❓ The Minister for Transport confirms the Roe Highway-Berkshire Road interchange project is proceeding, addressing concerns about deferral and highlighting benefits secured through federal partnership, while also criticising opposition claims.
AnsweredQoN 372Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BERKSHIRE
ROAD—ROE HIGHWAY INTERSECTION
372. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Transport:
Following my grievance to the
minister last week regarding the upgrade of the intersection of Roe Highway and
Berkshire Road, a number of my constituents have expressed concern over
subsequent statements from the opposition that the project has been deferred.
Can the minister advise whether there is any truth to this?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Butler, I call you to order for the first time.
ROAD—ROE HIGHWAY INTERSECTION
372. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Transport:
Following my grievance to the
minister last week regarding the upgrade of the intersection of Roe Highway and
Berkshire Road, a number of my constituents have expressed concern over
subsequent statements from the opposition that the project has been deferred.
Can the minister advise whether there is any truth to this?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Butler, I call you to order for the first time.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield
for that question. It is always concerning and frustrating for the community
when those opposite spread misleading information.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Victoria Park and Cockburn, I call you to order for
the first time.
MR
D.C. NALDER : The construction of the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
interchange flyover is expected to commence within the coming months, and will
provide a significant safety benefit for the Forrestfield community. The state
Liberal–National government, in partnership with the federal government—is
everything all right, Mr Speaker?
The
SPEAKER : Thank you. Yes, Minister for Transport, you are safe! Carry on.
Several members interjected.
MR
D.C. NALDER : That certainly makes me feel safer!
I would like to say at the outset
that I believed the solution for the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
intersection was imperfect, and we sought a better outcome for the community of
Forrestfield. As a result, we deferred that work for a few months and worked
with the federal government to find out whether we could find a better
solution.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : Because of the relationship we have with the federal
government, we were able to secure additional funding, and we will commence
construction of that intersection in the coming months. This project will
enhance the amenity of adjacent residents through the provision of noise walls
along that section of Roe Highway. Considerable planning and design for the
interchange has already been undertaken, and this will form part of the broader
$1 billion Gateway WA Perth project. Under this arrangement, the state will
achieve considerably greater savings in contractor mobilisation and delivery
than it would have if we had commenced it as a new tender process. The project
is a significant win for the Forrestfield community and, indeed, all road
users. A large part of the credit must go to the efforts of the member for Forrestfield.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : Some criticism and misleading information was expressed in the
press.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the first time.
MR
D.C. NALDER : The shadow Minister for Transport actually said on 6PR that it
was a broken election promise. We have not broken an election promise; we are
delivering on that project.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : While I am sharing some information that I picked up off the
radio, I would like to refer to the Leader of the Opposition, who asked us to
deliver on the promise we made before the election and fix the intersection; we
are fixing it. I would also like to point out some other misleading information
that the Leader of the Opposition decided to put out on the radio. This is what
I talked about yesterday, in reference to the movement of grain across the
south west. According to my notes, in an interview with Gary Adshead on 6PR on Wednesday,
30 April, the Leader of the Opposition said —
What we're pointing out,
in particular around Collie and the South West, is with the expansion of
grain trucks going through there exporting out through Bunbury, with the closure
of the Tier 3 rail lines, there a huge increase in grain trucks running
around to those roads
That is what the Leader of the Opposition actually said. If
he were to ask the member for Collie–Preston how many fewer trucks
there would be on the roads if tier 3 remained open, he would tell him that the
answer is zero, because tier 3 has nothing to do with exporting grain into the
Bunbury port.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : I come from that area of Wagin, and I can tell members now —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the second time. Minister, can you
wind this up, please.
MR
D.C. NALDER : He is being disrespectful to the communities down there,
because they understand that those tier 3 railway lines sit on the other side
of tier 1 railway lines. For a start, they drive past the bins that are on tier
1 railway lines.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston!
MR
D.C. NALDER : The second thing is, he was supportive on ABC Radio with John
Cecil last week, saying that he supports the Bunge Australia contract in
Bunbury. That is what he said, but the grain is exported through the ports, on
rail, out of Fremantle and out of Albany, not through Bunbury, so he has been
misleading everybody about this. Tier 3 has nothing to do with this. This is
the continued deception we see across this issue, and the same thing that we
see with regard to the delivery of the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
overpass.
for that question. It is always concerning and frustrating for the community
when those opposite spread misleading information.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Victoria Park and Cockburn, I call you to order for
the first time.
MR
D.C. NALDER : The construction of the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
interchange flyover is expected to commence within the coming months, and will
provide a significant safety benefit for the Forrestfield community. The state
Liberal–National government, in partnership with the federal government—is
everything all right, Mr Speaker?
The
SPEAKER : Thank you. Yes, Minister for Transport, you are safe! Carry on.
Several members interjected.
MR
D.C. NALDER : That certainly makes me feel safer!
I would like to say at the outset
that I believed the solution for the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
intersection was imperfect, and we sought a better outcome for the community of
Forrestfield. As a result, we deferred that work for a few months and worked
with the federal government to find out whether we could find a better
solution.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : Because of the relationship we have with the federal
government, we were able to secure additional funding, and we will commence
construction of that intersection in the coming months. This project will
enhance the amenity of adjacent residents through the provision of noise walls
along that section of Roe Highway. Considerable planning and design for the
interchange has already been undertaken, and this will form part of the broader
$1 billion Gateway WA Perth project. Under this arrangement, the state will
achieve considerably greater savings in contractor mobilisation and delivery
than it would have if we had commenced it as a new tender process. The project
is a significant win for the Forrestfield community and, indeed, all road
users. A large part of the credit must go to the efforts of the member for Forrestfield.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : Some criticism and misleading information was expressed in the
press.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the first time.
MR
D.C. NALDER : The shadow Minister for Transport actually said on 6PR that it
was a broken election promise. We have not broken an election promise; we are
delivering on that project.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : While I am sharing some information that I picked up off the
radio, I would like to refer to the Leader of the Opposition, who asked us to
deliver on the promise we made before the election and fix the intersection; we
are fixing it. I would also like to point out some other misleading information
that the Leader of the Opposition decided to put out on the radio. This is what
I talked about yesterday, in reference to the movement of grain across the
south west. According to my notes, in an interview with Gary Adshead on 6PR on Wednesday,
30 April, the Leader of the Opposition said —
What we're pointing out,
in particular around Collie and the South West, is with the expansion of
grain trucks going through there exporting out through Bunbury, with the closure
of the Tier 3 rail lines, there a huge increase in grain trucks running
around to those roads
That is what the Leader of the Opposition actually said. If
he were to ask the member for Collie–Preston how many fewer trucks
there would be on the roads if tier 3 remained open, he would tell him that the
answer is zero, because tier 3 has nothing to do with exporting grain into the
Bunbury port.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
MR
D.C. NALDER : I come from that area of Wagin, and I can tell members now —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order for the second time. Minister, can you
wind this up, please.
MR
D.C. NALDER : He is being disrespectful to the communities down there,
because they understand that those tier 3 railway lines sit on the other side
of tier 1 railway lines. For a start, they drive past the bins that are on tier
1 railway lines.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston!
MR
D.C. NALDER : The second thing is, he was supportive on ABC Radio with John
Cecil last week, saying that he supports the Bunge Australia contract in
Bunbury. That is what he said, but the grain is exported through the ports, on
rail, out of Fremantle and out of Albany, not through Bunbury, so he has been
misleading everybody about this. Tier 3 has nothing to do with this. This is
the continued deception we see across this issue, and the same thing that we
see with regard to the delivery of the Roe Highway–Berkshire Road
overpass.
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