Kick-starting AdeLINK

Labor will kick-start construction on the AdeLINK tram network, transforming Adelaide by creating the infrastructure needed for a growing and vibrant city.

A Shorten Labor Government will commit $500 million in upfront grant funding to kick-start this project. Based on a total estimated cost of $3 billion, this project will support 2000 jobs in construction, across the delivery life of the project.  In addition, Labor’s $10 billion Infrastructure Financing Facility, announced in 2015, will be available to provide additional innovative funding options.

This is the infrastructure that Adelaide needs to grow, to connect the suburbs with the city.

What’s the problem?

Adelaide is a growing city that requires a clear infrastructure plan.

Four out of five South Australians live in the Greater Adelaide area.

The Infrastructure Australia Audit Report released last year says that without additional funding for transport in Adelaide, the cost of delays in urban transport will quadruple from $1 billion in 2011 to $4 billion by 2031.

This is unacceptable, and avoidable with the right investments today.

The South Australian Government’s 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide projects a pattern of future growth that focussed on infill development and renewal, in areas anchored to transit routes.

Expansion of the city’s public transport network – both rail and bus – provides a base for these developments, while addressing the needs of growing populations in middle and outer Adelaide.

Urban development is influenced by sustained high quality services that create permanent shifts in travel patterns. Central to this is a modal shift from bus to tram in inner and middle Adelaide, reducing congestion and improving passenger flows.

The Plan also acknowledges the need to encourage more people to take up active transport to boost the liveability and vitality of suburban centres and improve our health and wellbeing

Our plan

A Shorten Labor Government will provide $500 million to kick-start this project, to bring jobs to Adelaide, and reduce congestion across the city. This funding will deliver pre-construction work and get the early stages of the AdeLINK project going.

This is a direct investment in 2000 jobs in Adelaide, that will have a long term benefit to the city.

The State Government is currently finalising a detailed business case for the construction of the AdeLINK tram network.

Labor’s commitment will be contingent on a positive assessment from Infrastructure Australia, consistent with our position that all major infrastructure projects need to go through a thorough and detailed assessment prior to securing funds.  AdeLINK is on the Infrastructure Australia Priority List as a priority initiative over the next five years.

Labor’s funding will fast track this assessment process, and will make sure that the project is made a reality as soon as possible.

AdeLINK is a proposed track along key radial transit corridors to and from the centre of Adelaide, replacing existing bus routes and linking to new residential and employment areas.

The business case will include planning, design, identifying the precise tram routes and stops, as well as environmental and land value capture benefits, as well as the final project costs for the following projects:

• EastLINK – extending east through Kent Town to The Parade.
• WestLINK – following Henley Beach Road to Henley Square, with a branch line to Adelaide Airport. The existing tram line to Glenelg also forms part of WestLINK.
• ProspectLINK – following O’Connell Street to Prospect Road.
• UnleyLINK – following Unley Road and Belair Road to Mitcham.
• CityLINK – following a continuous loop around the city with transfers at other tram lines and the Adelaide Railway Station.
• PortLINK – using the existing Outer Harbour line with additional services to Port Adelaide, West Lakes and Semaphore. 

The $500 million federal grant funding, with further funding provided by the State Government, will kick-start this project and make it a reality.

The total project costs for AdeLINK will be finalised through the business case process.

In addition, a Shorten Labor Government would work with the South Australian Government to access Labor’s $10 billion Infrastructure Finance Facility, announced in 2015, to determine whether innovative financing options are available to unlock more federal funds.

Labor has a strong commitment to the local steel industry, and local steel jobs. Labor’s contribution to the AdeLINK project will be consistent with our Plan for Australian Metals Manufacturing and Jobs, which seeks to maximise the use of Australian steel in all federal projects.

Labor’s plan will achieve this by:

• Requiring federally-funded projects to use steel that meets Australian standards and certification requirements
• Strengthening anti-dumping rules.
• Halving the thresholds for projects required to have an Australian Industry Participation Plan in place to $10 million for public projects.  

Labor’s record

In Government, Labor invested a record $13.6 billion in public transport – more than all previous Federal Governments combined.

Federal Labor also doubled the roads budget and built or rebuilt 4,000km of rail track.

Labor is the only party that has a clear plan for jobs through nation building.

Labor also believes that the Federal Government must be involved in Cities Policy. With 80 per cent of Australians living in cities, how we plan and design our cities is vital to making them productive, sustainable and liveable.

That’s why Labor will have a proper Minister for Cities, invest in public transport as well as roads in our cities, and bring back the Major Cities Unit, including a section that will concentrate on managing growth as our cities grow.

The Liberal alternative

The Abbott-Turnbull Government has cut infrastructure funding in Australia, particularly to public transport.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, infrastructure work conducted for the public sector has declined by 20 per cent since the Coalition came to office.

The current Coalition Government cut over $4 billion in funding to public transport projects when it was elected.

As recently as two weeks ago, the Liberals cut a further $1 billion from their own infrastructure program, delaying important projects across Australia. 

Financial Implications

Labor’s will contribute $500 million to the project out to 2020.