Transport in Australia

Most of Australia's infrastructure is dictated by it's geographical boundaries. Because of the distance between major regional centers and the urban sprawl, transportation is always an important factor. Heavy haulage, climatic conditions and environmental requirements & obligations are some of the criteria that contribute to ongoing requirements.

Road Transportation

Road transport is an essential element of the Australian transport network, and Australia relies heavily on road transport due to Australia's large area and low population density in remote areas. Australia is reliannt upon roads because the rail network has not been sufficiently developed for a lot of the freight and passenger requirements. Goods that would otherwise be transported by rail are moved across Australia via road trains.

Almost every household owns at least one car, and uses it most days.

Funding and responsibility for Australia's road network is split between the three levels of government; Federal, State and Local. Various highways and main roads linking regional centres are funded by the respective state governments. Local and minor roads are generally funded by the third tier of government, local councils.

The Federal government provides funds under the AusLink programme for several funding programs including:

• National Projects
• National Network Maintenance, essentially the National Highway, comprising the main freeways and highways linking the major cities of Australia
• Roads to Recovery Programme - provides funding allocations to councils in each State or Territory.
• Black Spot Programme (improvements to high accident risk spots)
• Strategic Regional Programme
• Funding for Local Roads