Months after Australia's only cross-country road and rail freight routes were cut off by flooding, the federal budget plans to drive two new routes through the remotest parts of the country a lifeline.
The sealing of the Tanami Road, which runs from Halls Creek in WA to Alice Springs and the Outback Way between Laverton in Western Australia and Winton in Queensland, has long been advocated for — with the federal budget leaving significant money available for both projects.
The announcement flagged $400 million dollars to seal the Tanami Road from Halls Creek to the WA border, while $676 million was earmarked to continue efforts to seal the Outback Highway.
The funding is conditional and hinges on business cases demonstrating value for money and public benefit.
'Absolutely essential'
Supply chain expert Elizabeth Jackson said recent natural disasters — including floods that cut off WA to the rest of Australia in January — had propelled the issue back onto the political agenda.
"Our current systems are nowhere near resilient enough particularly for a nation that is so exposed to natural disasters," Dr Jackson said.
"These outback lifelines are now being considered more seriously as being major arteries for road transport, which is absolutely essential.
Will promises be delivered?
The Tanami Road project was added to Infrastructure Australia's priority list in 2016. Previously, limited progress had been made from Halls Creek to the WA-NT Border in securing funding to start works.
Despite significant commitments from the Commonwealth to seal the rest of the route from the state border to Alice Springs, only a few kilometres of road has been sealed to date.
Long-term advocates say they are hopeful the projects will go ahead in the event of a change of government in the upcoming federal election.
"I'm pretty confident we'll get this through," Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said.
Current networks on a knife's edge
Ms Jackson said networks had been on a knife's edge for "far too long" and strategic investment into inland routes should be a priority for governments.
"This has got to happen, it's absolutely essential, especially in WA where we are genuinely cut off to the rest of the world, particularly when air transport is compromised," she said.
"If voters don't understand the importance of supply chains now, when will they understand and make it a priority for government?"
Potential 'game changer'
Halls Creek shire president Malcolm Edwards said sealing the road would not only strengthen WA's supply chains but also deliver significant social and economic benefits to the East Kimberley.
"On the WA side of the Tanami Road there are about 2,000 Aboriginal people living down there," he said.
"There are that many prospecting and mining leases down that Tanami Road … when that bitumen goes ahead it will open it right up for the mining and for the pastoral industry.
"The further you get down the Tanami the less viable it is for a cattle station. This unallocated crown land there, they reckon that if it was opened up it could take another 50,000 head of cattle."
