5 December 2022
Haines encourages submissions to rural roads inquiry
The condition of regional and rural roads following severe weather events will be the subject of an inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport.
Independent Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines, who is a member of the Committee, encouraged constituents in Indi to make submissions to the inquiry.
“The state of the roads in Indi and across regional and rural Australia following the recent floods has taken things from bad to worse,” Dr Haines said.
“I have already called on the Federal Government to increase funding to local councils to respond to the problems they are facing, and this inquiry goes further – taking a long-term look at how we can build better roads as the climate changes and the number of severe weather events increases.”
Dr Haines said she hoped local councils and people across Indi would take this opportunity to influence policy and funding decisions on regional and rural roads.
“We can’t just keep patching and filling holes, without looking at structural issues. I want to make sure our roads are safe, and our local economies are supported by useable roads. I’m looking forward to what we learn through this inquiry and putting that into action.”
The terms of reference for the Inquiry into the Implications of Severe Weather Events on the National Regional, Rural and Remote Road Network are:
- Road engineering and construction standards required to enhance the resiliency of future road construction;
- Identification of climate resilient corridors suitable for future road construction projects;
- Opportunities to enhance road resilience through the use of waterproof products in road construction;
- The Commonwealth’s role in road resilience planning; and
- Any related issues.
The Committee is seeking written submissions, ideally of no more than ten pages, from organisations and individuals providing recommendations relating to any or all of the inquiry terms of reference by 28 February 2023.
Further information about the inquiry, including published submissions and hearing transcripts, will be available on the inquiry web page.