The Hon. Mark Coulton MP, Federal Member for Parkes, Media Release, 25 January 2021

Heavy vehicle drivers in New South Wales’ Gwydir Shire will benefit from the opening of a brand new truck wash at Warialda.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the new facility offered a number of services to the region’s heavy vehicle operators.

“The Warialda truck wash facility lets our freight operators take a break from long journeys and give their heavy vehicles a decent clean,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“The Australian Government will continue to roll out these types of major projects across the nation under our record $110 billion infrastructure investment pipeline, which is laying the foundations for economic recovery as we charter a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

New South Wales Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the new truck wash gave the local trucking industry a place where stock effluent could be removed from trucks and trailers in an environmentally-friendly fashion.

“The facility provides a huge benefit to the broader community through the removal of stock effluent from town streets, rural roads and other areas where effluent tanks were traditionally emptied,” Mr Toole said.

“With the amount of freight moved across NSW expected to increase by 12 percent to 286 million tonnes by 2036, the NSW Government is investing $543 million into our Fixing Country Roads program to unlock regional job opportunities in construction, and upgrade freight routes to save time and deliver smoother, safer and more efficient bridges and roads.”

Federal Member for Parkes and Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government Mark Coulton said the new truck wash was a great win for the local trucking and agricultural community.

“This project is about supporting our stock carriers to improve their efficiency and truck cleanliness, which I know has been widely welcomed by the Warialda community,” Mr Coulton said.

“I’m proud to be part of a Government that is investing in rural and regional areas to ensure these communities have the infrastructure assets they need to thrive.”

State Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall said the opening of the facility would yield significant benefits for livestock operators and producers across the North West.

“As a freight hub located on one of Australia’s biggest transport routes, Warialda is a natural choice for improved infrastructure,” Mr Marshall said.

“Delivering this truck wash shows the NSW Government’s commitment to helping our primary production industries and vital freight network that the North West – and so many other regional areas – rely upon to keep economies ticking.”

Gwydir Shire Mayor John Coulton said the project was a wonderful example of the three tiers of government working together and that he was pleased with the finished product.

“We are very proud of our state-of-the-art truck wash – a very modern facility,” Cr Coulton said.

“There has been a healthy interest shown by the industry and this facility will help to remove the effluent from our roads that falls from stock trucks.”

Members of the trucking community with an Avdata key can now access the truck wash facility.

The truck wash forms part of the overall Warialda high productivity vehicle project, which has been jointly funded under Round Five of the Australian Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, with the Australian Government committing $2,998,350, the NSW Government $3,043,150 and Gwydir Shire Council $525,000.