The biggest road maintenance blitz Victoria has ever seen will fix hundreds of regional roads, giving drivers safer, faster and more reliable journeys.

The Victorian Budget 2018/19 allocates $941 million to get on with the job of fixing Victoria’s regional road network, saving lives and establishing a dedicated country roads body.

Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) will be a new division of VicRoads, based in Ballarat, with staff in regional centres across the state – giving regional Victorians the roads they can rely on.

Led by a Chief Regional Roads Officer, RRV will oversee a $333 million boost to road maintenance, with more than 1,000 kilometres of roads to be repaired, resurfaced or rebuilt across the state.

In addition to the record maintenance spend, a $100 million Fixing Country Roads fund will be established to provide grants to rural and regional councils to fix their local roads.

The Andrews Labor Government is continuing to invest in road safety, with a further $229 million to save lives on Victoria’s most high-risk roads through the Towards Zero Road Safety Action Plan, with more new overtaking lanes, rumble strips and intersection upgrades.

The Budget also includes $98 million for planning and pre-construction of new bypasses on the Western Highway at Beaufort and Ararat, as well as $40 million to upgrade the Princes Highway West between Colac and the South Australian border.

Key sections of the Calder Highway, Hamilton Highway and the Kiewa Valley Highway will be upgraded to improve safety, travel times and freight productivity.

Ballarat’s iconic Sturt Street will get a series of intersection upgrades between Pleasant Street and Dyson Drive to reduce congestion and make it safer to access schools, shops and sports grounds.

A new roundabout will be constructed on the Shepparton Alternate Route to improve safety and access for heavy vehicles, part of a $20 million investment to cater for future growth.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“As someone who grew up in country Victoria, I know how important safe and reliable roads are for regional communities.”

“This ground-breaking investment will upgrade regional roads right across the state – and for the first time give our regional road network the direct attention it deserves.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan

“We’re giving country Victorians safer and more reliable roads – since coming to office we’ve doubled spending on road maintenance and we’re fixing hundreds of regional roads across the state.”

“We’re making this record investment and establishing Regional Roads Victoria to reduce congestion, improve safety and support primary producers to get their goods to market.”

View this media release on premier.vic.gov.au

The cost of the Hoddle Street traffic streamlining project has blown out by 80 per cent, jumping from $60 million to $110 million in the space of a year, in large part because of a shortage of raw materials.

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The Andrews Labor Government is working to keep the cost of raw materials down as it rolls out the strongest infrastructure pipeline in Victoria’s history.

The Victorian Budget 2018/19 includes $12.7 million for the Earth Resources Regulator (ERR) to ensure access to the rock, gravel, sand and other resources required to build the projects our state needs.

Working through the Regulator, the funding boost will simplify regulatory procedures and provide for an upgraded online application system to make it easier and quicker for us to extract raw materials.

It will also identify the best areas for raw materials, with a new geotechnical engineer, risk specialist, and community engagement officers to work with local communities and local governments.

More than 30 per cent of the cost of any major project is raw materials. If that cost goes up, it puts significant pressure on a project’s bottom line.

This investment will help ensure that we can keep accessing the raw materials we need  to keep building our state.

Quotes attributable to Treasurer and Minister for Resources Tim Pallas

“Our record investment in infrastructure is creating jobs – but also demand for raw materials. It means we need a ready supply of resources as Victoria grows.”

“Doing nothing is not an option – we need to continue our progress, rolling out the biggest infrastructure pipeline in our state’s history.”

“This investment will help keep the cost of raw materials down, as we build Victoria and grow Victorian jobs.”

View this media release on premier.vic.gov.au

Although much publicity after the 2016 & 2017 budgets surrounded the ability for larger businesses to claim 100% depreciation on assets purchased of less than $20,000 through the reclassification of small business to incorporate companies with a turnover of up to $10 million, this is “small change” compared to what has now become available to those companies under the Simplified Depreciation Rules.

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ALBERT TOAL, General Manager of Lincom Group provided a presentation on Safety Guarding at the recently held CMPA Guarding Workshop.

Australian authorities demand some of the most stringent mobile plant guarding requirements in the world today. A lot of the crushers and screens Lincom Group import meet European standards but require quite a few additional modifications to guarding before we can supply to the Australian market.

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A safer Hamilton Highway is on the way for motorists in Western Victoria with works underway on a $10 million upgrade between Geelong and Cressy.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack said the recently approved upgrade as part of the Australian Government’s $75 billion infrastructure investment would target deteriorated sections of the highway as well as upgrade a key Bannockburn intersection to ensure a safer and more reliable journey.

“This is a substantial investment that will support the region’s economy and give the local community greater confidence in the safety and reliability of the highway while making access to Geelong from the surrounding area quicker and safer,” Mr McCormack said.

Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan said the Hamilton Highway was vital to the future of western Victoria and would ensure it remained fit-for-purpose in the long term.

“We’re pleased to be delivering this upgrade particularly for local people in Cressy and Inverleigh who travel to and from Geelong every day,” Mr Donnellan said.

Victorian Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney said the project would also involve shoulder sealing, delineation, signage improvements and line marking.

“To keep everyone safe during the works, speed limits will be reduced to 40 km/h near work areas and lane closures may be required so drivers should plan their journey and allow extra time,” Ms Tierney said.

Construction on the project is due for completion by the end of March 2019 weather permitting. The upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments.

View this media release on premier.vic.gov.au

CHRIS DEFREITAS, Development Manager for Peninsula Quarries reports on the development of the quarry.

Peninsula Quarries VIC are the new guys on the block. Peninsula Quarries was established by Bayport in July 2017 as a direct response to the growth and development of its quarry site in Somerville.

The quarry site is located in Pottery Road, Somerville and has been owned by Bayport since 1995. Until recent times, extraction from the site had been undertaken on a campaign basis, however current demand in the region has seen this quarry grow into a full time operation, with five full time staff now based on site.

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In this day and age, our industry must reinvigorate the investment into the training area of our Management Systems. This view must be shared by the Owners, Managers, Employees and Suppliers. Collectively, the character and capabilities of our workforce will be secured and the industry’s profitability enhanced.

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Striker mobile crushers and screens have been working in Australia for over 20 years. The company is privately owned, Australian built and bred, and encompasses the core values of a ‘can do’ attitude and specialises in crushers and screens that are ‘built to last’. All Striker crushers and screens are track-mounted and used in various applications ranging from traditional quarrying, mining and recycling to more specialised applications like gold and copper heap leaching operations, rare earth projects and the disposal of illegal ivory.

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ANNA CRONIN, Commissioner for Better Regulation provides recommendations for the future of the Extractive Industry from the Earth Resources Regulation (ERR) Continuous Improvement Project (CIP).

Victoria’s earth resources industries play a key role in supplying materials for infrastructure and other construction projects and meeting growing demand for our commodities. Thousands of jobs depend on these industries, particularly in regional Victoria and in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. That’s why it’s important for government to ensure that its regulatory framework for resource development strikes the right balance: facilitating the development of resources and the efficient operation of mines and quarries while ensuring that this activity is consistent with Victoria’s environmental, planning, heritage and local community regulations.

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