bunbury Highway, this morning $2 billion is being thrown at the Goodna Bypass in the western suburbs of Brisbane," Ms MacTiernan said.
"So far, all we are hearing from the Federal Minister is the need for spending on Queensland's National Party seats.
"WA's economy is growing faster than Queensland's; our need for infrastructure funding is greater and a failure to recognise this will penalise all Australians, not just Western Australians."
