❓ Question regarding the McGowan government's $230 million commitment to replacing the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, focusing on job creation, public safety improvements, and comparison to previous government's efforts. The Minister's answer highlights the government's commitment, planning, and benefits of the project.
AnsweredQoN 337Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE
337. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's $230 million commitment to replacing the Fremantle Traffic
Bridge.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this project will create jobs for Western Australians
and improve public safety for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and boat users?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this compares with the pitiful patch-up work of
the previous Liberal–National government?
337. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's $230 million commitment to replacing the Fremantle Traffic
Bridge.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this project will create jobs for Western Australians
and improve public safety for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and boat users?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this compares with the pitiful patch-up work of
the previous Liberal–National government?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Bicton for that question and her strong work to represent
the community in her area to get more trucks off Leach Highway and expand the
capacity of our rail network. She understands that this bridge is an important
element of that.
The McGowan Labor government is
committed to rebuilding the Fremantle Traffic Bridge. This issue has been
debated for many years. Do members recall the soap opera that happened on the
other side when we talked about the Fremantle Traffic Bridge? We actually deal
with facts. We do the planning, go to Infrastructure Australia and get the
funding, so now we can deliver this important bit of infrastructure. The bridge
was built in 1938 as a temporary structure. The amount of money that would need
to be spent to patch up the work to make it safe into the future means that
building a new bridge is a key part of making sure that we can continue traffic
and rail movement into Fremantle.
The project will include better
pedestrian and cycling connections, expanded freight and rail capacity, and the
new road. I thank the member for Bicton and the member for Fremantle for the
work that they have done in a proper and considered way. I also thank the
federal member, Josh Wilson, for putting this on the federal government's
agenda. We have already met with the City of Fremantle, which is very excited
about working with us to make this project work for the community.
This bridge complements our plan for
freight and trade in Western Australia. A new statistic about freight on rail
is that in April the amount of freight on rail reached 23.7 per cent. That is a
record amount and is up from 10 per cent under the previous government. The
member for Scarborough went on radio to cast doubt on those figures. She was
interviewed by the hard-hitting interviewer Karl O'Callaghan on her
Sunday piece. Maybe they were talking about the police and community youth
centre cuts beforehand; I do not know. They talked about the Fremantle issue,
and she doubted that we had more freight on rail.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough, this is not a chat show.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : She said that she was looking forward
to estimates to grill me on these figures—and so am I!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The last
time we talked about this issue in estimates, she said that she knew her
government had committed over $2 billion to the Perth Freight Link, but that
freight movements on Leach Highway were really not the issue. That is what she
said in 2017. I cannot wait to go through all the statistics about traffic
movements on Leach Highway and that our plan to get more freight on rail is
working. This project will expand that capacity. We have a plan that is
working. Members should compare that with the chaotic soap opera on the other
side around this project.
thank the member for Bicton for that question and her strong work to represent
the community in her area to get more trucks off Leach Highway and expand the
capacity of our rail network. She understands that this bridge is an important
element of that.
The McGowan Labor government is
committed to rebuilding the Fremantle Traffic Bridge. This issue has been
debated for many years. Do members recall the soap opera that happened on the
other side when we talked about the Fremantle Traffic Bridge? We actually deal
with facts. We do the planning, go to Infrastructure Australia and get the
funding, so now we can deliver this important bit of infrastructure. The bridge
was built in 1938 as a temporary structure. The amount of money that would need
to be spent to patch up the work to make it safe into the future means that
building a new bridge is a key part of making sure that we can continue traffic
and rail movement into Fremantle.
The project will include better
pedestrian and cycling connections, expanded freight and rail capacity, and the
new road. I thank the member for Bicton and the member for Fremantle for the
work that they have done in a proper and considered way. I also thank the
federal member, Josh Wilson, for putting this on the federal government's
agenda. We have already met with the City of Fremantle, which is very excited
about working with us to make this project work for the community.
This bridge complements our plan for
freight and trade in Western Australia. A new statistic about freight on rail
is that in April the amount of freight on rail reached 23.7 per cent. That is a
record amount and is up from 10 per cent under the previous government. The
member for Scarborough went on radio to cast doubt on those figures. She was
interviewed by the hard-hitting interviewer Karl O'Callaghan on her
Sunday piece. Maybe they were talking about the police and community youth
centre cuts beforehand; I do not know. They talked about the Fremantle issue,
and she doubted that we had more freight on rail.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough, this is not a chat show.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : She said that she was looking forward
to estimates to grill me on these figures—and so am I!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The last
time we talked about this issue in estimates, she said that she knew her
government had committed over $2 billion to the Perth Freight Link, but that
freight movements on Leach Highway were really not the issue. That is what she
said in 2017. I cannot wait to go through all the statistics about traffic
movements on Leach Highway and that our plan to get more freight on rail is
working. This project will expand that capacity. We have a plan that is
working. Members should compare that with the chaotic soap opera on the other
side around this project.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.