Sydney commutes are Australia’s longest

According to the latest Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, the average Sydney commuter suffers through a 71-minute daily round trip.

According to the latest Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, the average Sydney commuter suffers through a 71-minute daily round trip.

Brisbane drivers were the second worst-off at 67 minutes, while Melburnians face an average commute time of 65 minutes.

Workers in the Norther Territory have Australia's shortest commutes, averaging just 35 minutes per day.

Travel times are up across Australia, with the national average of just under an hour representing a 22 per cent increase on 2002.

There are real economic and human costs to congestion. The HILDA survey found "those who spend a long time getting to and from work each day are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job overall".

"People who have a longer daily commute are more likely to expect to leave their jobs in the next 12 months than those who spend less time getting to and from work," the report says.

The Australian Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics says congestion costs Australia upwards of $16 billion every year, and the figure could tip $30 billion by 2030.

Melbourne and Sydney residents have both tipped traffic as their largest concern moving forward, with Charlie Nelson, director of a study of 1000 urban residents in Australia's two largest cities claiming "governments of all colours have failed to keep up with population growth".

"I know in Melbourne, public transport has seen the demise of several state governments recently," he told 3AW radio.