Legislation

National funding for roads began in the 1920s, with the federal government contributing to major roads managed by the state and territory governments.^[1]: 21 However, the Federal Government did not completely fund any roads until 1974,^{[1]: 21–23} when the Whitlam government introduced the National Roads Act 1974.^[2] Under the act, the states were still responsible for road construction and maintenance, but were fully compensated for money spent on approved projects.^[2]: S7

In 1977, the 1974 Act was replaced by the State Grants (Roads) Act 1977, which contained similar provisions for the definition of "National Highways".^[3]

In 1988, the National Highway became redefined under the Australian Land Transport Development (ALTD) Act 1988,^[4] which had various amendments up to 2003. The 1988 Act was largely concerned with funding road development in cooperation with the state governments. The federal transport minister defined the components of the National Highway, and also a category of "Road of National Importance" (RONI), with federal funding implications. Section 10.5 of the Act required the state road authorities to place frequent, prominent, signs on the National Highways and RONI projects funded by the federal government.^[5]

In 2005, the National Highway became the National Land Transport Network, under the AusLink (National Land Transport) Act 2005. The criteria for inclusion in the network was similar to the previous legislation, but expanded to include connections to major commercial centres, and inter-modal facilities.^[6] All of the roads included in National Land Transport Network as of 2005 were formally defined by regulation in October 2005.^[7] The Minister for Transport may alter the list of roads included in the network. Three amendments to the scheduled list of roads have been made, in February 2007, September 2008 and February 2009.^[8] The third variation,^[9] published in February 2009, is current as of September 2012.

Under AusLink a program that operated between July 2004 and 2009, the AusLink National Network had additional links, both road and rail. The Federal Government encouraged funding from state, territory and local governments and public–private partnerships to upgrade the network and requires state government funding contributions on parts of the network, especially for new links. For example, the Pacific Highway and the Calder Highway are part of the National Network, yet new projects are being funded 50/50 by federal and state governments. State contributions (generally 20%) are required on some sections of the old network near major cities.

Roads and routes

The various superseded Acts defined National Highways as roads, or a series of connected roads, that were the primary connection between two State or Territory capital cities, as well as between Brisbane and Cairns, and between Hobart and Burnie.^[2]: S4 The Melbourne-Devonport ferry route is sometimes described colloquially as the 'sea highway', providing a link from Tasmania to the rest of the country by road.^{[citation needed]}

The 16,000 kilometres (9,900 mi) of roads included in the original National Highway system had large variations in road quality. Some sections were no more than dirt tracks, whilst others were four lane dual carriageways. While 12,496 kilometres (7,765 mi) was sealed, there was also 3,807 kilometres (2,366 mi) worth of gravel roads. The National Highway was gradually improved, with the sealed proportion increased from 73 per cent in the early 1970s to 88 per cent by 1981. The sealing works were completed in 1989.^{[1]: 21–23}

Since 2005, National Highways were no longer defined in federal legislation. However, the routes were marked with a National Highway route marker up until 2013. These markers have "NATIONAL" printed in the upper portion of the shield, above the highway's number. The shield, text and number are coloured yellow while the background is dark green – the national colours of Australia. In 2014, the route makers retained the national colours, although the word "NATIONAL" was removed in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and parts of both Queensland and Victoria.

National Highway numbering originates from the earlier national route network. Many of the routes that are now National Highways with the signature green and gold shields, continue beyond the official National Highway as the black and white shielded national routes. Certain stretches of the National Highways have "A" and "M" tag on their shields; particularly those in Victoria and South Australia. They have completely revised their route numbering, basing it on the British M, A, B, C classifications. These states have retained the original National Highway numbering and shield decal, having added the appropriate M and A classification.

Original routes included in 1974

The original components of the National Highway were officially declared on 20 September 1974, as "links" and terminated at the edge of each capital city.^[11] The parts of the routes within the major urban areas were not defined as National Highways,^[12] and the Sturt and Newell highway routes were not included in the original 1974 network. In June 1995, as a condition of federal funding, the National Highway route in New South Wales was required to remove existing tolling on the former F3 and former F6 inter-urban freeways, even though the former F6 did not become part of a National Highway until 2005.^[13]

The Sydney to Adelaide route via the Hume and Sturt highways, and the Melbourne to Brisbane route via the Newell Highway, were added as links of the National Highway network in November 1992 under the 1988 Act, however the decision to use the route from Goondiwindi to Brisbane via the Gore Highway and Toowoomba, rather than the Cunningham Highway (via Warwick), was not finalized until October 1993.^[14] These were the only two major routes added to the National Highway network between 1974 and 2005. In addition, the urban ends of intercity routes, and some link roads and ring roads joining national routes, were explicitly added to the National Highway network for the first time.^[14]

As sections of existing highways were upgraded or replaced by nearby parallel routes of a new higher standard, the "National Highway" designation was usually moved onto the new part of the route. The principal route between Sydney and Newcastle was shifted from the old Pacific Highway onto the new Sydney-Newcastle freeway in nine separate stages between 1966 and 1999 as the freeway was progressively implemented. Similar changes were made as the Hume Highway was re-developed.^[14]

Routes included in the National Land Transport Network for the first time under the 2005 legislation

Appendix 1 of the 'Auslink (National Land Transport) Bill' of 2004, listed the routes which were proposed to be included in 'The Auslink National Network'.^[11] The listing included here distinguished between the components of the "former National Highway system", and the additional routes to be added to the Auslink National Network after the implementation of the new Act, which occurred in 2005. All of the existing routes of the National Highway prior to 2005 were included in the new network. The routes added with the inception of the 2005 Act (as described in Appendix 1 referenced above, some of the descriptions are somewhat ambiguous but clarified in the ensuing regulations)^[15] are:

• the Pacific Highway route between Newcastle and Brisbane
• the route between Townsville and Mt Isa
• the route from Sydney (or Eastern Creek) to Dubbo via the M4, Great Western and Mitchell highway
• the Calder Highway route from Melbourne to Mildura via Bendigo
• the Southern Freeway and Princes Highway route from Sydney to Wollongong
• the Princes Freeway from Melbourne to Geelong
• the Monash Freeway, Princes Freeway and Princes Highway to Taralgon and Sale
• the route between Perth and Bunbury
• the route from Launceston to Bell Bay
• some additional urban connecting routes linking ports and airports and linking the national routes, and forming urban growth corridors, a complete definition of the network as of 2005 is included in the schedule of the 2005 Act^[15]

Changes to the National Land Transport Network made in 2007^[16]

• The route description for the Cumberland Highway ( Pennant Hills Road ), between the junctions with the M2 motorway and the F3 Sydney-Newcastle Freeway, was altered. Almost all of the original Cumberland Highway route from Prestons to Wahroonga, established in the 2005 network, was deleted due to the opening of the M7 motorway.

Changes to the National Land Transport Network made in 2008^[17]

• The route description of the national route consisting of part of the Princes Freeway and Princes Highway between Melbourne and Waurn Ponds (west of Geelong), was altered.
• The proposed Townsville Port Access Road was added.
• The proposed Tiger Brennan Drive extension in suburban Darwin was added.

Changes to the National Land Transport Network made in 2009^[18]

• The portion of the M4 Western Motorway in Sydney, between Eastern Creek and Strathfield was added.
• The part of the Princes Freeway, and Princes Highway, west of Melbourne which is included in the National network, was extended from Waurn Ponds to Colac.
• A section of the Great Eastern Highway and the Great Eastern Highway Bypass in suburban Perth was added.
• Alteration to the definition of the South Road route in Adelaide and addition of the access road to Adelaide Airport.
• The Townsville Ring Road was added
• The Karratha–Dampier Road and part of the North West Coastal Highway was added.
• The Bunbury Port Access Road and part of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road were added.
• Part of the Hobart–Burnie route was altered.