Queensland’s rural and regional roads have been put under the spotlight in Canberra, with the Inland Queensland Roads Action Plan (IQ-RAP) Working Group meeting with senior ministers to sell the benefits of the plan.
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IQ-RAP Working Group Chair Cr Rick Britton – mayor of Boulia Shire – said it was important to meet face-to-face with senior ministers to tell them why the Federal Government should invest in their business case.
The IQ-RAP partners have submitted a pre-budget submission to take the IQ-RAP to the next stage, which would include research to build the economic and social benefits case for investment into regional roads.
“Urban road projects have a well-researched and accepted basis on which to value benefits of road upgrades, including the saving of travel times, but this is not helpful to addressing the needs and assessing the benefits of investment into roads in regional and remote areas,” Cr Britton said.
“An upgraded inland road network would deliver faster more reliable transport times, which means less wear and tear on vehicles and a better quality of produce for the consumer.”
Cr Britton said their message to ministers was the IQ-RAP was more than just about roads, but also about the economic development of regional Queensland and an opportunity to create more jobs.
The IQ-RAP was launched in February 2016, as a result of a strategic collaboration of 49 funding partners, including 33 local governments, eight Regional and Roads Transport Groups, five Regional Development Australia committees and RACQ.
“This is a ground breaking project, in the scale of the partnerships involved and the long term view of addressing the challenges facing rural and regional communities across the state,” Cr Britton said.
“Local governments and stakeholders continue to be concerned about high unemployment, road safety, the need to diversify our local economies and drive productivity.”
The IQ-RAP is the first of its type in Australia, which identifies upgrades on a rural road network of around 16,000 km over the next 18 years.
The plan has identified that over 3000 km of road and more than 300 bridges require upgrades to meet ‘fit for purpose’ standards for businesses, tourism and residents across the region.
To see the pre-budget submission go to www.rdatanwq.org.au/iq-rap
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
