Building our nation's infrastructure

Enhancing productivity

Investment in quality infrastructure drives improvements in productivity, which underpin increases in living standards for all Australians.

The Government is investing over $36 billion in roads, rail and ports over the six years to 2013‑14, as part of its Nation Building programs.

The Budget contains additional measures to boost productivity and improve road safety:

• an additional $3.6 billion to meet the commitment to duplicate the Pacific Highway by 2016, conditional on the NSW Government agreeing to meet 50 per cent of the funding costs;

• a commitment to the development of an intermodal terminal at Moorebank in South Western Sydney ‑ in cooperation with the private sector. This key project is crucial to addressing congestion problems in the Port Botany Precinct and improving the productivity performance of Sydney's freight network;
• a commitment to fund important road safety programs, including $350 million per year for the Roads to Recovery program and $60 million per year for the Black Spots program; and

• $232 million towards the Torrens and Goodwood rail project, which will help ease congestion on Adelaide's suburban and freight rail networks. The Government has now contributed funding towards all of the projects assessed as 'ready to proceed' on Infrastructure Australia's 2009 Priority List.

National Broadband Network

As of 31 March 2012, NBN Co estimates that work had commenced in providing fibre to around 270,000 premises across Australia. Over the next three years, NBN Co will commence work in over 1,500 communities, covering 3.5 million premises throughout Australia.