CANBERRA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Australian Minister for Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge has called for the nation's states to accelerate infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy.

In a column for the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on Tuesday, Alan Tudge wrote that the federal government is already supporting the economy through public works, urging the state governments to "accelerate" their own projects.

It comes after Philip Lowe, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), earlier urged the government to bring planned infrastructure spending forward to drive economic growth.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced 100 billion Australian dollars (70.4 billion U.S. dollars) in funding for infrastructure in the April 2 budget, one third of which will be spent in the next four years.

Tudge identified three areas where infrastructure could be fast-tracked, first of which was 120 large projects that are already being planned.

"They require careful planning, business case development and rigorous procurement processes," he said.

"However, if they can be accelerated, we will negotiate bringing forward our funding to match the new project schedule," he said.

Second were projects that have been allocated funding by the federal government but have not been given the green light by relevant states and third, according to Tudge, were 166 small projects that could be under construction within 12 months.

"By injecting five million Australian dollars (3.5 million U.S. dollars) to 50 million Australian dollars (35.2 million U.S. dollars) into a local community, these projects will not only assist local residents and boost freight movement, but create local jobs in suburbs across the country," he said.

"We are presently in constructive discussions with premiers and ministers over these three opportunities," he added. Enditem

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