Austroads is the association of Australian and New Zealand road transport and traffic authorities. Austroads members are the six Australian state and two territory road transport and traffic authorities, the Department for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

Austroads’ purpose is to contribute to the achievement of improved Australian and New Zealand transport related outcomes by:

• undertaking nationally strategic research on behalf of Australasian road agencies and communicating outcomes
• promoting improved practice by Australasian road agencies
• facilitating collaboration between road agencies to avoid duplication
• promoting harmonisation, consistency and uniformity in road and related operations
• providing expert advice to the Australian Transport Council (ATC) and the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT).
  

Strategic research - projects which assist road agencies to address current and emerging issues that have the potential to have a major impact on their operation

Supports technical research capacity - by funding research in the following areas:

• bituminous surfacings
• pavements structures
• asset management
• engineering safety.

Producing guides - a comprehensive range of publications which assist road agencies in the planning, design, construction, maintenance, operation and stewardship of roads

Supports the Australian Transport Council (ATC) - by providing technical input

Austroads' key principles are to:

• take an integrated approach to transport issues and work cooperatively with other modal interests
• develop partnerships and relationships with other similar organisations, industry and other stakeholders
• respect the position of individual members
• promote an innovative approach
• demonstrate good governance and conduct.

In undertaking projects, Austroads gives specific consideration to the following:

• environmental sustainability and cultural heritage
• community consultation and engagement
• funding and financing options
• improving data availability
• integration between roads and other transport modes.

Brief History of Austroads

Austroads came into being on 1 July 1989, it replaced NAASRA, the National Association of Australian State Road Authorities, which was established in 1959. The predecessor to NAASRA was COSRA which was established in 1934.

In 1933, a conference was held in Melbourne with the Commonwealth and State Ministers for Transport. It was decided that an annual conference of state road authorities be held. This became known by its acronym - COSRA.

The first COSRA meeting was held in February 1934. It afforded all the states and territories the opportunity to disseminate information, coordinate research, and discuss road finance and legislation. The then NSW Commissioner of Main Roads, who hosted that conference wrote in his invitation - "it would be a good thing for us to meet as road men interested in the development of our states and transport facilities, and there are many problems which it is thought could be better dealt with jointly."

The transparency and collaboration of all the states was seen as a major benefit in addressing road issues across the country. The strength and importance of the conference grew over time.

The conferences were held twice a year until 1939 when they were postponed due to the turmoil caused by the Second World War. As things settled at the conclusion of the war in 1945, the conferences resumed.

In October 1959 COSRA changed its name to the National Association of Australian State Road Authorities (NAASRA). By this time it had evolved into an organisation with a permanent secretariat and was much more than just a conference. NAASRA then set up the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) in 1960 to encourage research into road-making, planning and management.

NAASRA continued until the creation of Austroads in 1989. The change of name reflected moves in many of its member organisations towards integration of traffic, safety, registration and licensing with design and construction activities, and a road management focus aimed at provision of service and an increasingly commercial outlook.

The initial nine members were the eight state and territory road authorities and the commonwealth. This increased to 11 in 1993 when the Australian Local Government Association and Transit New Zealand (now NZTA) joined.

At its inception, transport ministers were involved in the establishment of COSRA. Austroads has continued this relationship with ministers providing highly regarded technical advice through the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT) to the Australian Transport Council (ATC).

Achievements

Austroads has always prided itself on the work it conducts. It aims to lead the way in providing high quality information and advice.

It has had many achievements:

• The Accelerated Loading Facility or ALF which was used to undertake a major body of work on pavements construction and strength.
• The Australian Road System: Role outcome and performance measures which lead to the development of performance measures for member organisations publicly available on the Austroads website.
• NEVDIS - a national database for vehicle registration and driver licence information. A result has been a significant reduction in motor vehicle theft.
• Roads and the Community, Cities for tomorrow - a major think piece about the role roads play in the future.
• Intelligent Transport and particularly the Intelligent Access Program and the eventual establishment of Transport Certification Australia to use satellite navigation technology to manage and regulate access to the road network by high productivity vehicles.
• The development of a web-based publications facility with free access to electronic copies of all research and technical reports and free electronic copies of guides to members including local government councils in Australia and New Zealand.
• The development of a comprehensive suite of guides covering the entire spectrum of road agency activity.

Austroads also has a strong involvement and connection with the global road transport community through the World Road Association (PIARC); and in our region with the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA). Austroads also has partnership agreements with similar bodies in North America. These relationships have been valuable in providing access to ideas and research internationally which can be shared amongst Austroads members.

Austroads has also provided an opportunity for networking across organisations and for sharing experiences and ideas. This has been a great benefit to its members and the professional development of their staff.

If you would like to know more about Austroads, click here to download the corporate brochure.