The 2025–26 Federal Budget: A missed opportunity to invest in an active and healthy transport future
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Better Streets expresses our profound disappointment in the Australian Government's 2025–26 Budget. Persisting with a stale and car-dependent paradigm, this allocates substantial funds to ever-expanding urban highway systems while neglecting much-needed investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.
In total, the Budget commits $17.1 billion over 10 years to transport infrastructure projects. This vast sum primarily benefits road — and a few rail — projects while allocating tiny crumbs to healthy and safe active transport. The $100 million allocated in the Budget over four years to the Active Transport Fund, aimed at upgrading and delivering new bicycle and walking paths, represents just over half a cent out of each dollar of new transport spending. Compare this with the mammoth splurge on road infrastructure, such as the $7.2 billion allocated for Queensland's Bruce Highway.
The Australian Government’s spending on active transport infrastructure is pathetically low when set against what other transport sectors receive. Committed dollars fall far short of our ask. Better Streets is calling for a national Active Transport Infrastructure Program, with an annual investment of $400 million — or $15 for every Australian — over the next decade. This program will kickstart the delivery of State-led active transport projects that are languishing unfunded on Infrastructure Australia’s list of national investment priorities. It will fund safer walking and cycling networks in 15 regional cities, congestion-busting cross-city cycleway networks in major capitals, and safe routes to schools and community facilities.
The failure of Australia’s national budget to support active transport investment represents a missed opportunity to diversify the transport options available to Australians and promote equitable access for all citizens. Better Streets remains committed to advocating for balanced infrastructure funding that includes robust support for walking and bike-riding projects. In the run-up to the Federal Election we urge the Australian Government, the Opposition and all other parties and candidates to reset priorities and invest in walking and bike-riding facilities that benefit all in the community.
We encourage all Australians who care about happier, healthier, safer and more sustainable streets to take action. Email your local candidates and ask them to pledge their support for Better Streets’ asks: https://www.betterstreets.org.au/2025-federal-election. Together, we can achieve a fairer, more balanced transport budget for everyone.
Proposed Cycleway Network (source: Bicycle NSW / Better Streets Northern Beaches)
Photo: Artistic Render of the Curl Curl - Freshwater Cycleway (source: Northern Beaches Council)
