THE Federal Government will contribute $3.2 billion worth of infrastructure funding for WA in the 2018-19 Commonwealth Budget, part of $5.4 billion worth of projects for the State.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made the announcement with WA Premier Mark McGowan this morning at Yagan Square in the Perth city centre.
The money will be used to fund Metronet, road projects, the Myalup-Wellington Dam as well as hospital upgrades.
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READ NOWThis infrastructure package will provide a major boost to WA’s local economy, with many thousands of jobs expected to be created during construction.
In this year’s Budget, the Turnbull Government will commit a further $1.05 billion federal investment towards Metronet, meaning total federal funding towards Metronet will exceed $1.84 billion.
This comes on top of the $490 million towards the Forrestfield Airport link funded through the 2016 GST top-up payment.
Details of the funding are below:
Metronet
• Construction of Morley-Ellenbrook Line, (estimated cost of $1 billion, with $500 million in federal funding); • Extension of the Armadale Line to Byford, (estimated cost of $481 million, with $241 million in federal funding); • The Midland Station Project, including the relocation of Midland Station, (estimated cost of $165 million, with $83 million in federal funding); • $2 million in business case funding for a railway station at Lakelands, with further federal funding earmarked for the construction, subject to the business case; and • A further $226 million in federal funding to support other Metronet related projects.
Roads
• Bunbury Outer Ring Road – stages 2 and 3 – completing the remaining stages from the South Western Highway to the Bussell Highway and from the Perth-Bunbury Highway to near Picton Boyanup Road (estimated cost of $700 million, with $560 million in federal funding); • Tonkin Highway improvements including:
Stage 3 Extension – extending Tonkin Highway from Thomas Road to the South West Highway, including grade separations at Thomas, Orton and Mundijong Roads and South Western Highway and a grade separated interchange at Bishop Road (estimated cost of $505 million, with $253 million in federal funding)
Tonkin Highway Gap – widening, reconfiguring and implementing managed motorway technologies to resolve the current gap in service levels (estimated cost of $290 million, with $145 million in federal funding)
Hale, Welshpool and Kelvin interchanges – constructing grade separations at these high priority intersections (estimated cost of $366 million, with $183 million in federal funding)
• Mitchell Freeway Extension from Hester Avenue to Romeo Road (estimated cost of $215 million, with $108 million in federal funding); • Welshpool Road interchange at Leach Highway (estimated cost of $93 million, with $47 million in federal funding); • Roe Highway-Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchange (estimated cost of $180 million, with $144 million in federal funding); • Stephenson Avenue extension (estimated cost of $130 million, with $65 million in federal funding); • Great Northern Highway Bindoon Bypass (estimated cost of $275 million, with $220 million in federal funding); and • Planning work for the Eastlink WA Orange Route ($10 million in federal funding)
Myalup-Wellington Dam Project
The Turnbull Government will also provide up to $140 million in federal funding and a concessional loan of up to $50 million towards the Myalup-Wellington Dam Project.
The project will divert high saline inflows upstream from Wellington Dam for desalination, improving the quality of water stored in and released from the dam for agriculture.
GST top-up payments towards WA Hospital Infrastructure
The Turnbull Government has agreed to allocate the federal WA GST top-up payment this year of $188.9 million towards the following WA hospital infrastructure projects:
• $158 million towards the Joondalup Health Campus expansion which will include 90 new public beds, 75 new mental health beds, a new stroke unit, 3 new cardiac catheter laboratories, a new 25 bed Coronary Care Unit, allowing for further expansion of the existing High Dependency Unit, an urgent care clinic, an ambulatory care centre and a Medihotel facility. This investment will ensure Joondalup Health Campus can further develop its capacity to care for more complex patients closer to home. • $10.6 million towards the Osborne Park Hospital Expansion which will include a neo-natal facility upgrade and additional rehabilitation beds; and • $20.3 million towards the refurbishment of the Royal Perth Hospital, including the mental health observation unit and Medihotel.
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