ATA welcomes Deegan

The ATA has welcomed the appointment of Michael Deegan as the Australian Government’s first Infrastructure Coordinator. Deegan will run the day to day operations of Infrastructure Australia and will assist the Infrastructure Australia Advisory Council, which is chaired by Sir Rod Eddington.

ATA Chairman Trevor Martyn said that Deegan’s wealth of experience as Chairman of the National Transport Commission, as well as his willingness to consult with the Australian trucking industry, made him an ideal choice for the job.

“The ATA will use our strong relationship with Mr Deegan to stress the importance of maintaining road funding, because fixing the bottlenecks on Australia’s roads will boost the economy and improve safety,” Martyn said.

The ATA say Deegan will need to consult widely with the industry as he works up the details of the infrastructure audit and develops the Australia’s first national infrastructure priority list, which is due to be presented to CoAG by March 2009.

The Government has also charged Infrastructure Australia with recommending regulatory reforms to improve the development and use of Australia’s transport networks. The ATA is arguing that Infrastructure Australia and Mr Deegan must begin by implementing the transport reforms that have been promised but not yet carried out.