{"id":1046223,"date":"2026-09-06T04:08:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T04:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1046223\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T04:08:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T04:08:27","slug":"outback-way-negotiations-near-completion-for-1-2b-shortcut-through-central-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1046223\/","title":{"rendered":"Outback Way negotiations near completion for $1.2b ‘shortcut’ through central Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years of complex negotiations with multiple traditional owner groups and environmental studies appear to be nearing an end, paving the way for the long-awaited sealing of the outback highway dubbed “Australia’s biggest shortcut”.<\/p>\n

The Outback Way stretches 2,719 kilometres through central Australia \u2014 from Laverton in Western Australia’s northern Goldfields to Winton in Queensland.<\/p>\n

More than $1.2 billion has been committed to sealing the remote route by 2032.<\/p>\n

The ongoing negotiations mean roadworks were put on hold four years ago on WA’s side of the border, which stretches 736km from Laverton to the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

The Outback Way in WA begins at Laverton with the Great Central Road. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)<\/p>\n

Road progress at ‘glacial pace’<\/p>\n

The delays prompted WA Liberal MP Rick Wilson to criticise the WA government in federal parliament in June for moving at a “glacial pace”.<\/p>\n

“There are stretches of this road that do not fall within any native title claims, and still no progress has been made. It’s bureaucracy,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

WA Liberal MP Rick Wilson’s electorate of O’Connor includes the WA stretch of the Outback Way. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti defended the approach.<\/p>\n

“Ensuring all approvals and registered ILUAs are in place will ensure the long-term success of the project, which has a key focus on delivering training, employment and economic opportunities for local and Aboriginal people and businesses,” the statement said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The WA section of the Outback Way stretches 736km along the Great Central Road. (Supplied: Goldfields-Esperance Development Council)<\/p>\n

Remote communities support road<\/p>\n

In this remote part of WA, known as the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, three main groups represent the people of the Yilka, Nangaanya-ku and Yarnangu.<\/p>\n

This week, Main Roads did not say how advanced its discussions were with traditional land owner groups, only that they were continuing.<\/p>\n

Ngaanyatjarra Council major projects advisor Ralph Addis described the Outback Way as “nationally significant” with “complex opportunities and challenges”.<\/p>\n

“We’re hearing early next year [for construction] \u2026 we think the earliest works can start, the better for all concerned,” he said.<\/p>\n

Outback Highway Development Council chairman Pat Hill, who is also Shire of Laverton president, echoed those sentiments.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Pat Hill has been chairman of the Outback Highway Development Council since 1997. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)<\/p>\n

“The communities out there have all had input, negotiating with Main Roads and the state government,” he said.<\/p>\n

“From what I’ve heard it will be starting just after Christmas \u2026 the sooner the better, obviously.”<\/p>\n

Studies reveal next phase<\/p>\n

New documents show Main Roads has completed a clearing assessment and biological survey<\/a> to seal a 171km section of the road.<\/p>\n

Under the plan, 660 hectares of native vegetation would be cleared.<\/p>\n

The assessments did not identify any significant impacts to threatened flora or fauna.<\/p>\n

The reports now form part of a formal planning and approvals process Main Roads has begun alongside the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Outback Way stretches 2,719km from Laverton in WA’s northern Goldfields to Winton in Queensland.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n

A social impact assessment<\/a> by the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission has also been completed, which questions if infrastructure along the route can support an influx of travellers.<\/p>\n

It also raises the question of how to preserve culturally significant sites, with the loss of the current permitting system once it becomes a public road.<\/p>\n

Other concerns include an increased risk of communicable disease, access to non-Opal fuel undermining petrol sniffing prevention and increased police enforcement.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission chief executive\u00a0Kris Starcevich (left) after the completion of a social impact assessment for the Outback Way project. (Supplied: Facebook\/Ngaanyatjarra Council Group)<\/p>\n

Protecting places of significance<\/p>\n

The Great Central Road currently averages 30-60 vehicles a day, but traffic volumes are estimated to increase 300 per cent over a decade once it is sealed, including a significant rise in heavy vehicle movements.<\/p>\n

Yilka Talintji Aboriginal Corporation chairman Harvey Murray whose traditional lands cover the 171km Main Roads has surveyed said the agreement satisfied concerns about culturally significant sites, which he said would be signposted as restricted.<\/p>\n

“We finished four, five years ago (negotiating the ILUA) and agreed on some compensation \u2026 we’ve been working on heritage and archaeological surveys,” he said.<\/p>\n

“They (Main Roads) keep saying next year, next year to finalise it.<\/p>\n

“I know the Shire of Laverton have been looking at us, but it’s with the state, it’s quite frustrating.”<\/p>\n

Mr Murray said he has been asking for the gravel airstrip at Cosmos Newberry Aboriginal community on Yilka land to be upgraded to an all-weather airstrip.<\/p>\n

“We’re going to have a lot of accidents so we need that with lights for the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) to be able to fly 24-hours a day in emergencies,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Addis said the biggest concern for traditional land owners along the route remained the protection of culturally significant sites.<\/p>\n

There are concerns about visitor behaviour involving photography and social media, including the photography of people, places or culturally sensitive features without consent.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Outback Way cuts through some of the most remote parts of Australia. (ABC)<\/p>\n

“People are concerned about making sure the extra volume of people coming through the lands is both supported and properly managed so people can enjoy the experience but not damage the local environment and cultural places,” Mr Addis said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Years of complex negotiations with multiple traditional owner groups and environmental studies appear to be nearing an end,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1046224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[4740,418685,5173,418688,50249,50,418682,418683,418684,33674,18610,418687,418686,6187],"class_list":["post-1046223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-australia","tag-great-central-road","tag-infrastructure","tag-laverton","tag-native-title","tag-news","tag-outback-way","tag-pat-hill","tag-rick-wilson","tag-rita-saffioti","tag-roads","tag-sealed","tag-shire-of-laverton","tag-transport"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117222135860740931","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1046223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1046223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1046223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1046224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1046223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1046223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1046223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}