The state government is in discussions with their federal counterparts to redirect some of the 10-year $400 million budgetary commitment for safety improvements on the Bass Highway to other roads projects.
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The Liberals announced the commitment a day ahead of the federal budget, released two weeks ago.
During Senate estimates hearings this week, Labor Senators Anne Urquhart and Carol Brown probed Infrastructure Department officials for more details on the commitment and the staged roll-out of the funding.
Infrastructure Department representative Jessica Hall said there would be $100 million provided through the funding package over four years, including $10 million in 2018-19, $20 million over two years, and $50 million in the final year.
But she said the department was still negotiating specific projects with the state government so could not detail at Tuesday’s hearing how the funding would be used.
Ms Hall said the projects, predominately on the Bass Highway, would be finalised within the next financial year.
"But the Tasmanian Government has identified a number of other priorities that they would actually like us to look at as well," Ms Hall said.
Infrastructure Department representative Sarah Leeming said it was too early to give financial figures on specific projects to be funded through the budget commitment.
"There is also the matter that the Tasmanian Government would also need to provide funding for this package and they haven't done so yet in their budget," she said.
Braddon Labor candidate Justine Keay said it was concerning that Commonwealth officials did not seem aware of the work required to make the stretch of road between Wynyard and Marrawah safer.
Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam shot back, saying Labor’s $6 million commitment to Bass Highway upgrades paled in comparison to the government’s financial commitment.
