23 November 2023

The Hon Kristy McBain
Member for Eden-Monaro 

The Albanese Labor Government remains committed to its $20 million investment in the Brindabella Road safety upgrades, as reconfirmed following the Independent Strategic Review of the Infrastructure Investment Program.

There has been long running calls for improvements from residents, the local council and Brindabella Road the Economic Link (BRTEL) – which is why critical work on priority sections from the Brindabella Valley to the ACT border will proceed, as always planned.

This $20 million funding is on top of the previously committed $17.4 million, bringing the Albanese Government’s total commitment to these upgrades to $37.4 million.

The independent strategic review has reaffirmed that the Liberals and Nationals did not have the appropriate planning and informed costings in place to deliver the projects they promised in media releases.

A blow out of 150 to 800 projects, with an estimated $33 billion in known cost pressures – projects that were simply not ready for Commonwealth investment.

That is why the Albanese Government is committed to delivering the infrastructure Australia needs, creating jobs and growing the economy, while not increasing pressure on inflation.

As part of the Government’s commitment to improving the safety of roads across Eden-Monaro, local councils will also have access to significantly increased road funding.

Roads to Recovery funding will gradually increase from $500 million to $1 billion per year, and the Road Black Spot funding will gradually increase from $110 million to $150 million per year.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and the Bridges Renewal Program will be merged into a new, Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program – with funding increasing to $200 million per year, $50 million more than is currently available under the two existing programs.

This will strengthen the capacity of local councils across Eden-Monaro to maintain and improve local roads, which have been impacted by extreme weather and increased demand.

The Roads to Recovery consultation process will be undertaken in early 2024 to ensure that any changes to the formula work for local governments.

For more information visit: https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cyber-security/protecting-your-business-and-employees/test-your-cyber-security

Quotes attributable to Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain:

“Both ACT and Eden-Monaro residents that travel the Brindabella Road have campaigned for decades to get this work off the ground – which is why we remain committed to delivering these improvements.

“These upgrades will make travelling on Brindabella Road easier and safer, cutting 66 km off the alternate journey via the Hume Highway.

“This will connect more people in the ACT and across NSW to some of our region’s best experiences, including the Sculpture Trail and diverse new bike tracks – because we know the Snowy Valleys continues to be a popular weekend getaway.

“Councils across Eden-Monaro have called for more support to strengthen their capacity to maintain our local road networks – we have listened and are doing just that.

“We know that our local roads have been washed away and face more demand as people move to the regions – which is why significantly increasing the road funding available to councils will make a huge difference.”