Australian Government, 2007–08 Budget

Transport and Regional Services

Air transport safety risk mitigation — enhance capability

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Civil Aviation Safety Authority 2.1 3.5 3.5 3.6
Related capital ($m)
Civil Aviation Safety Authority .. - - -

The Government will provide $12.8 million over four years to enable the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to enhance its operational capabilities in airline safety systems. This reflects the need to respond to the rapid growth of existing carriers and the emergence of new airlines. This measure will allow the Authority to establish a more comprehensive aviation safety oversight model, including increased safety advice, surveillance and audit.

This measure includes capital funding of $45,000 in 2007-08 for IT support for field staff.

Airservices Australia — payment scheme for en route charges

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0

The Government will provide $24.0 million over four years to continue the payment scheme for Airservices Australia’s en route charges to help support the provision of air services to regional communities. Eligibility under the scheme is unchanged. The scheme continues to support regular public transport operations using aircraft with 15 tonnes or less maximum take-off weight, operators of aeromedical services such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and services provided on sole operator routes by regular public transport operators wholly based in Western Australia using aircraft between 15 and 21 tonnes.

Asbestos — accelerated removal from the Indian Ocean Territories

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services nfp nfp - -

The Government will provide funding over two years for the removal of asbestos from approximately 220 buildings and other infrastructure owned by the Australian Government in the Indian Ocean Territories.

Provision for this funding has been included in the forward estimates and is not for publication as the project will be subject to a competitive tender process.

AusLink 2 — Black Spot Programme

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services - 45.0 60.0 60.0

The Government will provide $345.0 million over six years (including $60.0 million per year from 2011-12 to 2013-14) to continue funding for infrastructure projects in locations with a poor recent crash history or a safety deficiency that is likely to cause crashes. The Black Spot Programme reduces the risk of crashes by providing funding for accident reducing measures such as widening and sealing road shoulders, installing traffic signals and constructing roundabouts at dangerous locations.

Further information can be found in the joint press release of 4 April 2007 issued by the Minister for Transport and Regional Services and the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads.

AusLink 2 — National Network Programme

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 100.0 300.0 1498.3 1691.6

The Government will provide $16.8 billion over five years from 2009-10 for a second five-year AusLink programme (AusLink 2) to fund land transport infrastructure projects on the AusLink National Network, a single integrated network of land transport corridors of strategic national importance. Provision for $7.5 billion of this funding has already been included in the estimates over the five years from 2009-10.

The Government will also provide an additional $400.0 million under the first AusLink programme, comprising $100.0 million in 2007-08 and $300.0 million in 2008-09, to begin construction on the $2.3 billion Ipswich Motorway Goodna Bypass between Dinmore and the Logan Interchange near Gailes, in Queensland. Funding for the remainder of this project will be provided under AusLink 2.

Further information can be found in the joint press release of 5 March 2007 issued by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

AusLink 2 — Roads to Recovery Programme — continuation of funding

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services - - 350.0 350.0

The Government will provide around $1.8 billion over five years from 2009-10 to provide local governments with funding to refurbish and upgrade local roads. Each council is guaranteed a share of the total available Roads to Recovery funding, with special arrangements applying to unincorporated areas and to the Indian Ocean Territories.

AusLink 2 — Strategic Regional Programme

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services - - 20.0 25.0

The Government will provide $300.0 million over five years from 2009-10, to continue the AusLink Strategic Regional Programme under Auslink 2, to provide funding for road, rail and intermodal projects in Australia’s regions that will support the growth of regional industry, respond to structural change, or strengthen local social and economic opportunities.

This measure includes funding of $75.0 million in 2011-12, $80.0 million in 2012-13 and $100.0 million in 2013-14.

AusLink Strategic Regional programme — supplementary funding

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 25.0 100.0 125.0 -

The Government will provide additional funding of $250.0 million in 2006-07 for the AusLink Strategic Regional Programme. The Programme provides funding for road, rail and intermodal projects in Australia’s regions that will support the growth of regional industry, respond to structural change, or strengthen local social and economic opportunities. The fiscal impact over three years, 2007-08 to 2009-10, is due to funds being fully expensed as projects are completed.

Australian Maritime College — transfer to the University of Tasmania

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 61.4 - - -

The Government will gift the assets of the Australian Maritime College to the University of Tasmania to facilitate integration of the college into the university from 1 January 2008. Integration will ensure the viability of the college as the national centre for maritime education, research and training, and allow for resource rationalisation, leveraging of research capabilities, and the development of new courses.

Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeals — donations

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services - - - -

The Government provided $50,000 in 2006-07 to each of the Tasmanian and Victorian Red Cross Bushfire Appeals. The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 14 and 15 December 2006 issued by the Prime Minister.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau — rail investigation, marine safety reporting and aviation safety functions — continuation of funding

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services - - - -

The Government will provide $10.1 million over three years for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to continue to undertake activities that contribute to maintaining and improving Australia’s transport safety, including interstate rail investigations, maintaining a confidential marine safety reporting scheme, and aviation safety research and data analysis in accordance with Australia’s obligations under International Civil Aviation Organisation requirements.

This measure involves funding of $3.4 million per annum from 2007-08 to 2009-10. Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Aviation industry — drug and alcohol testing

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Civil Aviation Safety Authority 2.0 3.0 3.0 -
Related capital ($m)
Civil Aviation Safety Authority 1.0 - - -

The Government will provide $9.0 million over three years to enable the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to introduce a regulated drug and alcohol regime for personnel in safety sensitive occupations in the aviation industry, including random drug and alcohol testing for a range of personnel not captured under commercial schemes. This measure includes $1.0 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for an information system for data collection and analysis.

Bushfire Mitigation Programme — continuation

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

The Government will provide $20.0 million over four years to continue the Bushfire Mitigation Programme under which grants are provided for the construction, maintenance and signage of fire trail networks. This funding will enhance the safety of fire fighting personnel on the ground, and improve the time in which fire suppression agencies are able to access a fire and the types of resources that can be made available to support their efforts.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 April 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Christmas Island precipitator tower — demolition

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services nfp nfp nfp nfp

The Government will provide funding for the demolition of the abandoned precipitator tower on Christmas Island, and the appropriate removal and disposal of asbestos from the site.

Provision for this funding has been included in the forward estimates and is not for publication as the project will be subject to a competitive tender process.

National aerial firefighting assistance — increase capability

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 10.0 10.2 10.4 10.6

The Government will provide $41.2 million over four years to assist state and territory governments increase Australia’s aerial firefighting capability. This increased funding will be provided to the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, which has responsibility for the national coordination of leasing and allocation of aerial firefighting resources.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 April 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Regional and remote airstrips improvement

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 1.5 5.5 7.5 7.5

The Government will provide $22.0 million over four years for the reconstruction and upgrading of remote and isolated airstrips to meet the basic safety and accessibility requirements for the provision of essential services, including emergency health access. Wherever possible, the grants will be to upgrade airstrips to facilitate year-round, all-weather access. Grants will generally be provided to eligible airstrips on a joint funding basis with state and territory governments and airstrip owners.

South Australian local councils — continuation of supplementary funding for roads

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 13.5 14.0 14.5 15.0

The Government will provide $57.0 million over four years to councils in South Australia for local roads funding. This funding is a continuation of existing arrangements and is supplementary to the funds provided for local roads in South Australia through financial assistance grants. The funding is a response to an identified disadvantage of South Australia which, in the absence of this intervention, would receive significantly less support than other jurisdictions on both a per person and per kilometre basis in the distribution of the local road grants. Funding will be indexed at the same rate as the financial assistance grants.

Transport safety assistance to Indonesia

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 7.7 8.1 8.1 -

The Government will provide $23.9 million over three years to assist the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to improve the Indonesian aviation and maritime safety systems. The assistance includes joint Australia-Indonesia safety workshops, airport and ship inspections and audits, specific training initiatives to improve the technical skills of Indonesian officials and service providers, assistance with the implementation of new technology and assistance in developing governance frameworks.

This measure will be delivered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Airservices Australia.

Upgrade of the Launceston levee system — contribution

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 13.0 - - -

The Government will provide $13.0 million in 2007-08 towards the upgrade of the Launceston levee system to better protect the region from the impacts of flooding. The project is expected to have a total cost of up to $39.0 million. The Government’s contribution is subject to the remaining cost of the project being met by contributions from the Tasmanian and local governments.

Further information can be found in the press release of 3 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Women’s representation in decision making

Expense ($m)
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.1

The Government will provide $4.5 million over four years to improve the representation of women on decision-making bodies in regional Australia. Initiatives will include an information strategy targeted at regional boards to promote the value of diversity in decision making and a national conference and awards scheme to encourage greater participation by women.