news & information

An experienced executive in the construction sector and industry lobbying, Ms Rebecca Pickering, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of influential South Australian lobby group, the Civil Contractors Federation (SA).

Ms Pickering’s appointment follows an extensive national search, following the resignation, after nearly nine years, of its well respected CEO, Mr Phil Sutherland.

Ms Pickering comes to the position with considerable experience in both the construction sector and industry association work. This has included several years with the Master Builders Association in SA, and more recently the CCF (SA) as Director Apprenticeships, Group Training, and Industry Employment.

The President of the CCF (SA), Mr Paul Davison, said today that the CCF (SA) Board had every confidence that under Rebecca’s leadership, the Federation will continue to strongly represent the interests of the State’s civil contractors and deliver services of benefit to its membership.

“Pleasingly, we had a large field of high-quality applicants, but Ms Pickering was the stand-out candidate who was able to set out a very clear pathway forward,” Mr Davison said.

“We are confident that under her leadership, the CCF (SA) will maintain our position as the peak body representing civil contractors.

“Given Rebecca’s unique skills set and experience, we will see our very significant training operation, Civil Train, and our interest in Apprentices through our Group Training Organisation, continue to grow and develop.     

“Over the years, the CCF (SA) has achieved many successes. Appointing a woman to be the CCF (SA) CEO sends a valuable message to our industry about the contribution women can make at all levels of SA’s civil construction industry.”   

For clients in South Australia, today’s news of a full lockdown has come as a shock. For businesses, questions arise as to what this means for employees.

Note: the below information is general in nature and relates solely to the ‘default’ stand down provisions set out in the Fair Work Act 2009. Employees who are covered by a contract of employment or enterprise agreement that provides differently may have different entitlements.

An employer may stand down an employee in circumstances where they are not able to be usefully employed – relevantly – due to causes beyond the employer’s control. A government enforced total lockdown affecting a business comfortably meets the test of a cause beyond the employer’s control. However, before making the decision to stand a person down, consideration must be given to whether or not the person can be “usefully employed”. This is an area that requires some consideration.

There is limited case law on what is meant by ‘usefully employed’ although the general rule of thumb is that the benefit received from the work must be more than the cost of paying the person to do so. Similarly, an employer is not required to substantially reorganise their workplace to create useful work. In most cases, this assessment will be obvious. For example, the closure of building sites makes it unlikely that on site workers would be able to be usefully employed. However, where work from home is available, consideration needs to be given to whether and, if so, how much, valuable work a person can perform. An employee required to process payroll may be able to be usefully employed to do this but if no work is performed, the following week may not be able to be usefully employed. A case by case assessment is required for unilateral stand down.

Employees are taken to not be stood down when they are on a period of authorised leave or other absence. It is generally accepted that an employee should be able to access accrued annual leave, long service leave or rostered days off unless there is good reason for them not to. Note that subject to specific provisions in awards/enterprise agreements or contracts of employment, an employee cannot be ‘forced’ to take a period of leave – it must be by agreement. Specific advice should be sought before issuing any direction to take leave or any refusal to grant a period of annual leave. Access to sick leave is generally not available although this is complicated, and specific advice should be sought.

Where there is an agreement between employees and employers (eg. an agreed stand down, or period of leave), many of the complexities outlined above can be overcome or minimised. As a result, it is strongly recommended that clients aim to work cooperatively with staff to make suitable arrangements, especially for the next 6 day period. For the most part, employees will have similar concerns such as child minding etc. which they will need to accommodate. These arrangements should be recorded in writing, such as a brief email. Although there is the ability to reach agreement employers should bear in mind that this is not ‘carte blanche’ and employment laws still apply. Accordingly, advice should be sought in relation to any specific agreement.

Employees who are stood down are not entitled to be paid, but will continue to accrue leave entitlements as usual. Employers who engage daily hire employees may consider terminating daily hire engagements although specific advice should be sought before taking this step as it is a termination of employment.

It is hoped that this is the end of the process but no-one can predict the future and should lockdown continue to affect your business after that time, it is also strongly recommended that employers revisit these arrangements regularly – perhaps weekly, or sooner if circumstances change.

Note that for employers who are currently on Jobkeeper, an employer would also need to pay the Jobkeeper amount. It is also noted that the effect of this lockdown may also entitle employers to Jobkeeper amounts and it is recommended that businesses discuss this with their accountant.

Disclaimer: the information above is general in nature only and specific advice should be sought in relation to a business’ specific circumstances. It is noted that awards, enterprise agreements and contracts of employment can impact on the above matters.

Note: the Fair Work Lawyers office will remain open (remotely) throughout this time and be able to respond to client queries. The contact details for our solicitors are:

Tom Earls            0409 939 010     tom@fairworklawyers.com.au

David Putland    0419 839 125     david@fairworklawyers.com.au

Emma Avey        0413 474 428     emma@fairworklawyers.com.au

Ethan Callan       0431 557 350     ethan@fairworklawyers.com.au

Sara Pekmez      0479 177 685     sara@fairworklawyers.com.au

Today Treasurer Rob Lucas delivered the 2020/21 State Budget, and CCF SA believes the Treasurer has struck an appropriate balance between a government being fiscally responsible and providing the necessary stimulus to resuscitate the economy during and following the fires and the pandemic, while also providing long term sustainable growth. 

This budget makes some in roads into a large road maintenance backlog and upgrading road networks that are very much out of date.  This also includes money for the states bridges, many of which are over a hundred years old and in urgent need of repair. 

It's also pleasing to see the budget acknowledges the importance of our regions and coastal precincts including jetties and road maintenance.

Small business, VET and tradies also receive additional incentives which will see a positive difference to the industry.

To view the overview of the budget, click here

The South Australian Government has also announced that the hybrid option is the preferred way to deliver the T2D Project, which will see a combination of tunnels, lowered and ground-level motorways, as well as overpasses / underpasses at key intersections to successfully complete the free-flowing transport route.

To see more about the concept design, and to register for updates, click here

Upgrades to one of Adelaide’s most renowned retail routes, a century-old waste dump site and one of the city’s most heavily trafficked rail intersections have dominated the winners’ list at the 2020 South Australian Earth Awards.

The honours represent excellence in civil construction across the State and were achieved this year despite the unprecedented challenges for the sector imposed by COVID restrictions on contractors’ movements and supply chain disruptions.

The Awards were announced at a ceremony in Adelaide last night (Friday 16 Oct).

Civil Contractors Federation (South Australia) Chief Executive, Mr Phil Sutherland, said the outperformance evident across the project winners is testimony to the skillsets retained within the sector and now on offer to drive Australia and South Australia’s post-COVID economic resurgence.

“At every political level, shovel-ready infrastructure works are being seen as a cornerstone for the pace and scope at which regional and state economies recover from the lingering impacts of COVID,” Mr Sutherland said.

“In SA, where the CCF (SA) has lobbied hard for higher State and Federal funding for priority projects, we have an opportunity to employ hundreds of additional people over the next 12-18 months.

“The Earth Awards mirror how good this sector is in SA – now it is time to capitalise on the richness of this immediately available resource within our broad civil construction community.”

This year’s winners, and a brief project description of each, are as follows:

EARTH AWARDS 2020 WINNERS            

CATEGORY             COMPANY                                   PROJECT NAME

UP TO $2M              DOWNER EDI Works                  Mangrove Street Rail Upgrade

$2M - $5M               Coleman Rail Pty Ltd,                Port River Rail Bridge Pile Remediation

Department for Planning,

Transport and Infrastructure,

Quakewrap Pty Ltd,

Concrete Remedi8 Pty Ltd        

                   

$5M - $10M              McMahon Services Australia     Hamilton Hill Stages 1, 2, 3A, 3C and 4

                                                                                     Remediation Earthworks                  

                   

CATEGORY             COMPANY                                   PROJECT NAME    (continued…)

$10M - $30M            BMD Constructions                     King William Road Upgrade

$30M TO $75M        Department for Environment    SARFIIP – Katarapko Floodplain

and Water, SA Water, Fulton     Inundation Measures

Hogan Construction                                      

                   

Over $75M              PTPA (Public Transport             Oaklands Crossing Grade Separation

Project Alliance)                                                                                                          Department for Infrastructure

and Transport, McConnell

Dowell, Mott Macdonald,

Arup   

Mangrove Street Rail Upgrade - Salisbury

The Mangrove St Rail Upgrade at Salisbury upgraded exhausted road-pavement, poor drainage and an at-risk section of railway track traversing through Mangrove St. The City of Salisbury, Downer and WGA went through a vigorous design process to come up with an innovative and sustainable solution that met all design objectives and budgetary requirements. The pavement design differed from traditional construction methods, building up the road level by utilising the existing pavement as a base and constructing on-top new kerb and gutter and asphalt layers enhanced with pavement reinforcing technologies. The rail design consisted of a re-alignment of the track to increase the safety of the bend through the level crossing.

King William Road Upgrade - Unley

The transformation of the iconic King William Road, saw BMD preserve the precinct’s unique village identity while delivering a flexible and functional streetscape. The popular retail and restaurant precinct has more than 240 stakeholders including 109 traders, and hosts up to 5,000 visitors, and close to 15,000 vehicles within the precinct each day. Strategies to minimise inconvenience were integral to both planning and delivery. BMD constructed the project in four stages, involving complex service relocations, intersection upgrade works, new segment paver traffic lanes with deep lift asphalt base courses, new roll kerbs and segmental paver shared use areas, landscaping, street furniture, electrical works and smart lighting.

Katarapko Floodplain Inundation Measures - Riverland

The South Australian Riverland Floodplains Integrated Infrastructure Program (SARFIIP) is a Commonwealth-funded program consisting of a number of priority construction projects involving infrastructure at the Pike and Katarapko floodplains between Loxton and Renmark in the Riverland. The projects were managed by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and delivered in partnership with SA Water, with Fulton Hogan as lead contractor. The works improved the area’s ecological health by maintaining a more natural pattern of flooding frequency, facilitating targeted management of surface water for environmental outcomes, reducing floodplain salinisation and managing salinity impacts on the River.

Port River Rail Bridge - Ethelton

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport engaged Coleman Rail to undertake the remediation of 144 square concrete piles supporting the Port River Rail Bridge originally constructed in 1910 and adjacent Bower Road at Ethelton. This was a challenging and complex project requiring works over water and a sensitive dolphin sanctuary and under the live Outer Harbor rail line with no disruption to train services. Works included inspection and verification of the required repairs, water blasting of the piles, engineering of a suitable remediation system that would provide the piles with an additional 50 years of design life, and development of a suitable system to access the worksite, which required working over and in a tidal waterway.

Oaklands Crossing Grade Separation – Oaklands Park

The Oaklands Crossing Grade Separation project grade separated the road and rail networks to improve operation and safety of the traffic and rail network and public transport and passenger access. The project was designed and constructed by the Public Transport Projects Alliance, PTPA, comprising McConnell Dowell, Arup, Mott MacDonald and Department for Infrastructure and Transport. Project delivery within a compressed 16 month timeframe incorporated an offline construction methodology minimising road and rail disruption and showcasing the successful integration of urban greening, people connectivity and sustainability within a typically hard engineered infrastructure project, for a safer and more inviting station precinct.

Hamilton Hill - Woodforde

The project transformed a 100-year-old waste dump into a new master planned community in Adelaide’s foothills. McMahon Services in partnership with environmental and geotechnical consultants, developed an achievable and realistic construction management plan and a detailed profile and map of all the waste across the site. These thorough and upfront investigations allowed McMahon Services to develop programs, staging and methodologies that mitigated or managed onsite risks, and allowed for a delivery schedule that effectively eliminated double-handling of materials. The Company crushed, sorted and segregated 500,000 tonnes in waste streams within the old dump site so that they could be repurposed and reused as geotechnically suitable materials to allow the bulk earthworks and reshaping of Hamilton Hill to make it suitable for residential construction.

The Civil Contractors Federation (South Australia) has welcomed the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery Budget and described it as a very impressive suite of stimulus measures bound to have a positive effect on the circumstances of many South Australians, businesses in South Australia and the State.

The Civil Contractors Federation (SA) also is pleased to see A$1billion allocated to local councils nationally for road upgrades.

Welcome also is the announcement of A$2 billion for new water infrastructure to support regional communities and jobs.

Federation Chief Executive, Mr Phil Sutherland, said however, that when it came to the cash contribution of $625 million towards SA’s road infrastructure, more could have been allocated from the national roads budget of $10 billion.

“While $625 million is a great deal of money, when compared with the estimated $800 million back log of road maintenance in SA, it will not make much of a dent in the SA’s road network,” Mr Sutherland said.

“Its been described as an economic recovery budget but at least half of the $625 million destined for SA road projects are not shovel ready - with construction likely to be two or three or more years away.

“While SA is to share in the $2 billion road safety funding program, it is of concern, given the slow pace of the SA Department of Infrastructure and Transport bringing projects to the market, that the money is available on a use-it or lose-it basis.

“The CCF (SA) hopes this provides the Department with the sense of urgency required.

“The South Australian Government must bring forward the shovel ready projects now.

“It is crucial we do not drag our feet on this,” Mr  Sutherland said.

 “The $1 billion allocated to local councils for road maintenance is another excellent way to stimulate the economy instantly, with most councils in South Australia having shovel ready projects on the back burner waiting for funding,” he said.

The South Australian road projects receiving funding priority in the Budget, are as follows:

South Australia

New Projects

Project	Federal Funding	Total Cost
Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade	$200 million	$250 million
Main South Road Duplication Stage 2 - Aldinga to Sellicks Beach	$136 million	$170 million
South Eastern Freeway Safety Upgrade	$28 million	$35 million
Strzelecki Track Upgrade	$100 million	$125 million
Victor Harbor Road Upgrade	$12 million	$12 million
Princes Highway Corridor Funding Allocations
Princes Highway Corridor - Intersection Improvements	$40 million	$50 million
Princes Highway Corridor - Overtaking Lanes	$28.8 million	$36 million
Princes Highway Corridor - Pavement Works	$45.6 million	$57 million
Princes Highway Corridor - Pavement Works	$4 million	$5 million
Princes Highway Corridor - Safety and Signage Improvements	$10.4 million	$13 million
Princes Highway Corridor - Shoulder Sealing	$7.2 million	$9 million
Subtotal	$612 million	$762 million

The resignation has been announced of one of South Australia’s most influential industry lobbyists, Civil Contractors Federation South Australia (CCF SA) Chief Executive, Mr Phil Sutherland.

He will step down from the pivotal position in January next year, ending a nine year tenure with the organisation, regarded highly for its role under his helmsmanship on pressuring government at all levels to employ infrastructure outcomes as economic drivers.

Mr Sutherland says the decision is timely, allowing him to consider alternative career opportunities and for the CCF (SA) to refresh and refocus at a time civil construction will be a cornerstone behind the pace and success of SA’s post-COVID recovery.

Well-known and respected in government, industry and media circles, Mr Sutherland emerged as a fearless champion for civil contractors and the civil construction industry and a vocal advocate for South Australia.

He successfully transformed the Federation from a little-known industry association to significant prominence, placing the lobby group firmly in the spotlight as a key influencer of government, politicians and community stakeholder interests.    

Under Mr Sutherland’s leadership, the CCF (SA)’s training operation, Civil Train, grew in reputation throughout both SA and the Northern Territory as a high quality not for profit trainer and has more recently extended its operations into Western Australia.

He also drove the approval of an Apprenticeship in Civil Construction, a long overdue qualification for the sector, establishing a career pathway into the industry for school leavers and others. The creation of a CCF SA sponsored Group Training Organisation to manage apprentices for the industry is also a highlight of Mr Sutherland’s tenure. 

Comments attributable to Mr Sutherland.

“It has been an honour and privilege to be the face and spokesperson for such an important South Australian industry.

“The role demands you play with a straight bat with politicians, regardless of their colours. This requires some hard truths to be faced at times by government, as unpalatable as that can be for the government of the day.

“I will leave the position knowing that the Federation has played a major role in seeing historically high government investment in transport and other infrastructure destined for South Australia, and that the State, in particular smaller businesses are benefiting from local industry participation requirements of government.    

“Civil contractors of all sizes are out there day in and day out building South Australia and ensuring a lifestyle we enjoy and mostly take for granted.

“These contractors deserve their place in the sun and full recognition for their substantial economic contribution to the prosperity and lifestyle of South Australia.”

Comments attributable to Mr Paul Davison, President of the CCF (SA): 

“Mr Sutherland’s contribution to increasing the advocacy of the CCF (SA) has been second to none over the time he has overseen our Association. We have never before in our history had the visibility we have secured before Government and the media.

“Mr Sutherland has steered the organisation through a vast array of difficult and challenging times and the CCF (SA) is clearly in a better state for his contribution and leadership.”

As South Australia mourns yet another life lost on the fateful Augusta Highway, the State Government has been taken to task by a major industry lobby group asking how many more lives are to be lost before remedial action is taken.

The call has been made by the influential Civil Contractors Federation (SA) and follows the weekend death of a 21-year old woman in a head-on collision between her car and a semi-trailer at Bungama on the Augusta Highway.

“The CCF (SA) is saddened to hear of yet another fatality on this notoriously treacherous stretch of road. This fatality brings the total number of crashes in the past five years on the Augusta Highway to 542, with 39 fatalities (3 so far this year alone), 97 serious injuries, and 284 minor injuries,” the CCF (SA)’s Chief Executive, Mr Phil Sutherland, said today. 

“This loss of life at the weekend may well have been prevented if the Augusta Highway was dual laned,” Mr Sutherland said.

“As a result, there is now another family who has needlessly lost a much-loved family member, friends who have lost a good friend, and a community in mourning.  

“The CCF (SA) calls on both the SA and Federal Governments to act now, and fast track the duplication of the Augusta Highway.

“Given the very high casualty rate and the importance of the Highway between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta as a strategic freight and road transport corridor, its remediation should be an absolute priority – an appeal made for years to Governments by the Federation.

“How many more people have to die on this terrible stretch of road before our political leaders act?

“It beggars belief that this section of National Highway A1 remains in such a dilapidated state given its crucial link to the national road system

“South Australians deserve much better roads than the Augusta Highway,” Mr Sutherland said.

He questioned why South Australia should be viewed as the poor relation for funding when it came to the State’s roads?

“Look over the border and see the much higher quality of road infrastructure,” Mr Sutherland said.

“Pleasingly, at last the bridge at Port Augusta and the road through Port Wakefield are being upgraded. It would make an enormous amount of sense to duplicate the road between these two points at the same time. This would simply amount to an extension of the duplicated road from Gepps Cross to Port Wakefield.”

The CCF (SA) noted that National Highway A1, a network of highways that circumnavigates Australia joining all mainland state capitals, is recognised because of its total length of 14,500 km as among the longest national highways in the world.

“Yet despite this, the section of highway between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta is a meagre two lane road that has to exist as a major strategic transport and freight corridor connecting Adelaide to the north of South Australia and the rest of Australia.

“The road carries between 8,000 and 10,000 vehicle movements each day comprising a toxic mix of cars, caravans, and heavy transports, including military traffic, oversize combinations and mass vehicles in the B-Doubles, B-Triples and road train categories.

“The highway north of Port Wakefield is comprised of narrow bridges and a railway level crossing. The road surface condition features degraded road shoulders and verges, roughness and rutting of the road surface, and is generally a patchwork of bitumen showing regular repair and maintenance works.

“The time to act is now – before police have to knock at midnight on yet another unsuspecting family at home.”

One of South Australia’s most influential industry lobbies has taken the unprecedented step of going direct to a Federal funding authority to get proposed major state construction projects prioritised and much higher up the funding ladder.

The move may prove crucial to how quickly SA can reboot its COVID-starved economy and protect and create new jobs.

The Civil Contractors Federation (South Australia) (CCF (SA)) announced today it had decided to approach the key Infrastructure Australia (IA) body after a decade of failures by local bureaucrats to get even one SA project on the IA’s “highest priority” annual funding lists.

Infrastructure Australia is the nation’s independent infrastructure advisor that recommends funding requirements to the Federal Government for transport and other infrastructure projects around the nation.

Among the key drivers of the CCF (SA)’s project list are some of SA’s most heavily trafficked but dangerous roads and highways – one of which saw yet another fatal accident within the past week.

“We have been advised that Infrastructure South Australia is working on a submission, but from the Federation’s point of view, we just can’t take any more chances and yet again see South Australian projects not make any of Infrastructure Australia's lists,” Mr Sutherland said.

"While we will be thrilled to see the State Government make a submission to Infrastructure Australia, the failure to do so in the past has resulted in South Australia missing out on billions of dollars of Federal funding for much needed transport infrastructure," he said.

“To ensure South Australian projects are well and truly on the radar of Infrastructure Australia, the Federation in our submission has identified 10 projects, an extensive program of State-wide road maintenance and a supplementary list of worthy projects,” Mr Sutherland said.

"Identifying projects for funding isn't difficult. The State's road network is 50 years out of date and in in many places in poor condition. Nearly every road in the State has a hole or crack in it.

"South Australia was established in 1836 and we still don't have a decent, modern, safe, uncongested motorway across our capital city, Adelaide.

"SA’s major strategic regional freight corridors are two lane roads in less than optimal condition when these routes should have been duplicated years ago into a minimum four lanes.

"Given the proven job creating power and economic stimulus possible from public and private investment in transport and other infrastructure, it is now well recognised that infrastructure investment will be critical to Australia and SA’s post-COVID economic recovery.

"Credible sources say that the current pipeline of projects is insufficient. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor, Mr Philip Lowe, has implored the States to commit an additional $40 billion to infrastructure over the next two years, effectively doubling their existing spending.

"The CCF (SA) has been calling on the Federal and State Government to invest in transport and other infrastructure, and importantly, to accelerate this spending.

"Our recommendation to Infrastructure Australia is for the Federal Government to allocate sufficient money in concert with the SA Government to bring as many infrastructure projects as possible to fruition, sooner than later.”

The Federation undertook its own research on proposed priority projects and believes the following are long overdue. If funded and brought to construction, they would not only greatly assist in the economic recovery, Mr Sutherland says, but also give SA the infrastructure it requires to set the State up for the future. The top proposals are:

• o   Strzelecki Track Upgrade
• o   Augusta Highway Duplication
• o   Dukes Highway Duplication
• o   Swanport Bridge Duplication
• o   Sturt Highway Duplication / Truro Bypass
• o   Princess Highway Upgrade
• o   Adelaide Stormwater Upgrade
• o   SE Drainage Scheme Upgrade
• o   Aldinga rail extension
• o   South Australian 'Road Keeper' (Road Maintenance) Network
• o   Supplementary Projects

The influential Civil Contractors Federation of SA (CCF SA) today welcomed the appointment of Mr. Corey Wingard as SA’s new Transport and Infrastructure Minister. 

“We see this appointment as the opportunity for a refresh and review of the approach taken to transport and infrastructure projects in South Australia,” Civil Contractors Federation of SA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Phil Sutherland, said today.

“As the peak body representing the companies and other businesses involved in most public and private construction projects in South Australia, the new Minister can be assured of our support and availability to him to provide high level industry guidance best able to inform his decision making.   

“As the State’s civil engineering expertise lies within the membership of the Civil Contractors Federation, civil contractors of all sizes are ready, willing and available to work with Minister Wingard in building South Australia and supporting the pandemic recovery through public investment in infrastructure.  

“We look forward to an early meeting with Minister Wingard to discuss the priority projects for South Australia, and how best these can be brought to fruition.

“The CCF (SA) does call on the Minister to ensure industry has visibility on the pipeline of government projects so that companies can gear up to bring the Government’s vision for South Australia to a reality.

“We are confident that the new Minister will see that a high sense of urgency is required in bringing government projects to the market during this difficult time in order to create jobs and provide economic stimulus.   

“Doubtless Minister Wingard understands the proven job creating capacity and economic stimulus possible from public and private investment in transport and other infrastructure.”

 

A crucial section of the Augusta Highway - one of South Australia’s most critical road freight routes linking the State to vital interstate and overseas markets - needs to be urgently upgraded at a cost of more than $1.5 billion.

The call has been made today by the influential Civil Contractors Federation of SA (CCF SA) in welcoming the public announcement by SA Labor Opposition Leader, Mr Peter Malinauskas, that the duplication of the Augusta Highway should be put forward by the SA Government as a project to be consideration for priority Federal funding by Infrastructure Australia.

For years, the CCF (SA) has been calling on both the Federal and SA Governments to make the upgrade of National Highway A1 – between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta – the highest of priorities. Since 2015 that section of road has seen close to 400 traffic accidents resulting in 70 serious casualties and 30 fatalities. 

“The road between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta is an absolute disgrace for a national highway, and well below the standard you expect in a first world economy,” Civil Contractors Federation of SA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Phil Sutherland, said today.

“It beggars’ belief that this section of National Highway A1 - also called the Augusta Highway – remains in such a dilapidated state given its crucial link to the national road system,” he said.

“Inexplicably, upgrading and duplicating this sub-standard section of highway – which forms part of a nationally significant freight corridor, and is integral to the National Freight and Supply Chain - does not even appear on the Infrastructure Australia’s Priority funding list.

“A far better road will facilitate and encourage the growth of Whyalla and better support the Cultana Military Base at a time when National security warrants it.

“It is fantastic to see the current upgrade to the bridge at Pt Augusta and cleaning up the traffic congestion at Pt Wakefield. Now is the ideal opportunity to build a modern road between those heavily trafficked two points. 

National Highway A1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate Australia, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of about 14,500 km, it is among the longest national highways in the world.

The section of highway between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta is a meagre two lane road – despite being a major transport and freight corridor connecting Adelaide to the north of South Australia and carrying a large and increasing volume of car and heavy transports, including military traffic, oversize combinations and mass vehicles in the B-Doubles, B-Triples and road train categories.

The highway north of Port Wakefield is comprised of narrow bridges and a railway level crossing. The road surface condition features degraded road shoulders and verges, roughness and rutting of the road surface, and is generally a patchwork of bitumen showing regular repair and maintenance works.

Mr Sutherland said when National Highway A1 was duplicated from Gepps Cross to Port Wakefield in the 1980s, that work stopped at Port Wakefield – meaning traffic progressing further north was restricted to single lanes either way.

“Duplicating this section of the Highway between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta would not only give the public a long overdue, safe and seamless highway, but during the construction phase, we would also see the generation of much needed jobs and increased productivity to stimulate the State’s economy during the pandemic.”

Mr Sutherland said due to its parlous state, that section of National Highway A1 is constraining SA’s productivity.

He noted that more than 75% of non-bulk domestic freight is carried on roads, dominating freight movements between capital cities, including Adelaide. Truck traffic is predicted by Infrastructure Australia to increase nationally by 50% by 2030.

“It’s no secret South Australia requires a stronger and more prosperous economy. Road infrastructure is one of the key pillars that supports that ambition,” Mr Sutherland said.

“Upgrading this section of highway will tick many boxes including public safety, relieving road transport congestion, connecting regional communities, promoting tourism, creating new jobs and business opportunities and increasing productivity,” he said.        

“Freight corridors in the eastern states are far superior to those in South Australia. It’s time the Federal Government joined with the SA Government and sorted out the Port Wakefield to Port Augusta Highway mess.

“South Australia drags the chain when it comes to road infrastructure. We need to get on the front foot, be more visionary and deliver road infrastructure in a much timelier manner.” Mr Sutherland said.