Councils have welcomed reiterated efforts to boost funding for local roads.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has pledged to increase funding for the Roads to Recovery scheme, bringing forward a boost laid out in last year’s Federal Budget.
The Coalition says it would “immediately” lift Roads to Recovery to $1 billion annually from 2025–26, accelerating the funding scheduled under the current forward estimates.
The 2024–25 Budget committed to doubling annual funding from $500 million to $1 billion during the new five-year funding period commencing July 1, 2024.
Australian Local Government Association President Matt Burnett has noted that the Coalition’s move would bring forward $250 million in road funding over the next four years.
“We have been advocating for increases to this vital local government road funding program for years,” he said.
The program, which is non-competitive and formula-based, supports councils in maintaining and upgrading more than 75 per cent of the nation’s road network.
The Coalition also pledged to reinstate the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, providing $1 billion annually for regional roads and community projects, and proposed $16 million in additional road safety funding.
With bipartisan support now apparent for the $1 billion annual Roads to Recovery funding level, the core difference lies in timing – and political framing – rather than a change in policy direction.
