[originaltext]W: I think we all know an intersection or a stretch of road that

W: I think we all know an intersection or a stretch of road that is dangerous and needs to be fixed. Well, there’s some federal money available through the Black Spot funding program. Jamie Briggs is an MP. Welcome, Jamie.
M: Thanks. New South Wales has appointed John Cobb as the chair of the Black Spot consultative panel. And, John knows transport needs very well in New South Wales, and he brings a level of experience to the Black Spot committee, which will ensure we get the best value of money that we want, and also improve our productive capacity on important metro and also, importantly, regional roads.
W: Today we’re broadcasting not just to the Riverina, but to the southwest and the southeast of the state.
M: Well, look, in respect to this program, the Federal Government runs the Black Spot Program. It’s a $60 million program a year, spread across the states. Obviously, New South Wales gets a good share of that. What people can do with their local government particularly is to identify black spots which have had a crash history, where there have been incidents over the last two or three years. They can identify those black spots to the committee, they don’t need all that much information, and they can fill it out themselves.
W: Well, what do you want our regions to do?
M: We want our regions to do better, we want our regions to be sending more of our high quality primary produce to ports to get onto ships, to export overseas, and to do that we need the most effective road network. And the Australian Government’s committing significant amounts to upgrading major roads. In Sydney, for instance, we’re committing $1. 5 billion, as part of the WestConnex proposal, which has an impact on our freight capacity, of course, getting our stuff to airports and to ports. But this program, while it’s small, makes a significant contribution to our regional development because it ensures we get productive capacity on many roads which are suffering from substandard infrastructure. And, what I’ve asked John Cobb to do is to lead this committee and get the best value for the money that we allocate each year.
W: Should the business sector, businesses that set up in certain areas be asked to help fund roads?
M: Well, indeed they are on some occasions, and part of the challenge the country has, as both the state and federal governments deal with Labor’s debt is to increasingly find ways to attract private sector investment. Sometimes that’s through pricing. The private sector is involved in the WestConnex project, and is incentivized to be involved. So, of course, in that instance, it’s attractive to both the federal and state governments, and also the private sector, and we’ll increasingly be looking at ways to attract private sector investment into our important economic infrastructure.
W: All right, it’s time to end today’s program. Thank you, Jamie. Thanks for talking with us.
M: My pleasure.
6. What do we know about John Cobb’s experience to black spots according to the interview?
7. How can people in New South Wales join in the program?
8. Why does the Black Spot program contribute a lot to the local economy?
9. What does the WestConnex proposal mentioned by the interviewee involve?
10. Which of the following statements is CORRECT about private investment in economic infrastructure?