Page 1616 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991
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CHIEF MINISTER FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION
Question No 375
Rings Highway
MS FOLLETT - Asked the Chief Minister upon notice on 13 March 1991:
(1) What negotiations have taken place with the Commonwealth and
New South Wales Governments about the state of the
Kings Highway, and
(2) What action does the Government propose to take to ensure that Canberra residents can travel to the coast on a better and safer road.
MR KAINE - The answer to the Members question is as follows:
(1) Resulting from discussions between the ACT and NSW Governments, a joint submission seeking additional Federal funding of $11 million over ten years to upgrade the Kings Highway was referred to the Federal Minister for Land Transport, the Hon Bob Brown MP, in June 1990.
The submission was based on an overview report on the state of the Highway prepared by the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW.
In October 1990, Mr Brown replied, refusing special funding for the Highway. In his reply, the Minister for Lard Transport pointed out that the Kings Highway is a State arterial road and that the NSW Government is fully responsible for the allocation of Federal grants for these roads in accordance with its own priorities.
The Kings Highway was discussed at the December 1990 meeting of the NSW/ACT Consultative Forum and, at the request of the Forum, the NSW Premier and I jointly wrote to the Prime Minister on 10 December 1990 seeking his support for Federal assistance.
The Prime Minister responded on 15 March 1991. He reiterated the previous response from the Minister for Land Transport of 18 October 1990 and indicated there was little he could add. He also indicated that the Kings Highway was quite fairly classified as a State arterial road.
The December NSW/ACT Consultative Forum was also provided with a report which showed that the NSW Government has given high priority status to upgrading the Kings Highway and is currently spending some $8.4 million over a three year period,including an amount of S3.8m allocated under the 3x3 Accelerated Road Improvement Program.
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