FROM THE CMPA SECRETARIAT (Issue 65)

Where has all the experience gone?

BRUCE McCLURE General Manager of the CMPA comments on the neglect of Victoria’s road network.

ANYONE traveling on many of the Victorian state highways and indeed freeways at present, may start to believe that they are no longer in Victoria but are driving on other state roads such as South Australia or New South Wales. Victoria’s roads were regarded as some of the best around Australia but alas that no longer is the case.

Victoria’s road network is being neglected. Go for a ride on most highways and you will see a lack of maintenance everywhere. This is not necessarily the State Road Authorities fault as maintenance dollars available keep shrinking but the standard of some of the works being carried out is not up to standard.

Successive governments have neglected to provide funds for maintenance and we see the consequences wherever you drive. In the past you may have had substantial gangs of workmen looking after extensive lengths of network but these have been replaced in some instances with outsourced private firms who are working to very tight budgets and limited resources.

The CMPA has received a number of comments from members who are concerned at the way the maintenance of our highways is being neglected. They are particularly concerned at the conditions in some of the more remote parts of the state.

Not only have there been problems with maintenance but a number of projects that have been under construction over the last twelve months have seen substantial works taking place in wet and cold conditions in the middle of winter. The outcomes on many of these were of major concern with stretches of road not suitable for use.

In some instances there has been major pressure placed on a number of CMPA members who have been accused of supplying material out of specification and hence payments for supply of products have been held back. The State Road Authority cannot walk away from such issues as they are obviously aware that their contractors are working in unsuitable weather conditions and in many respects should have prevented this work from occurring.

Any experienced road builder who has worked in Victoria over many years when there has been drought and when there has been wet conditions knows from experience when you can build road pavement successfully, when you can place bituminous seals and asphalt. Yet over the winter this year our members have seen attempts to build roads, to place pavement and then seal or place asphalt when the road authorities own specifications quite clearly specify such things as dry back rates, temperature for sealing etc. which normally would prevent such work from happening.

Construction of roads, pavements in a wet winter should not be occurring and to simply do the work because funds have to be spent by a certain time is a damning indictment on the powers to be who let such things happen.

There is a real need for the State Government to consider putting considerable funding into the road network maintenance and this may have to be at the expense of a number of new infrastructure projects. We all know that funds available to the State Government are limited but they ignore the future condition of the road network and fail to address existing
maintenance problems with the network, at their peril.

DON’T CHANGE DEPRECIATION

The Federal Government earlier this year set up a Business Tax Working Group (BTWG) to look at amongst other issues, off setting savings from within the business tax system or business expenditure programs to fund any recommended reforms.

One area that the BTWG was looking at was ways to change the rules for depreciating trucks and trailers. Under their proposal, business would depreciate their trucks and trailers over 15 years rather than the current 7.5 years for trucks and 10 years for trailers.

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) took up this battle and made strong representation to Government to rethink these proposed depreciation changes pointing out the dire consequences for businesses, road safety and the environment.

The latest information from the ATA is that the BTWG has backed down on its proposal to change the depreciation arrangements. However, the ATA and other associations will need to watch this area to see that the Government does not still implement the proposed changes.

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