Public Works Committee: Flood Recovery Projects—Northern Areas

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:24): I move:

That the 78^th report of the committee, entitled Flood Recovery Projects—Northern Areas, be noted.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) proposed to repair and reconstruct damaged sections of the Eyre Highway and Stuart Highway, which sustained flood damage from a significant weather event in January 2022. Intense rain events and subsequent flash flooding across the northern areas of South Australia caused extensive damage to large sections of the state's national highways. This impacted the transport of essential supplies, commodities and services to the community and industry. The affected Eyre Highway and Stuart Highway are arterial roads, which come under the care, control and management of the Commissioner of Highways.

Eyre Highway is the primary road link between South Australia and Western Australia, supporting a high proportion of interstate and intrastate freight heavy vehicles. This 945-kilometre highway runs from the Western Australian border, through Ceduna and Kimba, to Port Augusta. The annual average daily traffic between Kimba and Kyancutta is approximately 750 vehicles, with 38 per cent of these being heavy vehicles.

The Stuart Highway is the primary road link between South Australia and the Northern Territory, commencing at the Northern Territory-South Australia border, and extending approximately 924 kilometres south to Port Augusta. This is part of a longer road link between Port Augusta and Darwin. The annual average daily traffic of the highway between Port Augusta and Pimba is approximately 1,000 vehicles, with 29 per cent being heavy vehicles. The annual average daily traffic between Pimba and Coober Pedy is approximately 500 vehicles, with approximately 30 per cent of these being heavy vehicles.

Both highways sustained severe damage and inundation from localised heavy rainfall in January 2022. The Stuart Highway was closed to all traffic for approximately two weeks, which disrupted supply deliveries into the Northern Territory. Upon reopening, the road was restricted for a further week with a single lane being operational only for heavy vehicles and emergency vehicles before the whole road was progressively reopened. Eyre Highway was close for one day whilst emergency works were undertaken. The sections of these highways at Kimba, on Eyre Highway, and Glendambo and Lake Windabout, on Stuart Highway, will be the sites of the three works being proposed.

The total cost of these works is $75 million. This is a joint commitment between the Australian and South Australian governments, on an 80:20 basis, to fund the Targeted Investment to Improve National Supply Chain Resilience program. This commitment focuses on flood recovery and improvement of impacted highways. Early works and site preparation have commenced on site, with completion expected by early 2025. These works are complemented by additional flood recovery projects undertaken as part of the wider program and include shoulder repairs to the Stuart Highway from Port Augusta to Pimba that is currently in progress, and two completed works at Woocalla Creek and Olympic Dam Highway.

The key aims of the project are improved route reliability, improved road safety, increased network resilience and the realisation of investment benefits. The proposed scope of the works includes:

raising the profile of the highway throughout flood-affected areas;

upgrades to drainage structures to accommodate future flood events;

introduction of cement-stabilised pavement materials;

installation of cement toe walls to minimise future scour;

rock armour to cover newly constructed batters;

new pavement construction and surfacing for the extent of the works, as well as new line marking; and

safety barriers in required locations.

To reduce the impact of future flood events, the existing road surface will be raised in certain locations, and the pavement layers will be strengthened using stabilising materials. This will enable the road to withstand several hours of inundation during future inclement weather events to minimise damage to the pavement, while also allowing the road to open more quickly following such events. This will be complemented by new and upgraded drainage infrastructure to improve natural stormwater flows, as well as scour protection around and alongside pavements and batters to reduce the maintenance of roads after future flood events.

Currently, Eyre Highway is gazetted for vehicles up to and including Performance-Based Standards level 3B vehicles. This is for road trains and double road trains up to 36.5 metres in length. The works will be designed to cater for future Performance-Based Standards level 4A vehicles, which is for road trains and triple road trains up to 53.5 metres long. This will align the Eyre Highway with the vehicle levels that the Stuart Highway is currently gazetted for.

Specifically at the Glendambo site, impacts to existing services such as Telstra, SA Water and SA Power Networks have been identified. Early engagement with service authorities will be undertaken to implement any necessary service relocations prior to the main construction works. Project management will be undertaken by DIT in accordance with its program and project management framework, and contract management procedures and risk management will be undertaken on an ongoing basis.

To avoid delays due to adverse weather in flood plain locations, a comprehensive construction program will be developed, with traffic management plans implemented to reduce the impact of construction works upon motorists and local traffic. To ensure relevant approvals are obtained in a timely manner, there will be early engagement with relevant authorities and agencies, including approvals relating to native vegetation.

The works will be assessed and managed in accordance with DIT's environment and heritage impact assessment processes. A sustainable development report has been prepared by the department, outlining the environmental objectives, principles and actions of the project. Common sustainable activities across the sites include:

the undertaking of vegetation and fauna surveys, with the removal of vegetation minimised through detailed design development;

the development of soil erosion and drainage management plans to protect water quality during construction; and

the implementation of protocols during construction to limit potentially contaminating activities that may affect previously unimpacted and undisturbed areas.

Additionally, at the Lake Windabout and Glendambo sites, water quality risk assessments will be conducted to identify and prevent impacts to water quality.

The sections of the project on the Stuart Highway lie within native title claim areas. The Glendambo project lies within the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation native title claim area, and is determined to exist within land parcels adjacent to the project. The Lake Windabout project lies within the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation native title claim area, and is determined to exist within land parcels adjacent to the project areas. Should these projects on the Stuart Highway require access or use of affected land parcels, Crown Solicitor's Office advice will be sought as to whether formal notification under the Native Title Act is likely to be required.

A community and stakeholder engagement plan has been developed for consultation with key stakeholders, including traditional landowners, government departments and agencies, emergency services, local pastoralists, businesses and communities. A project website, dedicated contact number and email address will be maintained throughout the project. The department states that consultation with adjacent landowners and affected business owners will be ongoing to manage and minimise the construction impacts.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Flood Recovery Projects—Northern Areas. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were Andrew Excell, Executive Director, Transport Strategy and Planning, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, and Jodie Grayson, Team Leader, Northern Rural, Department for Infrastructure and Transport. I thank the witnesses for their time.

Based upon the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:32): I just want to make a few brief comments on the Flood Recovery Projects—Northern Areas project. Certainly, we saw the need for a great deal of work to be done on the Stuart Highway, especially in regard to flood damage. There were scenes at Glendambo of that A-triple road train bogged at the side of the road on the bitumen, which was a bit interesting. There was certainly some extreme weather that went through that area.

Last year I had the good fortune to head up to the Finke Desert Race, so I saw all that highway and saw some of those roadworks being done. I must say that the contractors were doing a fantastic job, doing a full rebuild and reseal. Sometimes this is not done soon enough on our highways, and sometimes there is too much patchwork done, but it was fantastic, the work I saw being done there—I think it was Fulton Hogan, from memory, doing the work. That is a vital road link, the Stuart Highway, from Port Augusta through to Darwin.

I certainly support the measures put in place. You get these rain events and a lot of them are offsets of cyclones, and this certainly was, I believe, where we saw this major flooding. It has been quite wet at times in the upper north, but certainly the works I saw were excellent and I hope they hold up for a long time to come—many years to come, in fact. It is an isolated area to get to work, but when you have a decent pavement to drive over it makes all the difference. I certainly have driven over all that length of the Stuart Highway towards Finke and almost, but not quite, to Alice Springs.

I certainly commend the work that has been done and it is good that it was done in a timely fashion, because that is a really valuable freight route through to the north of Australia, through to Darwin, and good work has been done.

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:35): I just want to take this opportunity to again thank the member for Hammond for his contribution to the debate and to also point out from personal experience that it is always interesting to hear him talk about interstate freight.

Motion carried.