Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan has responded to criticism of State government funding for local raods, saying state budget allocations have grown by an average of 16 per cent each year since 2004-05.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan has responded to criticism of State government funding for local raods, saying state budget allocations have grown by an average of 16 per cent each year since 2004-05.
The full text of an announcement from the Minister's office is pasted below
Western Australia's local governments are benefitting from major increases in State Government funding and a guarantee of future growth of road funding.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that State Budget allocations for local government roads had grown by an average of 16per cent each year since the 2004 - 2005 financial year.
Ms MacTiernan said that since 2005 - 2006 the Labor Government had provided a guaranteed 27 per cent of vehicle registration fees to local government roads.
"We recognise that local roads are a vital part of WA's transport infrastructure and we are committed to helping keep these roads in good shape," she said.
"Over the four years from 2005-2006 our guarantee will see more than $530million provided for maintaining and improving these roads.
"This commitment to future growth should allow local government more certainty in planning to address any backlog of road projects."
The Minister said she was mystified by an Australian Local Government Association claim that total funding had only grown by 2.8 per cent in recent years.
"Our contribution has certainly been increasing at a much faster rate, so if this is true it can only mean that funding from other sources such as the Federal Government or local governments themselves has been shrinking," she said.
"The $108.367 million 2007-2008 Local Roads Program was endorsed by the State Road Funds to Local Government Advisory Committee, which included members from the WALGA and Main Roads Western Australia."
WA's Local Roads Program 2007 - 2008 provides funding to important areas including:
- direct grants ($13.244million) for council road preservation or capital works at local governments' discretion;
- road project grants ($48million) for specific road improvements, the provision of new roads and for major preservation works, such as resealing to maintain the road asset;
- traffic management and road safety ($22.9million) for the installation and maintenance of road signage, pavement markings, traffic signals, level crossing maintenance and other road safety initiatives;
- State initiatives on local roads ($15.646million) supporting local road projects that provide a wider community benefit;
- bridges ($3.293million) for improvements and maintenance of bridges on local roads;
- Aboriginal community access ($1.496million) for maintaining access roads serving Aboriginal communities; national parks and State forests ($2.256million) for development and maintenance of Department of Environment and Conservation roads and roads on Rottnest Island and in Kings Park; and
- strategic and technical ($1.532million) for administrative and technical support to Regional Road Groups, Western Australian Local Government Association operations and other support requirements.
