Australia: Delegates to the NSW Farmers’ Association’s 2010 Annual Conference: Value of Agriculture have called on both the Federal and State Governments to develop a regional infrastructure plan, including a long term strategy for inland rail development and port upgrades.
NSW Farmers’ Association Business Economics and Trade Committee Chair Sam Archer says the Association will lobby the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the NSW Minister for Transport, Minister for Roads and the NSW Roads and the Traffic Authority (RTA) on this urgent matter.
“Our aim is to treble the export tonnage capacity for all export commodities in the next 10 years. We have been very vocal about the need to improve productivity to meet the expected global food crisis by 2050, and the infrastructure to enable this is key,” Mr Archer said.
The Association is looking to work with similar interest groups on this aim, including the Local Governments and Shires Associations, Livestock and Bulk Carriers Association, NRMA and NSW Ports Corporations.
“Delegates have also voted to expedite several issues on NSW roads by working to ensure a number of key projects are included as part of the Federal and State Government stimulus packages,” he said.
“Specifically farmers are looking for passing lanes every 20kms along the Newell Highway after the speed limit was reduced from 110 km/hr to 100 km/hr without any formal public consultation process in 2009.
“There is currently one heavy vehicle a minute travelling on this road, and with freight movements forecast to double in the next ten years we need to be proactive to avoid worsening congestion.
Delegates voted to support a public enquiry into the RTA’s Pacific Highway proposal across the Northern Rivers Flood Plain Areas due to the excessive cost of road and bridge building and maintenance compared to the higher route to the west through forest country.
“Farmers are concerned that the proposed bypass and upgrade in the Mid North Coast near Kempsey and Macksville will create a flood risk for landholders in those areas.
“To date there has been a lack of consultation from the RTA regarding the planning stages of the route that has been chosen.
A key finding of the Independent Inquiry into the Financial Sustainability of Local Government in NSW was that, based predominantly on data from the financial year 2004/05, NSW Local Government had accumulated a huge infrastructure renewal backlog of $6.3 billion that continues to grow by $600 million per annum.
“Funding is required as a matter of urgency to address the problem of local roads and bridges reaching the end of their economic life,” Mr Archer concluded.
Source: http://www.nswfarmers.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/65767/148.10nr.pdf
