Budget 2020: $7.5 billion for “key” transport infrastructure projects

The Morrison government will spend $7.5 billion on national transport infrastructure in a bid to boost a range of state and territory projects currently in the planning phase.

The funding, which will be outlaid in Tuesday’s federal budget, will serve as the cornerstone of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure spending to help lift the economy out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said projects across the country will benefit from the spending, including major road projects in Queensland and New South Wales.

“We have been working closely with state and territory governments to invest in the infrastructure that is ready to go and can help rebuild our economy and create more jobs,” Morrison said in a statement.

The announcement is the latest in a bevy of pre-budget announcements in recent days, as the government prepares to unveil the budget, which will chart its plan lifting Australia out of its first recession in almost 30 years.

The “key” projects receiving federal investment include:

• Qld: $750 million for stage one of the Coomera Connector project;
• NSW: $560 million for the Singleton Bypass on the New England Highway;
• Vic: $528 million for Shepparton and Warrnambool rail line upgrades;
• SA: $200 million for Hahndorf township improvements and access upgrades;
• Tas: $150 million for the Midway Point Causeway and Sorell Causeway;
• NT: $120 million to upgrade the Carpentaria Highway;
• WA: $88 million for the Reid Highway Interchant with West Swan Road; and
• ACT: $88 million for the Molonglo River Bridge.

This article was first published by The Mandarin.

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