The Wheatbelt region is at the heart of WA’s grain growing heartland.
The drive towards improved agricultural supply chain efficiency, combined with the consolidation of the grain rail network, has seen increased volumes of heavy vehicles on the Wheatbelt’s road network. Many of these roads are owned by Local Government, which have limited ratepayer bases to fund ongoing maintenance requirements.
The Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network (WSFN) is a shared initiative between 42 Local Government Authorities (LGAs) across the Wheatbelt pursuing a collective goal to improve the condition of Local Government owned grain freight roads. The program is a key example of the power of collaboration, with the central steering committee securing $187.5 million in Commonwealth and State Funding to upgrade priority routes.
WDC has supported WSFN by providing advice as a non-voting steering committee member since 2018 (in partnership with Main Roads WA, Regional Development Australia Wheatbelt and the WA Local Government Association). WDC has also supported ongoing project management costs through the provision of $100,000 in funding under Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants Round 1.
