The Australian government faced accusations Monday of trying to buy votes for the upcoming election as it unveiled plans for a 12.7 billion Australian dollar (nine billion US dollars) upgrade of run-down road and rail networks.
The major eastern cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will be linked for the first time by four-lane highways, while new city link roads, expressways, by-passes and rail bridges are completed in a five-year program announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister John Anderson.
The AusLink project also seeks to bring the rail network into line with the road system, with a 1.8 billion dollar investment to set up an east coast railway system capable of shouldering more of the freight burden.
"What we're outlining today, in my view, represents a commitment to very high quality infrastructure for the nation - nation-building infrastructure - that will serve us well and our children well," Anderson told reporters.
He compared the plan to the great post World War II Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme, which attracted thousands of overseas workers and which he said would have cost about six billion dollars in today's money.
He said a rise in freight volumes caused by rapid economic expansion was the key driver behind the blueprint for the transport network, which will be the first national land transport plan for Australia.
"Our forecasters predict that the amount of freight on our roads will double over the next 20 years," he said. "Total passenger travel is expected to rise by 40 percent. The old approach to planning and funding our roads and railways will not be able to cope."