A Coalition Government will reinstate the 80:20 federal funding model for nationally significant road projects in regional and remote Australia -ensuring more regional roads and highways get upgraded.
Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said regional roads had missed out on critical road funding because of the Albanese Government's decision to slash funding for regional road projects by 30 per cent.
"While country roads have been deteriorating, the Albanese Government has cut and delayed more than $30 billion worth of infrastructure projects, and abolished critical road programs for the regions such as Bridges Renewal and Roads of Strategic Importance," Mr Boyce said.
"Only a Coalition Government has the back of the nine million Australians who live outside our capital cities and that is why we will restore the 80 per cent Commonwealth funding rule for all new road projects from the first day we are elected."
The majority of the national highway network runs through regional Australia and Labor's cuts mean these critical freight routes will be denied the funding needed to maintain efficient, safe and productive supply chains.
Regional roads are less safe that roads in our major cities, and Australians are five times more likely to die in a road crash than people in our cities.
"The Albanese Government ignored warnings from an independent review of federal road funding that scrapping the 80:20 funding formula would result in reduced investment in regional roads, and that is exactly what we have seen under Labor," Mr Boyce said.
"Despite the obvious need of our regions, the Albanese Labor Government cut the Commonwealth contribution for regional roads to just 50 per cent."
Mr Boyce said the Coalition's plan to restore 80:20 funding for regional road projects would incentivise the state governments to partner in productivity enhancing upgrades to freight routes and is part of the Coalition's plan to strengthen the economy and get Australia back on track.
