Fix Ferry Road

Claytons commitments

In the House of Assembly Hansard of 7 July 2010 Liberal Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Rene Hidding, bemoans Labors vanishing pre-election promises:

. . . there was $8 million for the upgrade of Ferry Road at Kettering; $8 million for improvements to the northern end of Mud Walls Road; $6 million for the Richmond heavy vehicle link road; $5 million for the Esk Main Road to build on the upgrades already completed; $4 million for improvements to the Tasman Highway between Scottsdale and Launceston.  They all obviously need some planning, but you knew that before you announced that you were going to start the projects.  We went through them one by one at Estimates and, lo and behold, what did we find?  There are some projects that might notionally be ready to start, but are we starting them?  No, they have to go through the planning process as well.

There were only two that we found.  One was a commitment for the Meander Valley Council that had already been expended and it was simply a payment that could be paid, apparently; I do not know whether the money is in the Budget for it, but it should be.  The other one was a simple matter of traffic lights at Cormiston Road for the West Tamar people.  They are saying, ‘It’s not in the Budget but we will save it from some road job somewhere and put it in there’.  That is no way to deliver on election promises.  You make the promise and your very next Budget has to reflect your election promises and fund them in forward Estimates.

When the people of Tasmania go to the budget documents of this Budget to the forward Estimates for the Community Roads Package, they find it is not there.  There is a bucket of money for infrastructure, $250 million around 2013-14, but that is public sector-wide.  That means every hospital, school, truck, every project anywhere across the sector that has to be funded from capital expenditure will come from that bucket.  Does the $90 million survive out of that?  This minister says, ‘Of course we’ll build it’, so all we have is her word.  We had the previous Minister Sturges’ word prior to the election and we still do not have it in the forward Estimates, so why now would people start to believe that these roads will be done?

Later in proceedings, Liberal Member for Franklin, Jaquie Petrusma had this to say:

In regard to mine and the minister’s electorate of Franklin, the standard of roads leaves much to be desired after more than a decade of Labor government.  Labor promised to fix Ferry Road at Kettering, improve the Huon Highway, including overtaking lanes, upgrade the Richmond heavy vehicle link road and the Rokeby main road.

However all that appears in this year’s Budget is $1.5 million per annum for four years to accelerate planning work for road projects, including those roads listed in the Government’s Community Roads Package.

In regard to Ferry Road at Kettering, the comments on the Fix Ferry Road website say it all.  I quote:

‘All we ever get, apart from impressive-sounding election promises, is that there is a substantial amount of planning before work can commence.  One would expect that in respect of Ferry Road the time for planning would be over.’

The Government knows that Ferry Road provides a vital link to Bruny Island.  Problems with sewerage, safe pedestrian access and traffic congestion have plagued the road for many years and  increasing visitor numbers have added further pressure to inadequate infrastructure.  Buses, trucks, cars and pedestrians all compete for space in a very narrow area.  The road is unsafe for pedestrians at the best of times and during peak times this situation becomes even worse.

This is a road that has more than 440 000 vehicle movements annually and its current state is a disgrace.  During the summer peak season, for example, the queue of cars for the ferry can go all the way back to the Channel Highway.  For Ferry Road residents this can mean considerable delays getting into their own driveway.  One resident, whose driveway is less than 100 metres from the ferry terminal, was returning from Bruny Island with a boat in tow when he was forced to drive up the highway, turn around and join the queue.

Despite living only 100 metres from the ferry terminal he was able to drive into his own driveway more than 30 minutes after disembarking.  That was on 4 January this year.  Attending various forums, I have been told by Bruny Island residents that these queues can mean hours of waiting just to get home.  When you have a car full of groceries and frozen goods it is unacceptable.  The residents are rightly frustrated by government inaction and are concerned that it will take a serious accident to finally spur any action.

Those residents were not very happy following comments made in budget Estimates either, and I quote:

‘Ferry Road is a very complex project, so there is at least two years planning there.’

As the locals had to say on the Ferry Road website -

‘We have been hearing that for years, and it’s starting to sound like the needle is well and truly stuck in the same groove, especially given that we can get no indication when the planning will actually start’.

These local community groups are also concerned that repeated attempts to organise a meeting with their member, Minister Lara Giddings, have proven fruitless, and e-mails requesting updates on progress remain unanswered.   No wonder they are upset when the Ferry Road-Little Oyster Cove Precinct Plan that was completed last year made a whole series of recommendations, and the community believed the plan would signal the start of some real progress.  There has been no feedback on the precinct plan whatsoever from DIER.  It appears that this document is now simply sitting on the shelf, as have previous concept plans and designs drawn up over the last decade.  The community has lobbied for changes to this road for 15 years.  Is it not time that this Government delivered it for them?

The standard of the roads, especially in the Huon Valley, is also very concerning to residents.  There is a lack of overtaking lanes, icy and unsafe road conditions, and the verges and lines of sight are blocked through overgrowth.  Labor, however, also promised $8 million for improvements to the Huon Highway, including the overtaking lanes and safety improvements.  Last week’s budget Estimates committee was told that, while some preliminary work has been done, there is still significant work to be done, probably land acquisition, environmental surveys, and that the promised funding will be delayed for 12 to 18 months at least.

The same for Rokeby Main Road, a road I travel on every day.  From my personal experience of dropping my children off at the primary school, it can take ages for residents to get out of Burtonia Street, onto the South Arm Highway and Rokeby Main Road of a morning because of the thousands of vehicle movements along this road every day.  Due to the large number of new residential developments in this area, this situation is only going to get worse.  Labor promised $10 million, but now we are advised there is still significant planning to be done there as well.  Again, it is the same scenario for the Richmond heavy vehicle link road.  This project will need geological surveying, flora and fauna surveys, and an estimated 18 months of planning and some acquisitions.

While planning is important, I believe Labor has misled Tasmanians about its regional roads package.  It stated that $90 million over four years would be available.  This money does not appear in the Budget or across the forward Estimates.  Tasmanians would draw far more comfort knowing the money has been quarantined for these projects, even if planning still needed to be done, but the money is not shown.  Instead we have a pool that may or may not be available for these road projects.  Just because Labor says these regional roads will get priority from the funding pool does not make it any more believable, given this Government’s track record of  honouring its promises.

Given recent reporting of Liberal Party interest in Ferry Road, some readers may develop an impression that this site is becoming the mouthpiece for the Opposition.  Fact is that we are simply reporting relevant commentary.  There is absolutely no commentary coming from the Labor/Green coalition.  Not even a statement as to which recommendations from last year’s Ferry Road and Little Oyster Cove Precinct Plan the Government has accepted and intends to incorporate in the much vaunted 2-year planning project.

The Life of Brian

Brian the dog lives in Ferry Road.  He’s been waiting for years for Kingborough Council to construct a safe foreshore walkway so that he doesn’t have to dodge the log trucks when his owner takes him for a walk.  He lives in hope that Council will finally fulfil his expectations.

Brian loves living in Ferry Road  -  it’s just  so handy to his yacht.

Brian waits patiently for action to fix Ferry Road

Tony’s team take up task

Members of the Federal Liberal team visited Ferry Road this morning for a briefing on progress (or more accurately lack thereof) being made by the state Labor-Green coalition on fixing Ferry Road.  Senators Eric  Abetz and David Bushby were joined by Liberal candidate for Franklin, Jane Howlett and local Councillor Roger McGinniss.

Federal Liberal team supporting Fix Ferry Road campaign

They were told that despite a Precinct Plan having been finalised last year we have yet to hear from the state government how their promised $8.0m will be spent.  We don’t even know which of the recommendation of the Precinct Plan DIER supports.  Repeated attempts by local community groups to organise a meeting with the Minister,  Lara Giddings, have proved fruitless and emails requesting updates on progress remain unanswered.  The best we have been able to glean is characterised by the words of Peter Todd, DIER General Manager, Roads and Traffic when he told the Estimates Committee last Monday that:

Ferry Road is a very complex project so there is at least two years’ planning needed there.

We’ve been hearing that for years and it’s starting to sound the needle is well and truly stuck in the same groove especially given that we can get  no indication when the planning will actually start!

Following their visit today the Tasmanian Liberal Senate Team issued the following media release:

The Tasmanian Liberal Senator’s and Federal Franklin Liberal Candidate, Jane Howlett, joined the Fix Ferry Road convener, Graham Bannister, today to discuss the urgency of rectifying congestion on the road which leads to the Bruny Island Ferry terminal.

The State Labor-Green Government first budget broke State Labor’s promise over improving Ferry Road at Kettering.

“Following discussions with Kingborough Councilors and the Ferry Road action group I will be doing everything I can to get funds delivered that were committed to,” Jane Howlett said.

The State Government has said it will do nothing more than simply ‘plan’ for these changes and no resources have been committed to actually making the required upgrades.

The Liberal Senate Team have pointed out that the State Liberals had committed $8 million to the project as had State Labor and would pursue what is an important issue to the community now the Labor/Green government were no longer fixing the road.

“We all know what it is like to queue up waiting for the ferry in the middle of summer, just imagine what the locals have to deal with,” Jane Howlett said.

“My family operates a Channel tourism venture and understands how important access to decent infrastructure is.”

Senator Eric Abetz, speaking on behalf of the Tasmanian Liberal Senate Team, said the problems associated with the congestion on the road was highlighted during today’s visit by three large B-Double gravel trucks waiting in line with commuters at the Ferry Terminal.

The Liberal Senate Team and Jane Howlett said they would be looking at ways of getting the Ferry Road problems fixed for Bruny and Kettering residents as well as tourists visiting the area.

Media enquiries: David Allender (03) 6224 3707, 0457 590 881

Estimates committee grills Giddings

Some extracts from the Tasmanian Parliamentary  Estimates Committee hearings on 28 June:

Mr MORRIS – Minister, you have a strategic plan now to drive infrastructure development.  How do the election commitments you have made fit in terms of the priorities identified in the infrastructure plan for road development in Tasmania?  Were they based on any particular planning process that said that these road projects are the most important ones to be done, and in what order are those projects to be done, given the vagaries of one is going to take more planning than another?

Mr HIDDING – Where sitting members wanted votes and things like that, do you think?

Ms GIDDINGS – As you know, transport is a key part of our infrastructure strategic framework as well, and issues like the 20-year Midland Highway strategy are very much part of that, and it is a work we are progressing with our partnership agreement on the Midland Highway.  But there is also the funding for rail, which is very much what has come out of the election and budget processes as well.  The whole element is there to ensure that our infrastructure is helping to underpin the economy and develop.  There are things like the Richmond heavy vehicle link road, for instance, which is taking heavy trucks out of a historic township and helping to bypass a historic township.  There are issues like Ferry Road, which is also about assisting the tourism and local development, and ease of using Ferry Road and the infrastructure in place for the ferry terminal and the parking that is required there, and integrating the needs of the local community who are disadvantaged by the level of transport that is used through that road. I could go through all of the roads that need upgrading.  There is work that is in my own electorate of Franklin down around Huonville, and infrastructure needs with road infrastructure there on the basis of tourism, on the basis of forestry, on the basis of long neglect in some respects, particularly Geeveston to Dover, where there are communities at a huge disadvantage.

Mr HIDDING – We all have those.

Ms GIDDINGS – I could go through the whole $90 million worth of community roads.

Mr HIDDING – Was your list political, or was it based it on your strategy of community roads?

Ms GIDDINGS – No, it was also about listening to the local communities.  You had Ferry Road.  The only one I think you did not have was Mudwalls Road, which surprised me, with your local candidate who was in the paper, photographs and all, looking at the damage of Mudwalls Road.  Her own party could not even find a promise for it, the poor thing.  I did feel for her, hung out to dry.

Mr HIDDING – The next Federal member for Franklin.

Ms GIDDINGS – I doubt it somehow.

In all of these things I think there is always an element of governments responding to community needs.

Mr HIDDING – Yes, politics.

Ms GIDDINGS – If that is what politics is, it is responding to community need.  But you go and tell the people in Ferry Road that they should not be having it, because you promised it as much as we did.

Mr HIDDING – But you are talking about an infrastructure strategy.

Ms GIDDINGS – Yes, but all of these things underpin the economic development and the transport of this State, and a prime example is the heavy link road at Richmond.

Mr MORRIS – Minister, the point I am trying to get to here is are we going to have a planning-driven system that determines road infrastructure spending need based on objective criteria for the future and that is what having a strategic plan is about?  Or are we going to continue to see the pork barrelling, the type of approach that we seem to have seen during the last election yet again?  It would seem to me there is a real opportunity here with the key planning documents in place that all roads get put on the website or somewhere they can be publicly seen and their upgrade priority gets assessed with them.  Will that happen in future or will it not?

Mr McILFATRICK (Secretary, DIER)   – I have only been in this department for 18 months but I insisted that we put our priority projects up to Minister Sturges prior to the election and for him to choose, based on his knowledge of the community needs and through community cabinets and so forth.  I can assure you that the majority, I think 90 per cent, of the projects that we put up as priorities, appear in that list.  That was derived from our community engagement with local councils, our accident statistics and our knowledge of the local road needs.  Similarly, the issue about local road line marking came out of that process and we put up a proposition to the Government of the day that we should increase line marking.  It was strategically linked to local needs and then the politics take over during an election, as they do and politicians make the decision about where their priorities lie.  But there is a very strong alignment in this case with strategy.

Mr MORRIS – Is it possible that could end up as an objective process that is publicly declared up-front because, obviously we hear that some of projects are outside what you would have recommended?

Mr McILFATRICK – No, they were all on our list.

Mr MORRIS – What about your priorities?

Mr McILFATRICK – That is exactly where we are aiming with this process.

Ms GIDDINGS – A lot of these roads have been on the list for some time.  Ferry Road, for instance, is one that we members of Franklin have been lobbying -

Mr MORRIS – We have been lobbying you for 10 years.

Ms GIDDINGS – We also lobby internally for roads and it was not just my colleague, Ross Butler, who has lobbied for Ferry Road.  Many of my colleagues have lobbied for Ferry Road for some years and it has been on the list.  Every time you talk to the department they would tell you it is there, it is on the list.  We need the funding.  We were very relieved when, during the election campaign, that was named as a priority, one to be funded, based on the study, based on the work, based on the advice of the department.

Mr TODD (General Manager, Roads and Traffic, DIER)  – We then come to the Huon Highway.  We have done some preliminary work on that and we have had some very good discussions with the council, so we are closer on that one.  There is still significant work to do, probably land acquisition and environmental surveys and things that will need to be done there so that is probably 12 to 18 months at least.  Ferry Road is a very complex project so there is at least two years’ planning needed there.  Mud Walls Road is more straightforward -

Mr HIDDING - The Ferry Road people clearly are very agitated by all this.  Is it your contention that there is two years’ worth of planning required?

Ms GIDDINGS – It is complicated as it also includes sewerage works.  There was initial work that was being done by the department last year, and maybe even the year before, that was looking at where we could put some improved sewerage works.  Basically the proposal that came forward was to put a sewage treatment plant on the foreshore in Kettering, which raised a lot of alarm bells with the locals.  Through consultation with the local community it has been decided that it is not appropriate to do that.  We need to improve the capability of particularly the hotel at Kettering to deal their sewerage needs.

Mr HIDDING – So a minimum of two years’ planning?

Mr McILFATRICK – The minister is quite right, on the road infrastructure, yes.  On the sewerage infrastructure, no.  We think there is a solution there that is being negotiated at the moment with a private developer and I think that will move forward within 12 months.

Mentioned in parliament

Ferry Road has been getting a bit of a run in the House of Assembly lately.  On 22 June 2010, Will Hodgman, the Leader of the Opposition said:

What about Labor’s $90 million election promise of work to upgrade 16 roads across the State?  There are no specific allocations in this Budget for funding to upgrade these roads.  Of course Labor is now saying that it will need to get business case approval for each road first.  That is not what you told the people of Tasmania when you made them that promise during the election campaign.  So now many communities right across Tasmania are unsure as to whether or not they will even see these upgrades.  The Tasmanians who use Ferry Road at Kettering or the Arthur Highway or the Tasman Highway or the Highland Lakes Road, will continue to drive on roads that Mr Bartlett said just three months ago needed urgent upgrading.

Liberal Member for Franklin, Jacquie Petrusma has also been putting the acid on the government and submitted a Notice of Motion on 23 June 2010 and in a speech to parliament on 24 June even made reference to this humble website:

I rise today to speak on the budget reply.  . . . In regard to my own electorate of Franklin, it is disappointing to see that roads have been the victim of this Budget.  The standard of the roads, especially in the Huon Valley, leaves much to be desired.  They lack overtaking lanes, have icy and unsafe road conditions, and verges and lines of sight are blocked through overgrowth.  Once again, the Liberals’ alternative budget shows that we would have delivered 100 per cent on our road commitments.  Labor, on the other hand, made pre-election promises to fix Ferry Road at Kettering; the Huon Highway, including overtaking lanes for safety improvements; the Richmond heavy vehicle link road and Rokeby main road.  However, this promise has now been shown as too good to be true . . . I now quote from the Fix Ferry Road web site: ‘If they are all equal priority then that means a tad less than $100 000 each Roughly equivalent to what DIER ARE spending annually to pump out the sewerage tank at the Bruny Island Ferry terminal and probably about as useful in terms of actually getting something done.  How many consultants can you buy for $100 000 these days?’

The FixFerry Road web site also states: ‘All we ever get, apart from impressive-sounding election promises, is that there is a substantial amount of planning to be done before work can commence.  That was certainly the line that we got from Graeme Sturges and now it looks like Lara Giddings and Michael Aird are singing from the same song sheet Sturgo used.  If only someone from DIER would actually contact the community to at least provide us with a progress report or put us out of our misery.’

And today, Liberals shadow minister for Infrastructure, Rene Hidding issued a media release entitled Regional roads funding not guaranteed which says:

In Estimates today, Lara Giddings admitted that Labor’s $90 million funding for regional roads was not in the Budget.

Instead, there was an unallocated pool of infrastructure funding that would be used to fund infrastructure for a number of government departments.

The Labor Party made a commitment at the election to fund up to 16 regional roads, yet none of the roads mentioned at election are guaranteed any funding at all.

Instead, the Labor Party intends to use the unallocated money like a magic pudding.  Whenever they are asked about infrastructure funding they will point to the unallocated amount and say that it could be funded.

As we’ve seen with the Urban Heritage and Renewal Fund, whenever the Labor Party has a large bucket of unallocated money, it tends to be spent inefficiently and generally in areas of Tasmania where the Labor vote is flagging.

That’s not the way to run a budget and Tasmanians can well be concerned that not all of the 16 roads mentioned in the election will be funded and that the unallocated infrastructure funding will not be spent efficiently and effectively.

Minister for Infrastructure, Lara Giddings, had the following to say in amongst other things in her media release:

In the leadup to the Federal Election, I expect funding for major infrastructure projects to form a significant part of both major parties’ election commitments.

Ms Giddings said the State Government was committed to meeting all of its transport infrastructure election commitments, including the Community Roads Package and the West Coast Roads Package.

These two important roads packages will deliver a number of road improvements across the State to provide a safer traveling environment for all road users.

Through a planning and scoping fund of up to $12.5 million over the next four years, we will immediately begin planning work on road projects as identified through these two initiatives.

Aaah – the old pre-election promise trick – we remember it well.