Roads have captured the focus of conversations in rural NSW for the past two years, with faith in local, state and federal government to fix the current road network dropping by the day as the true scope of recent flood damage begins to emerge.

In western New South Wales, the push is growing to allow rural landholders repair public roads that pass by or through their properties. 

In our patch the Warren and Coonamble Shires are leading the charge, with both moving towards the introduction of a ‘self-help scheme’ that could change how roads are maintained. 

Coonamble Shire Council Mayor Tim Horan said that while it shouldn’t be a farmer’s responsibility to fix roads, it is becoming necessary. 

“We’ve looked at the process but we don’t want farmers just getting on roads, they need to be safe and protected,” Cr Horan said.

The criteria to meet will be no easy feat, with several government agencies and levels to get past to ensure the job is done legally and meeting requirements. 

“You’ve got fisheries, waterways, the RMS and EPA, council and the insurers to get on board,” Cr Horan said. 

If all approvals are met, farmers will operate in a similar way to contractors, looking at several models of what level of reimbursement will be made to farmers. 

This means that equipment, licensing and standards in place will need to meet that of a contractor, which could render the project unviable for some farmers. 

In the meantime, Cr Horan said they’ve put in place interim measures to allow farmers to do what they can.

Last month's meeting of Warren Shire Council’s Roads Committee found that the severity and extent of the damaged roads throughout the shire has left them in ‘crisis’. 

According to the Warren Shire Council, all repairs would need to be in accordance with the requirements of Council in regards to works standards, public liability, traffic control and other measures before farmers could commence any work. 

While both councils have Member for Barwon Roy Butler in their corner and are expected to bring the proposal into government, it is anticipated that the barriers to entry will be high. 

Mr Butler said that without assistance, the time needed for councils to repair the network will be lengthy. 

“They don’t have the resources or the capabilities to deal with the amount of damage that’s occurring on roads…there’s no council that has the equipment or the bodies to get the work done,” Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler has previously told the Western Plains App that alternatives will be necessary, whether that be a self-help scheme of more movement in the private sector to repair roads.

Inevitably, the self-help scheme won’t be in action for a while yet, with reports that the Moree Council got two years into the process of acquiring the correct permissions before turning away from the project.

While councils and rural landholders seek to overcome the barriers that block private graders from getting onto roads, the national government has indicated that they want to hear from people about what they can do to make the national road network more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

On 1 December 2022, the federal House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport launched an inquiry into the implications of severe weather events on the national regional, rural, and remote road network.

Chair of the Committee Luke Gosling said that the inquiry will look at road engineering and construction standards as well as the use of new materials and even designating special corridors for funded infrastructure projects.

“The extreme flooding events and other natural disasters across the nation have impacted many Australians, and the Committee is seeking to understand how road planning and construction may be improved to enhance road climate resiliency and support our communities,” Mr Gosling said.

This may be an opportunity to put do-it-yourself road repair firmly on the agenda for regional, rural and remote roads.

The Committee is seeking written submissions, ideally of no more than ten pages, from organisations and individuals providing recommendations relating to any or all of the inquiry terms of reference by 28 February 2023.