Betterment: Aurukun Access Road

Aurukun Shire Council

Aurukun Access Road – project summary

Aurukun Access Road was a gravel road that provides the only road link to and from the Aurukun community.
The road was damaged in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Betterment funding from 2013 was used to bitumen-seal a 10-kilometre section of the road that was particularly vulnerable to flood damage.
It has since withstood the impacts of 10 separate natural disaster events, making it the most frequently impacted completed betterment project to date, remaining functional with only very minor damage.
In addition, $1.2 million of Betterment funding from 2019 was used to infill scoured sections of the road and stabilise the shoulders and embankments and was subsequently impacted by two events in 2022.

Restoration (two projects): $979,366
Betterment (two projects): $2,299,783
Avoided cost over 10 events: $8,637,947
Value of indirect benefits: $3,945,762
Total benefit over 10 events: $12,583,709

SAVi Tool assessment of indirect benefits

The SAVi tool has been used to consider the wider economic benefits for this project, by using a bespoke summary of indicators which have been assumed most relevant for the Aurukun Shire community. The analysis has been based on the estimated production revenue and number of people impacted per day during a disaster event. Table 1 provides a summary of the non-road benefits used in this analysis.

Table 1 – SAVi tool inputs Aurukun Access Road

By inputting project data into the SAVi tool across the 15 indicators, it was estimated that an additional $29,228 per day was saved when accommodating for the indirect social, environmental, and economic benefits of the project.

Non-road benefits	Price ($)		%
1. Fuel cost	264	AUD/day	0.9 %
2. O&M cost of vehicles	17	AUD/day	0.1 %
3. O&M cost of roads	4	AUD/day	0.0 %
4. Cost of travel time	184	AUD/day	0.6 %
5. Air pollution	607	AUD/day	2.1 %
6. Noise pollution	105	AUD/day	0.4 %
7. Water pollution	91	AUD/day	0.3 %
8. GHG emissions	194	AUD/day	0.7 %
9. Nature and landscape	67	AUD/day	0.2 %
10. Crop and fruit revenue	17,972	AUD/day	61.5 %
11. Fish revenue	77	AUD/day	0.3 %
12. Livestock revenue	783	AUD/day	2.7 %
13. Access to essential items/services	5,500	AUD/day	18.8 %
14. Access to workplace and schools	3,300	AUD/day	11.3 %
15. Mental health	65	AUD/day	0.2 %
Non-road benefits in 2021 prices	29,228	AUD/day	100.0 %

The analysis resulted in a positive Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV), indicating that the Aurukun Access Road Betterment Project was a viable project generating positive outcomes to the community. A summary of the results is provided below:

SAVi Tool pilot results Aurukun Access Road

Benefit Cost Ratio	(BCR)	Internal Rate of Return	(IRR)	Net Present Value	(NPV)
Excluded non-road benefits	Included non-road benefits	Excluded non-road benefits	Included non-road benefits	Excluded non-road benefits	Included non-road benefits
4.51	6.22	56.1 %	70.1 %	$ 8,778,296	$13,140,994

Project images

Aurukun Access Road after betterment, Aurukun Shire Council

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Aurukun Access Road (before)

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