Significant boost for road safety

Joint Media Release from the Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; The Hon Kristy McBain MP, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories; Senator the Hon Carol Brown, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport; and Senator the Hon Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Regional Development

MEDIA RELEASE | 19 November 2023

The Albanese Government is strengthening its commitment to road safety with significant increases in funding and changes to programs to reduce the administrative burden on local councils.

Roads to Recovery funding will rise gradually from $500 million to $1 billion per year, and Black Spot funding will increase from the current annual commitment of $110 million to $150 million per year.

This additional investment in the Commonwealth’s two cornerstone local roads investment programs will lead to safer and more productive roads across Australia.

We are also committed to delivering the funding local councils need to improve road safety and in a way that reduces the burden on them, allowing more money to be spent on projects and less on administration.

We will merge the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP) and the Bridges Renewal Program (BRP) into a new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program.

The amount of funding for the new program will also gradually increase such that $200 million will be available per year, up from the current $150 million total annual investment in the HVSPP and the BRP.

The changes have been recommended by the Independent Strategic Review of the Infrastructure Investment Program and the increases in funding will be phased in over the forward estimates to avoid putting pressure on inflation, supply costs and the construction labour market.

We will be working with local government stakeholders in the lead-up to the Budget to ensure that changes to the programs respond to their feedback and funding gets spent where it is needed more quickly.

The Government recognises that local governments require more funding to manage the rising costs and increased pressure on transport infrastructure due to climate change and extreme weather events.

These changes will also help ensure funding is stable, predictable and fair into the future.

The Albanese Government is committed to investing more money in the projects and programs that deliver real benefits to Australians across the country.