Roads Australia (RA) has welcomed the continued investment in transport infrastructure across NSW after the Minns Government handed down its first Budget.
The Budget comes at a time when state governments across the nation are grappling with broad economic challenges including large debt burdens incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the Commonwealth infrastructure pipeline is under review, with states and territories currently involved in the consultation process with the independent reviewers.
The NSW capital expenditure for transport across the 2023-24 financial year is $19.3b with the rolling four year expenditure set at $72.3b.
Both these figures are slight reductions from last year’s Budget, with several transport infrastructure projects impacted by ongoing reviews into the State and Federal infrastructure pipelines.
RA CEO, Ehssan Veiszadeh, said the continued investment in the roads sector, including $8.6 billion in the 2023-24 financial year would be welcomed by industry stakeholders.
“RA is pleased to see the Minns Government’s first Budget largely continuing NSW’s commitment to infrastructure delivery at an uncertain time for the economy, while charting a pathway back to surplus,” Mr Veiszadeh said.
“It is pleasing to see investment in the regional road network and funding for building resilience across Western Sydney in the wake of significant natural disasters.
“As we await the outcomes of State and Federal reviews, this Budget will provide the industry with a level of certainty around NSW’s infrastructure build.”
Read RA’s NSW Budget Brief here.