The Brown Mountain road from the Bega Valley and Sapphire Coast communities to Canberra, the Monaro and the Riverina is unsafe, unstable, unreliable and unsustainable. Our southeast corner of NSW has been last on the list for highway funding by governments of both sides for too long. This pushes up our transport and fuel costs, impacts our major industries like tourism and dairy and restricts health, emergency and natural disaster access. If this stays the same, our local cost of living, jobs, growth and energy security are at risk. If this changes, by recognising this vital east-west as a 'road of strategic importance' Federal funding will become available to "FIX THE BROWN" in partnership with the NSW government. The immediate first step is for the NSW and Federal governments to publicly commit to timely funding of a $15m. independent engineering options study to report on how to upgrade the existing Brown Mountain, or to recommend an alternative route..