A rally to fight for federal funding to continue the Barton Highway Duplication was held in Yass on Saturday April 12 at Coronation Park, Yass, followed by a ride in convoy to Murrumbateman Rec Grounds.
Duplicate the Barton Highway Community Action Group est. 2013 has fired up again calling for a meaningful Federal election commitment to get on with the job of saving lives by making regional roads safer.
Stage two of the project has lagged 12 months behind the original plan and comes to an end at Kaveneys Road with only $25 million in ‘planning’ money announced so far this election cycle.
The group is pushing for the works to get underway as promised to Gooda Creek, calling for new funding for works required to get up to Murrumbateman and complete the vital bypass of Murrumbateman, a town rapidly on its way to a population goal of 10,000 residents.
Yass Valley local Mrs Tara Davaris, supported by her husband Tim, has taken up the baton on the Barton from former organiser Sophie Wade to lead the action group. The Yass Valley mother’s reasons for fighting for the Barton to be finished are straightforward and relatable.
“It’s your children on the school bus, it’s your mums and dads going to work, and it’s mums like me who are driving our little people into sports and going to the movies or medical appointments so it’s really important. We’re on that road with big trucks, kangaroos, and on-coming traffic, there’s just too much risk of a fatal head on crash with a single carriageway.
“We need the funding, we need the dollars so we can get this project finished,” Tara stressed.
Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones confirmed Council is fully behind the push, “Yass Valley Council is proud to support the Barton Highway Community Action Group as they continue the important work of advocating for the full duplication of the highway,” said Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones.
“Our community has waited long enough. A bipartisan commitment is now needed to finish it. Regional lives matter and our residents are understandably impatient to see Stage 2 construction commence and be delivered concurrently with road upgrades around Murrumbateman. We welcome the Group’s strong voice in the region and their commitment to ensuring the Murrumbateman bypass remains a key priority.”
“On a personal level our family runs the gauntlet daily. My 18 year-old daughter is now a P-plater on this road to get to study and work, my husband travels it daily for work, I drive it to meet with our residents, drive the little kids to after school activities in Murrumbateman and I’ve travelled it at high speed in an ambulance in labour and with sick children – it needs to be safer.”
NSW Infrastructure’s 2019 Barton Highway Business Case indicated that the highway’s single-lane carriageway was already at capacity, with traffic across the border expected to increase from 13,000 to over 21,000 movements by 2037. Despite this, the Barton duplication project is ranked 28th in priority, with no additional works funding identified in the current NSW Southeast & Tablelands Strategic Transport draft plan.
Yass Valley Council has rejected the plan due to its failure to prioritise regional NSW. Mayor Jones emphasised, “This is both a federal and state issue, and it’s crucial that all levels of government prioritise Yass as a strategic transport centre and a thriving cross-border commuting community. The State’s draft plan for our region does not have Yass prioritised as a strategic centre despite three federal highways, two state roads and five regional roads pulsing with freight and people through our shire directly into the ACT and regional New South Wales. Council is pushing back hard on this.”
Rowena Abbey, Chair of Regional Development Australia – Southern NSW & ACT and former Yass Valley Mayor added her voice from a regional perspective. “It’s always been the East-West connector for the Southern part of NSW through to Yass and from here through to Melbourne and Sydney and west to Adelaide, so the Barton Highway is a major part of that connection from Southern NSW.”
Keen to see finished what started in her term as Mayor, Rowena Abbey wants the duplication com-pleted primarily for safety, “It’s extremely important, because there are still deaths and accidents on this road constantly, and for the long-term sustainability of the Yass Valley as well as the communities west of here such as Boorowa, Harden, Cowra, that use the Barton as their main route to Canberra.”
Yass Valley Business Chamber President Mr Jack Walker said the community has waited long enough, “The community has been advocating for the Barton Highway duplication since the 1970’s, before my time. We’ve seen the first stage roll out very slowly. What we need to see is full duplication now. All sides of politics need to recognise Yass lives, matter, regional lives matter.”
Mr Walker also addressing the economic perspective of fixing a key gateway into the Australian Capital Territory and Regional NSW.
“Business confidence in Yass Valley has increased as infrastructure investment comes forward, but we need to see it finished. There is a substantial business case for the completion of the Barton Highway duplication but what we need to see is it done right now because every year that the government delays it, the cost of it only goes up. It’s a substantial project that will boost economic activity across Yass Valley and into the Riverina, Adelaide and Victoria, huge chunks of Southern Australia are using this highway and its chock-a-block. The fact we’ve got some sections dupli-cated and others not, creates more erratic driver behaviour. We’ve got lots of people moving to Yass, wanting the regional life but still want schooling in the ACT so it’s important to fix this unsafe road.”
Stephanie Helm, President of the Murrumbateman Community Association supports the cause, “Murrumbateman residents have been calling for the duplication of the Barton Highway for nearly 30 years. With a crash rate double that of similar highways, community concern continues to grow as lives are lost and serious injuries occur on this critical route. The recent reduction to 80km/h acknowledges the safety risks, but it’s not a long-term solution. In fact, this new speed zone risks increasing driver frustration and unsafe overtaking—two of the leading causes of crashes. Duplication is the only real solution to ensure driver safety.”
The rally and convoy served as a public event for the community to call together for further funding with only stages 1& 2 funded and only 1 stage delivered of a billion-dollar project to duplicate the Barton Highway. Federal candidates in the 2025 election were invited to attend.
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