The $23.3 million commitment will fully fund an $11 million upgrade of the Captains Flat Road intersection including a u-turn facility; Three eastbound overtaking lanes east of Yass Road at a cost of $7.6 million; Two westbound overtaking lanes east of Yass Road at a cost of $4.6 million; and $100,000 for Queanbeyan City Council and NSW Roads and Traffic Authority to develop a Queanbeyan Network Model and properly plan the future development of the Kings Highway.

The announcement said that Federal Labor recognises the responsibility of the Australian government for the safety of Defence personnel and all those who travel to and from the new Defence Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) via the Kings Highway.

In 2005, an NRMA study found that the Defence HQ would double the traffic on the Kings Highway, adding 553 vehicles per hour to the road just south of Bungendore in peak periods - leading to significantly longer delays.

The study also found that there had been 877 crashes on the Kings Highway over the previous 10 years - an average of one crash every four days.

A Rudd Labor Government will make a major contribution because the Defence HQ will have an impact on traffic volumes and road safety for local communities, and the Federal government has a responsibility to reduce that impact.

The funding will be provided from the Defence Capital Facilities Projects budget between 2007-08 and 2008-09 with approval from the Joint Committee on Public Works.

Mr Rudd said that "The Howard Government only offered a token gesture of $8.2 million on 10th October to make it look like it was acting. Before that, it denied all responsibility."