Roads

Defence pays its fair share for local road use.

The Federal Government has honoured its 2004 Election commitment to allocate funding for the upgrading and partial sealing of the main access roads to the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA). As detailed in the Defence Minister's media release 158/05 Open in new window , the Federal Government has provided a grant of $7.4 Million to Livingstone Shire Council (LSC) to undertake the works.

Prior to this grant, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has paid the Livingstone Shire Council $734,479.46, over the last five financial years, for upgrading and maintenance of the two roads primarily used in accessing the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

In addition, the Australian Defence Force has paid Livingstone Shire Council $60,560.77 for the 'user pays' maintenance of Stanage Bay Road after Defence vehicles used it during exercises in FY00/01 and FY03/04.

During 1999, Defence commissioned the independent Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to develop a formula for road maintenance contributions. The study took into account Defence and civilian vehicle use and road maintenance costs.
The independent study concluded that, in the years just prior to 1999, Defence had been overpaying road maintenance contributions by around $90,000 a year.

The Livingstone Shire Council indicated a preference for one of two proposed formulas which, the Council indicated, was more equitable to them. Defence has used this formula to calculate its share of access road maintenance payments since FY00/01.

In addition to road maintenance payments, Defence has contributed $220,000 in 2000-01 to upgrade Randoph Gully Bridge and road culverts.

Defence has paid a total of $1,015,040.23 to LSC between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2005 for the maintenance and upgrading of local roads used by the ADF and training partners.

As agreed between Livingstone Shire Council and Defence, the grant of $7.4 Million will enable the roads to be fully upgraded before the commencement of the major bilateral training exercise with the United States, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2007.