Mr McCARTHY - 1998-08-13
With the structural failure of the Adelaide River Bridge, a range of businesses have seen their operations placed at severe risk due to the heavier transport costs incurred and time disruptions in using the alternate Kakadu Highway route to move their goods and services. What support is being provided or is planned by the Department of Asian Relations, Trade and Industry for these businesses to ease the burden that the bridge failure has placed on their operations?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development outlined problems with some of the temporary solutions for the repair of the bridge. I certainly hope the impact of the bridge’s failure will be short term.
From the experience that has been gained in addressing the impact of unexpected events during the reestablishment of business after the Katherine flood, the government recognised immediately that the best course of action was to act decisively and get into the region to help businesses, even though there was no real comparison between the devastation caused by the Katherine flood and this incident, the effect on the lives and businesses of those Territorians affected by this event cannot be trivialised.
A task force was established as soon as we learnt of the collapse of the bridge. That task force will address the impact that the partial collapse of the Adelaide River bridge is having on the business community.
The task force itself is located in the Industry and Regional Developments Division of my department. Its first task was to stocktake all the known businesses in the affected area. The initial indications are that at least 30 Territory businesses may be affected to some degree. These businesses conduct a diverse range of activities, including: roadhouses, pastoral activities, houseboat operations and other tourism ventures, horticulture, hospitality, mining and quarrying operations. There are also other affected service providers in the area.
It is also worth noting that the closure of that road will affect defence force exercise ‘Phoenix’, which starts in the Mount Bundy area in September. There has been a wide impact.
In addition to those businesses based in the affected region, there will also be an impact on a variety of businesses and industry sectors outside the region including the Darwin-based day trip and other tourism operations, the provision of fresh produce to the Darwin market, and the use of quarry materials in the construction industry. At the moment, that area is providing a real problem that needs to be addressed extremely quickly. All the aggregate that is used in the manufacture of concrete, Besser blocks, and building blocks, or in the repair of roadways, comes from quarries on the other side of the Adelaide River.
DARTI people and officers of the Department of Transport and Infrastructure Development have held meetings with quarry industry representatives, and are looking for solutions. A range of solutions may be utilised.
The route through Pine Creek adds another 400 km to 500 km to the journey, which adds extra cost. There are other quarries that may be utilised in the Katherine region, which is a shorter distance from Darwin. There is also the possibility of the provision of a barge that could bring materials from the Adelaide River, near the bridge, to Darwin. There is the possibility of providing some business assistance to minimise the cost of the extra distance. There is also the suggestion that a conveyor belt could be put across the river to transport quarry material from trucks on one side of the river to vehicles on the other side of the river. The issue is quite serious. People are working very hard to come up with appropriate solutions.
In the short term, the task force has to contact all businesses identified in the affected region. I have asked the task force to advise me on appropriate courses of action as soon as possible.
There is a publication on the Internet which gives Adelaide River bridge updates. The address is www.nt.gov.au.dtw/news/adrivershtm/. This site updates what is happening. There are updates on alternative access routes, such as the Marrakai track, and updates on the possibility of the defence forces assisting in providing a pontoon floating bridge or a Bailey bridge.
A whole range of activities are occurring and the government is very keen to minimise the impact and to ensure that those business operations that are affected get back on their feet. Obviously, any affected business is employing people and we are serious about ensuring that those people are not affected.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development outlined problems with some of the temporary solutions for the repair of the bridge. I certainly hope the impact of the bridge’s failure will be short term.
From the experience that has been gained in addressing the impact of unexpected events during the reestablishment of business after the Katherine flood, the government recognised immediately that the best course of action was to act decisively and get into the region to help businesses, even though there was no real comparison between the devastation caused by the Katherine flood and this incident, the effect on the lives and businesses of those Territorians affected by this event cannot be trivialised.
A task force was established as soon as we learnt of the collapse of the bridge. That task force will address the impact that the partial collapse of the Adelaide River bridge is having on the business community.
The task force itself is located in the Industry and Regional Developments Division of my department. Its first task was to stocktake all the known businesses in the affected area. The initial indications are that at least 30 Territory businesses may be affected to some degree. These businesses conduct a diverse range of activities, including: roadhouses, pastoral activities, houseboat operations and other tourism ventures, horticulture, hospitality, mining and quarrying operations. There are also other affected service providers in the area.
It is also worth noting that the closure of that road will affect defence force exercise ‘Phoenix’, which starts in the Mount Bundy area in September. There has been a wide impact.
In addition to those businesses based in the affected region, there will also be an impact on a variety of businesses and industry sectors outside the region including the Darwin-based day trip and other tourism operations, the provision of fresh produce to the Darwin market, and the use of quarry materials in the construction industry. At the moment, that area is providing a real problem that needs to be addressed extremely quickly. All the aggregate that is used in the manufacture of concrete, Besser blocks, and building blocks, or in the repair of roadways, comes from quarries on the other side of the Adelaide River.
DARTI people and officers of the Department of Transport and Infrastructure Development have held meetings with quarry industry representatives, and are looking for solutions. A range of solutions may be utilised.
The route through Pine Creek adds another 400 km to 500 km to the journey, which adds extra cost. There are other quarries that may be utilised in the Katherine region, which is a shorter distance from Darwin. There is also the possibility of the provision of a barge that could bring materials from the Adelaide River, near the bridge, to Darwin. There is the possibility of providing some business assistance to minimise the cost of the extra distance. There is also the suggestion that a conveyor belt could be put across the river to transport quarry material from trucks on one side of the river to vehicles on the other side of the river. The issue is quite serious. People are working very hard to come up with appropriate solutions.
In the short term, the task force has to contact all businesses identified in the affected region. I have asked the task force to advise me on appropriate courses of action as soon as possible.
There is a publication on the Internet which gives Adelaide River bridge updates. The address is www.nt.gov.au.dtw/news/adrivershtm/. This site updates what is happening. There are updates on alternative access routes, such as the Marrakai track, and updates on the possibility of the defence forces assisting in providing a pontoon floating bridge or a Bailey bridge.
A whole range of activities are occurring and the government is very keen to minimise the impact and to ensure that those business operations that are affected get back on their feet. Obviously, any affected business is employing people and we are serious about ensuring that those people are not affected.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016