Frustration appears to be building over the delays in getting on with work to upgrade the WA end of Outback Way, dubbed ‘Australia’s longest short cut’.
Shire of Laverton president Pat Hill told the Kalgoorlie Miner newspaper that he was ‘sick and tired’ of waiting for negotiations to finalise so works can restart on the iconic route which stretched 2,700 kilometres from Laverton in WA to Winton in Queensland.
He said he wants government money released to the shire for it to get its own sealing under way. WA’s portion of the works were halted more than three years ago as negotiations over native title and land tenure stalled progress.
Cr Hill said he would be asking State and Federal governments for a portion of the money they had set aside for the highway, and wanted the matter to be resolved ‘as quickly as possible’ so works could resume.
Plans are in place to fully seal the Outback Way. PIC: Australian Government
“If we can get some of the money ourselves, we will start, because we are just sick and tired of it,” he said.
Cr Hill told the Kalgoorlie Miner that almost four years was ‘long enough’ for a resolution to be made among all parties, and stated that a delay this long would never happen in Perth on the Mitchell Freeway or Metronet projects.
“It’s very frustrating to say the least, I don’t think it’s the actual communities or the people that is holding it up, I think it’s the bureaucrats and lawyers and that’s the sad thing about it,” he said. “They’re all running up and down St Georges Terrace in their Mercs and BMWs and sitting on their leather chairs and they couldn’t give two bobs about it out here.”
The Kalgoorlie Miner quotes Cr Hill as saying the shire was ‘wasting’ $1 million a year on maintenance for the road which he said could be better spent on properly forming and starting works on the road.
“This is a crucial, strategic link into the State and it really has got to be done as soon as possible,” he said.
Newly re-elected WA Premier Roger Cook recently said Queensland and the Northern Territory had made more progress because they were ‘smaller states’ that did not have as much territory to pave.
“It’s a nation-building project and a very important one, not only for Western Australia, but for the whole national highway,” he said. “Obviously it goes across a lot of country, a lot of complex land tenure, and the early stages of that development will be complex and timely … but we’re obviously very committed to it.”
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Native title and all sorts of “sights of significance” will suddenly appear to delay and hamstring the progress of this long awaited project.
It’s only the road we want sealed not all of their lands. Isn’t the road gazetted?
If the Aboriginals want to restrict access through their lands , then, maybe they should be restricted on other public roads. Only fair.
Alternatively, remove all gov’t maintained roads through the “legally” tenured lands and let the locals fend for themselves. As noted gazetted roads are not privately owned and available for all.
I am sure the local communities are keen for the roads to be upgraded as well. Problem usually lies with bureaucrats and legal fraternity slowing the process down. It was supposed to be completed by 2028. Not happening.
I would love to have it sealed. It would make it easier for first nation people as well as the rest of us to transverse this country safely. Surely we all wish to see this country and experience its uniqueness.
Sealing the road would be a bonus for all the communities from WA to QLD. The highway is gazetted and there should be no barriers to sealing it. Methinks WA Premier Roger Cook doesn’t have it as a priority. It should be at the top of the list – look what happened in WA when the Trans Australian rail line got knocked out, or when floods or bushfires closed the Eyre highway.
We travelled from Perth to Uluru some years back. Great trip, but oh, those corrugations!!
If China took over this country, it would be a two lane freeway, and we would be the ones to do the work.