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
Indirect benefits (135 days of disruption): $3,945,762
Total benefit over 10 events: $10,283,926
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.
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 |
| 3.76 | 5.47 | 55.4 % | 69.8 % | $ 7,209,456 | $11,572,154 |
Project images
Last updated: 11 July 2024. QRA Reference: DOC/24/36947.