❓ Question regarding road funding and increased congestion leading to 'rat-running'. Minister responds by defending current roadworks projects and criticising the previous government's spending.
AnsweredQoN 137Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROADS NETWORK —
RAT-RUNNING
137. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the minister's confession on radio this
morning that he is a rat runner.
(1) Why has
the government budgeted to spend only $723 million over four years in state
capital appropriations for new roadworks, compared with $819 million spent by
WA Labor during our last four years in government?
(2) Will the minister guarantee an increase in state funding —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members! I would prefer in this place that
members asking questions were heard in silence. I direct that advice
particularly at this moment to members on my right.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
To continue —
(2) Will the
minister guarantee that he will increase state funding for new roadworks to
stop the explosion of rat runs that are currently occurring due to the
congestion crisis that his government is creating?
RAT-RUNNING
137. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the minister's confession on radio this
morning that he is a rat runner.
(1) Why has
the government budgeted to spend only $723 million over four years in state
capital appropriations for new roadworks, compared with $819 million spent by
WA Labor during our last four years in government?
(2) Will the minister guarantee an increase in state funding —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members! I would prefer in this place that
members asking questions were heard in silence. I direct that advice
particularly at this moment to members on my right.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS :
To continue —
(2) Will the
minister guarantee that he will increase state funding for new roadworks to
stop the explosion of rat runs that are currently occurring due to the
congestion crisis that his government is creating?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
This answer may have to be headed ''Confessions of a rat runner'',
because indeed from time to time, when attempting to get from A to B, one does
use alternative roads, as I suspect everyone in Western Australia does.
Sometimes, heaven forbid, I use what members might call back roads through
either my home town of Busselton or the suburbs. The funny thing is that they
are still roads that people are entitled to drive on, provided they do it
lawfully. There are a couple of issues here. The member raised the issue of the
amount that is being spent on roads. I put it to the member that if we take out
the fact of the Forrest Highway, largely supported by the then Howard
government, that dramatically reduces the former Labor government's
spend on metropolitan roads.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That's not true. The Howard government gave us less than what you're
getting!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will take the member for Midland on a little tour of the metropolitan area just
to explain what we are doing, particularly on arterial roads. Later I will
table this very impressive document I have with me. Let us say, for example, we
start out in the member for Belmont's electorate. If we come out onto
Great Eastern Highway and turn left, we travel through the $325 million that is
being spent to upgrade and put in place a much-needed extra lane on Great
Eastern Highway. That is something the member for Belmont failed to do in eight
years of government, but I am here to look after him and his constituents.
Mr E.S. Ripper : It
was 80 per cent federally funded.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
We then turn right and make our way through the Graham Farmer tunnel, where we
have just committed $57 million to add a third lane, and an additional lane to
Mitchell Freeway heading north. As we head along Mitchell Freeway, a third lane
between Hepburn Avenue and Hodges Drive will be built there later this year.
The member for Midland would then do a U-turn there, come back and travel along
Reid Highway towards Midland where she lives or where her electorate office is.
She would go through the Reid Highway–Mirrabooka interchange and the
Reid Highway–Alexander Drive interchange, and to finish off the
circular tour, she would end up at the $112 million Great Eastern Highway–Roe
Highway interchange. The point I am trying to make here is that more money is
being spent upgrading the arterial roads of Perth at the moment than has ever
been spent.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
Yes, but what about you? What about state funding?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : Member for Midland, I have been in this place for only eight
years; it feels like a lot more sometimes. One thing I found in my eight years
is that it is a lot easier to spend money when members are in opposition than
when they are in government. The point I also made on the radio this morning is
that the time at which we will have a test of the opposition's
commitment to the Perth road network is when we head into the election campaign
next year, and the opposition will have to actually fund all of the things that
it talks about. The rattle of its hollow promises will ring out across the
Perth metropolitan area!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : One person has asked the question. I think members know the
rhetoric they are going to get from me at this point. The next person to
interject on this question will be formally called to order. Member for
Midland, I will no doubt give you a supplementary question.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will wrap up pretty quickly. The point I want to make is that the member for
Midland could barely travel along an arterial road in Perth and not notice
roadworks that either have just been completed —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
It is like a Bea and Frankie assault!
The member for Midland would not be able to see a major
arterial road that either had not had roadworks recently completed, that did
not have roadworks underway or in the not-too-distant future would not have
roadworks that are planned. In relation to this sudden emergence of this
phenomenon called ''rat-running'', which has probably been in
existence since the first Ford Model T rolled out of the factory, yes, it
happens; it has been happening for a long time.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
So you don't see it as a problem, do you?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : There are some areas where it is a particular problem, member
for Midland. One of them was highlighted in the newspaper this morning; that
is, around the area in Belmont heading out towards Perth Airport. One of the
reasons that people use alternative routes through there is that we are
spending $325 million upgrading Great Eastern Highway.
Mr
E.S. Ripper : Most of that was provided by the federal government.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
did not see the member for Belmont spend a cent.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
am so sad that the member for Belmont failed his constituents in relation to
the most important road through their electorate.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will tell the member for Belmont what I will do. The opening of that upgrade
may be when he is no longer a member of this place, but I will make sure he
gets an invitation to come along and I will make sure he gets the due
acknowledgement that will be due to him on that day. It will not fill up much
of my speech!
This answer may have to be headed ''Confessions of a rat runner'',
because indeed from time to time, when attempting to get from A to B, one does
use alternative roads, as I suspect everyone in Western Australia does.
Sometimes, heaven forbid, I use what members might call back roads through
either my home town of Busselton or the suburbs. The funny thing is that they
are still roads that people are entitled to drive on, provided they do it
lawfully. There are a couple of issues here. The member raised the issue of the
amount that is being spent on roads. I put it to the member that if we take out
the fact of the Forrest Highway, largely supported by the then Howard
government, that dramatically reduces the former Labor government's
spend on metropolitan roads.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That's not true. The Howard government gave us less than what you're
getting!
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will take the member for Midland on a little tour of the metropolitan area just
to explain what we are doing, particularly on arterial roads. Later I will
table this very impressive document I have with me. Let us say, for example, we
start out in the member for Belmont's electorate. If we come out onto
Great Eastern Highway and turn left, we travel through the $325 million that is
being spent to upgrade and put in place a much-needed extra lane on Great
Eastern Highway. That is something the member for Belmont failed to do in eight
years of government, but I am here to look after him and his constituents.
Mr E.S. Ripper : It
was 80 per cent federally funded.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
We then turn right and make our way through the Graham Farmer tunnel, where we
have just committed $57 million to add a third lane, and an additional lane to
Mitchell Freeway heading north. As we head along Mitchell Freeway, a third lane
between Hepburn Avenue and Hodges Drive will be built there later this year.
The member for Midland would then do a U-turn there, come back and travel along
Reid Highway towards Midland where she lives or where her electorate office is.
She would go through the Reid Highway–Mirrabooka interchange and the
Reid Highway–Alexander Drive interchange, and to finish off the
circular tour, she would end up at the $112 million Great Eastern Highway–Roe
Highway interchange. The point I am trying to make here is that more money is
being spent upgrading the arterial roads of Perth at the moment than has ever
been spent.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
Yes, but what about you? What about state funding?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : Member for Midland, I have been in this place for only eight
years; it feels like a lot more sometimes. One thing I found in my eight years
is that it is a lot easier to spend money when members are in opposition than
when they are in government. The point I also made on the radio this morning is
that the time at which we will have a test of the opposition's
commitment to the Perth road network is when we head into the election campaign
next year, and the opposition will have to actually fund all of the things that
it talks about. The rattle of its hollow promises will ring out across the
Perth metropolitan area!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : One person has asked the question. I think members know the
rhetoric they are going to get from me at this point. The next person to
interject on this question will be formally called to order. Member for
Midland, I will no doubt give you a supplementary question.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will wrap up pretty quickly. The point I want to make is that the member for
Midland could barely travel along an arterial road in Perth and not notice
roadworks that either have just been completed —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
It is like a Bea and Frankie assault!
The member for Midland would not be able to see a major
arterial road that either had not had roadworks recently completed, that did
not have roadworks underway or in the not-too-distant future would not have
roadworks that are planned. In relation to this sudden emergence of this
phenomenon called ''rat-running'', which has probably been in
existence since the first Ford Model T rolled out of the factory, yes, it
happens; it has been happening for a long time.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
So you don't see it as a problem, do you?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : There are some areas where it is a particular problem, member
for Midland. One of them was highlighted in the newspaper this morning; that
is, around the area in Belmont heading out towards Perth Airport. One of the
reasons that people use alternative routes through there is that we are
spending $325 million upgrading Great Eastern Highway.
Mr
E.S. Ripper : Most of that was provided by the federal government.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
did not see the member for Belmont spend a cent.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
am so sad that the member for Belmont failed his constituents in relation to
the most important road through their electorate.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
will tell the member for Belmont what I will do. The opening of that upgrade
may be when he is no longer a member of this place, but I will make sure he
gets an invitation to come along and I will make sure he gets the due
acknowledgement that will be due to him on that day. It will not fill up much
of my speech!
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