Article – $40m upgrade for Outback Way

8 October 2014
The North West Star
AUSTRALIA’S longest shortcut received a boost yesterday with the announcement of $40 million in funding for repairs and upgrades to sections of the road in the Northern Territory.
The road links Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
It starts in Laverton in Western Australia, traverses through the Northern Territory and into Queensland through Boulia and ends in Winton.
Northern Queensland senator Ian Macdonald has hailed the announcement as further evidence of the Coalition’s commitment to regional infrastructure and Northern Australian development.
“This is great news for the north and for the communities along the Outback Way” said the Senator, who has been a long-serving member of the parliamentary Friends of the Outback Way group.
“Enhancing this iconic Australian route can only benefit tourism, mining, transport and agriculture across the nation.”
The Senator added that the interactive tourism experience available by accessing the Outback Way website made traversing the route all the more unique and exciting.
“This really is a quintessentially Australian road-trip experience,” he said.
“Funding for upgrades to the Outback Way improve access and participation for regional and remote communities along the route. This is all about building communities and building capacity.”
The $40 million in funding was jointly announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss and Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles.
The funding will comprise $20million from the Northern Territory government, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Commonwealth.
The announcement follows a $24.5 million joint local, state and Commonwealth funding agreement for the Queensland sections of the road signed in March 2014.
Courtesy of The North West Star