Flood aftermath exposes holes in South Australia's federal road funding
An outback road flooded in the 2026 rain event. (Supplied: Department for Infrastructure and Transport)
In short:
South Australia receives the lowest level of federal road funding per capita and per kilometre of any state or territory.
Recent flooding has exposed the difficulty regional councils face funding major road repairs.
What's next?
Joint state and federal disaster funding has been released to support affected communities but advocates are urging the federal government to consider a permanent increase to SA's road funding share.
Intense rainfall across parts of South Australia's north in recent weeks caused outback towns and stations to be isolated when floodwater cut off roads.
Now, as flooding recedes, local governments are beginning to calculate the damage and are frustrated it will be up to them to foot the bill.
Flinders Ranges Council chief executive Sean Holden said the cost to fully fix damaged roads could be between $7 and $10 million, which was more than the council's entire yearly spending.
Hawker in outback South Australia experienced flooding in late February and early March. (ABC North and West: Jenae Madden)
"It was an absolute disaster," Mr Holden said.
"Even if we spent all of it, we would only be able to seal 7 kilometres of road and we have 1,293km in total."
The cost of the flood damage across the state's road network has highlighted longstanding concerns about massive gaps in federal funding.
Sean Holden estimates it could cost up to $10 million to fix flood-damaged roads. (ABC North and West: Jenae Madden)
Despite accounting for about 12 per cent of the country's road network and 7 per cent of the population, the Local Government Association of South Australia said the state received only about 5.5 per cent of federal road funding.
President Heather Holmes-Ross said that was due to a "historical miscalculation" in how the government divvied up its national road funding.
"No-one is sure how it came about," Dr Holmes-Ross said.
Flooding in SA's north caused severe damage to outback roads. (ABC North and West: Jenae Madden)
"But we're not interested in why it happened. We're interested in how it will be addressed."
Since 2003, South Australia has received supplementary local road funding from the federal government.
Heather Holmes-Ross says SA receives only about 5.5 per cent of federal road funding. (Supplied: Local Government Association of South Australia)
Dr Holmes-Ross said that amount had sat at $20 million for nine years and had been entirely dependent on the government of the day.
"Some years we just haven't got it," she said.
"For example, in 2014, the Abbott government decided not to fund that so for three years there was no additional top-up."
That funding was reinstated in the 2017-18 budget again at $20 million per year.
"Meanwhile, the cost of roads and road maintenance has skyrocketed,"she said.
Dr Holmes-Ross said the funding gap made it difficult for regional councils to keep up, particularly after natural disasters.
The current three-year extension to the state's supplementary road funding is due to end on June 30.
The bitumen road outside Hawker badly was damaged by floodwater. (ABC North and West SA: Jenae Madden)
A spokesperson for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King acknowledged the supplementary funding had been "essential" for regional South Australian communities.
The spokesperson said the government was considering how to continue the funding through the usual budget process.
Emergency funds released
State and federal governments have released disaster funding for nine affected council areas, including the Flinders Ranges and the state's unincorporated pastoral areas.
The funding will assist with disaster response operations and the reconstruction of essential public assets.
A spokesperson for Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said assessments of the damage caused by the flooding were ongoing.
Dr Holmes-Ross said relying on disaster funding for road repairs was a "false economy".
A flooded outback road in South Australia. (Supplied: Department for Infrastructure and Transport)
"Perhaps if South Australia were getting their fair share of federal funding, we wouldn't be in the position we are now," she said.
The 2026–27 federal budget will be handed down on May 12.
The South Australian budget is scheduled for June.