National Land Transport Network
Road Connectivity
An integrated and efficient road transport network is critical for economic stability and growth in Far North Queensland, a region of 380,000km² which includes some of the nation’s most remote communities. The region’s inland roads and Cairns’ access to the northern beaches and Tablelands play a vital role in enabling the productivity of northern Australia and the contribution to the national economy through improved connectivity to southern markets. The disruption and dislocation to these road networks in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper have underpinned the importance of these links to the region and indeed, to the nation. Growth in population, employment, tourism and freight volumes coupled with the increasing importance of food security, means safety and capacity requirements will only be exacerbated. Investment in FNQ’s road connectivity is crucial to avoid nationally significant productivity losses, to connect rural and remote communities and to ensure continued regional and state economic development.
The road networks linking Cairns with the vital agricultural, mining and tourism regions of the Atherton Tablelands and beyond are critical enablers of the regional economy. With sizeable growth in both agriculture and mining in the region predicted in the next decade, a safe and reliable road network that enables increased heavy vehicle traffic is vital for economic growth and prosperity in the region. The road network in and out of Cairns acts as the main distribution hub for the region and is essential for further developing the agricultural and mining exports of the region. However, the growing demands for freight and increasing frequency of severe weather events, has strained the existing infrastructure, impacting transport costs and service levels across the supply chain.
The National Land Transport Network (NLTN) outlines nationally significant road and rail infrastructure links and their intermodal connections. Through an integrated network, the NLTN fosters economic and social development through the provision of Commonwealth funding towards improved land transport infrastructure. Extending the NLTN from its current terminus in Smithfield to Mareeba and then to the Port of Weipa via the Peninsula Developmental Road would bolster economic development, support national security and improve health and wellbeing outcomes in regional and remote communities.
In 2018, the Queensland Government made a submission under the NLTN Determination Review undertaken by the Australian Government. The Department of Transport and Main Roads identified a number of nationally significant road links throughout Queensland to be included as part of the NLTN. This included a request to extend the NLTN in Cairns from its terminus at the Bruce Highway near the Port of Cairns (corner of Comport and Draper Streets) to the Captain Cook Highway through to Smithfield (via the Captain Cook Highway). The Australian Government accepted this submission, extending the NLTN under the National Land Transport Network Determination 2020 [i], ensuring critical access to the Cairns Domestic and International Airport and the Smithfield industrial/commercial precinct.
Six years on from this submission, the importance of the north and the requirement for investment in order to realise the potential of Far North Queensland has increased exponentially. Commonwealth and State Governments agree an integrated land transport network should seek to improve national and regional connectivity for communities and industry; improve national, regional, and international logistics; and trade and consistency with viable, long-term economic and social outcomes[ii]. As a result, Advance Cairns proposes the extension of the NLTN from its current terminus in Smithfield (intersection of Captain Cook and Kennedy Highways) to Mareeba (intersection of Kennedy and Mulligan Highways), and then to continue onto Weipa via the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR).
Extension of the NLTN to the Port of Weipa would be the next logical step in the network, securing the federal government support required to drive long-term social and economic outcomes throughout the region. Connecting Cairns to Mareeba, a key centre in Far North Queensland and one of the fastest growing local government areas in the state, would harness significant opportunity for industry expansion across the agricultural and resources sectors enhancing Mareeba’s role as the vital transport and services hub for northern Australia, including Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf of Carpentaria[iii]. This, too, would improve connection to the Mareeba Airport and Aviation Industrial Precinct, offering a unique base for the development of regional capabilities in avionics and aircraft maintenance[iv].
Connecting the Port of Weipa via the PDR would maximise these benefits and notably would reinforce safe, reliable and resilient road access to Royal Australian Air Force Base Scherger (RAAF Scherger). Since 2014, the Cape York Region Package has delivered progressive works to seal the PDR however, about 145km (roughly one quarter) of the road remains unsealed[v]. Each wet season[vi] the PDR faces the prospect of being cut off for as long as four months.
Given its proximity to the Indo-Pacific, northern Australia is poised to play a significant role in Australia’s national security strategy following a re-posturing of Defence personnel and equipment across the north[vii]. As such, one of the key immediate actions outlined by the Government in response to the Defence Strategic Review (DSR), was to improve Defence’s ability to operate from its northern bases, particularly its air bases. While investment has been made to carry out upgrades across these bases, the DSR specifically referenced the need to improve the operational capacity and survivability of these bases, noting the requirement for “…a robust national road, rail, maritime and air distribution system” to ensure southern regions can support northern bases8. Extending the NLTN to include the Port of Weipa will enable this, ensuring sustained access to our nation’s strategic assets in an increasingly uncertain environment.
At present, the NLTN is most notably absent in one of the nation’s most remote areas – Cape York. Extending the network from Cairns to Mareeba and onto the Port of Weipa increases connectivity to remote and discrete communities, creating the opportunity for step change. An assessment of the social, environmental and economic impacts of early works undertaken as part of the Cape York Region Package (including upgrades to the PDR), found the upgrades were of significant benefit to the Cape York region. The assessment highlighted that the program is critical to facilitate positive social, environmental and economic outcomes, contributing to the overall growth and development of the Far North Queensland economy. It noted that complete benefits can only be realised through completion of works in their entirety, requiring a committed funding source[viii].
Extending the National Land Transport Network from Smithfield to Mareeba, and then to the Port of Weipa is vitally important to the development of international, inter-state and inter-regional trade, commerce and travel. Building on the progress made by the Cape York Region Package, sealing of the Peninsula Developmental Road in its entirety through the extension of the NLTN would secure the economic, social and strategic potential of Far North Queensland, increasing year-round reliability, supporting local communities, bolstering industry expansion and enabling long-term economic growth.
[i] National Land Transport Network Determination 2020 (Cth)
[ii] National Land Transport Act 2014 (Cth)
[iii] Mareeba Shire Council, Regional Economic Profile, https://msc.qld.gov.au/region/regional-economic-profile/
[iv] Mareeba Shire Council, Mareeba Airport Aviation Industrial Park, https://msc.qld.gov.au/region/mareeba-airport-aviation-industrial-park/
[v] Department of Transport and Main Roads, Cape York Region Package Stage 2, last updated September 18, 2024, https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/cape-york-region-package-stage-2
[vi] Transport and Resources Committee, Queensland Parliament, Inquiry into the Peninsula Developmental Road (Laura to Weipa) Project, April 2023
[vii] Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence, National Defence: Defence Strategic Review (2023)
[viii] The State of Queensland, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Cape York Region Package: Social, Environmental and Economic Impact Assessment Evaluation Report – December 2022
Benefits to the region
• Improved connectivity between Cairns and the region’s agricultural production hubs on the Atherton Tablelands.
• Increased social and economic outputs.
• Provides pathway towards increased connectivity between key national security assets (Port of Weipa and RAAF Base Scherger).
Recommendation
The Queensland Government works with the Australian Government to amend the National Land Transport Act 2014 to extend the national highway designation from its current terminus at the intersection of Captain Cook and Kennedy Highways to the intersection of the Kennedy Highway and the Mulligan Highway, and ultimately, to extend that vital network across to the Western Cape, to Weipa.
Last updated: July 2025
Advocacy
