❓ The Minister for Transport details the McGowan Labor government's investment in regional roads, highlighting specific projects and criticising the previous government's approach to regional road spending and safety.
AnsweredQoN 741Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROADS — REGIONAL INVESTMENT
741. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Transport:
Can the minister update the house on how the McGowan Labor
government's significant investment in regional roads is delivering for
those living in the regions and improving driver safety across country WA?
741. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Transport:
Can the minister update the house on how the McGowan Labor
government's significant investment in regional roads is delivering for
those living in the regions and improving driver safety across country WA?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for that
question. The state government is committed to spending on roads, particularly
in regional Western Australia. I thank my colleague the Minister for Road
Safety for the continued focus on addressing road safety issues across WA, but
in particular in regional WA. In the past couple of weeks, we have announced a number
of programs, including $28.4 million of funding for the WA safer roads program.
That was started under the former Gallop Labor government, and the Minister for
Road Safety was the Minister for Police;
Road Safety at that time. This is a program aimed at addressing key safety
issues across the state. You will be happy to know, Mr Speaker, that the
program will fund 24 regional road safety initiatives and one in metropolitan
WA. The focus is on regional road safety. There is a number of very exciting
projects, including $5.8 million for the first stage of an intersection upgrade
on Bussell Highway and Fairway Drive in Busselton; $4.3 million for widening
works on Brand Highway north of Cataby; $3.5 million for the Collie–Lake
King road in the wheatbelt; $2 million for widening works on Victoria Highway
in the Kimberley; and, of course, member for Bunbury, we are out on South
Western Highway and Victoria Street, looking at the planned improvements in
that area and how we can address some of the congestion around that significant
urban growth area. This is on top of all the other road safety initiatives that
we are spending across regional WA, including $70 million over the forward
estimates to deliver upgrades on regional roads where there is a high risk of
run-off-road accidents; $20 million for Indian Ocean Drive; $17.2 million for
Great Southern Highway and Great Eastern Highway; and $1.2 million over four
years on advanced warning signs at rural intersections. There is so much work
to be done and we are focusing on making sure we can make those improvements in
regional WA to save lives and to address the neglect in previous years of
regional road spending.
I want to leave members with my last
comment on the former Leader of the National Party when asked about spending on
regional roads. His comment was ''We haven't spent a lot of
money on roads'' in regional WA. That was the approach taken under the
previous government. We are focused on addressing road safety and improving
outcomes for people in regional WA.
question. The state government is committed to spending on roads, particularly
in regional Western Australia. I thank my colleague the Minister for Road
Safety for the continued focus on addressing road safety issues across WA, but
in particular in regional WA. In the past couple of weeks, we have announced a number
of programs, including $28.4 million of funding for the WA safer roads program.
That was started under the former Gallop Labor government, and the Minister for
Road Safety was the Minister for Police;
Road Safety at that time. This is a program aimed at addressing key safety
issues across the state. You will be happy to know, Mr Speaker, that the
program will fund 24 regional road safety initiatives and one in metropolitan
WA. The focus is on regional road safety. There is a number of very exciting
projects, including $5.8 million for the first stage of an intersection upgrade
on Bussell Highway and Fairway Drive in Busselton; $4.3 million for widening
works on Brand Highway north of Cataby; $3.5 million for the Collie–Lake
King road in the wheatbelt; $2 million for widening works on Victoria Highway
in the Kimberley; and, of course, member for Bunbury, we are out on South
Western Highway and Victoria Street, looking at the planned improvements in
that area and how we can address some of the congestion around that significant
urban growth area. This is on top of all the other road safety initiatives that
we are spending across regional WA, including $70 million over the forward
estimates to deliver upgrades on regional roads where there is a high risk of
run-off-road accidents; $20 million for Indian Ocean Drive; $17.2 million for
Great Southern Highway and Great Eastern Highway; and $1.2 million over four
years on advanced warning signs at rural intersections. There is so much work
to be done and we are focusing on making sure we can make those improvements in
regional WA to save lives and to address the neglect in previous years of
regional road spending.
I want to leave members with my last
comment on the former Leader of the National Party when asked about spending on
regional roads. His comment was ''We haven't spent a lot of
money on roads'' in regional WA. That was the approach taken under the
previous government. We are focused on addressing road safety and improving
outcomes for people in regional WA.
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