The paper by the Australian Rural Roads Group — an alliance of over 150 local governments in Australia — examines the issues arising from current road infrastructure planning and management. It claims that the poor condition of Australia's road system undermines safety, national productivity and social connectedness.

It calls for structural reform of Australia's road system management. It proposes that all local, state and federal governments should make a mandatory road report to an independent national roads body that sets out the basic condition and cost pressures facing roads every year, along the lines proposed by Infrastructure Australia in their 2011 report to COAG, Communicating the Imperative for Action.

From this reform, a national picture could be constructed on the condition and cost pressures facing Australian roads. Work could begin to target existing money better to highest-priority productivity and safety projects. National reporting and management will mean that taxpayer funds are going to the most important roads first.