❓ Question regarding the government's spending on regional run-off road safety improvements funded by the road trauma trust account, with the Minister providing a detailed breakdown of expenditure across various regions and contrasting it with previous Labor government spending.
AnsweredQoN 157Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROAD SAFETY — RUN-OFF ROAD SAFETY
IMPROVEMENTS
157. Mr G.M. CASTRILLI to the
Minister for Road Safety:
Before I ask my question, on behalf of the member for Darling
Range —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr G.M. CASTRILLI :
On behalf of the member for Darling Range, I welcome to the gallery of the
Parliament of Western Australia, children from the Southern Hills Christian
College.
Can the minister please update the house on the government's
significant spend on regional run-off road safety improvements funded from the
road trauma trust account both in my electorate and across Western Australia?
IMPROVEMENTS
157. Mr G.M. CASTRILLI to the
Minister for Road Safety:
Before I ask my question, on behalf of the member for Darling
Range —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr G.M. CASTRILLI :
On behalf of the member for Darling Range, I welcome to the gallery of the
Parliament of Western Australia, children from the Southern Hills Christian
College.
Can the minister please update the house on the government's
significant spend on regional run-off road safety improvements funded from the
road trauma trust account both in my electorate and across Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of this question and for his strong advocacy for improved road safety outcomes
for his constituents in Bunbury.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you very much, member for Albany. Put your name down if you
want to ask a question. I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am really pleased to advise the house that from 2012 to the
end of the 2013–14 financial year, it is expected that we will have
spent $74 million from the road trauma trust account on regional run-off road
safety improvements. This money has been spent on improving the width of road
shoulders, audible edge lining for some of our regional roads, and wire rope
barriers that we all know act as a tremendous deflective tool in certain
sections of road where we know we have those clusters of run-off road crashes.
These are all tangible road improvements that the government can make as a
result of the expenditure of speed and red-light camera infringements going
into that road trauma trust account, which has now given us a substantial body
of money to spend on road safety improvements throughout Western Australia. Of
that money, the member for Bunbury will be pleased to know that $7 million has
been spent in the south west region; $1 million in the great southern; $5 million
across the midwest; $3.5 million in the goldfields and Esperance region; $5.5 million
in the Kimberley; nearly $11 million in the wheatbelt where we know that we
have an issue with road safety; and $3 million in the Pilbara.
Mr
P.B. Watson interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the second
time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : It is really interesting that the member for Albany is
ungrateful for the $1 million that has been spent on improving road safety
outcomes in the great southern region. On Labor's watch in 2007–08,
the entire road trauma trust account had a value of $17.5 million, and the
value of spend on safe travel speed engineering was $321 000. We have spent $1 million
just in the great southern. The previous government spent $321 000 across the
whole state; it is absolutely appalling. In the last year that the member for
Midland was Minister for Road Safety, Labor spent $545 000 on improving the
safety of our roads from a mere total of $14 million in the entire road trauma
trust account. From these figures —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The ''Member for 23 Votes'' does not like what I
said because on her watch in 2001 —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time.
Member for Girrawheen, I call you for the second time. Please talk through the
Chair, minister.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It is really important that members in this house understand that this $74 million
spend —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Midland, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The $74 million that has been spent since 2012 on these regional run-off road
improvements has had a significant impact on the road trauma outcomes for the
citizens of Western Australia, and we are proud of that. In 2001, the road
fatality rate in Western Australia was 8.7 per 100 000 of the population, and
it is now down to 6.4 per 100 000. After five and a half years of this Liberal–National
government, we have reduced the fatality rate in the state from 9.4 fatalities
per 100 000 in 2008—when the member for Midland was in charge—to
6.4 per 100 000. That is a result of the commitment of this government —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second time now.
Minister, bring this answer to a conclusion.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
That is because the government took the brave move to move 100 per cent of
red-light and speed camera infringements into the road trauma trust account,
and to use that large amount of money —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It is a large amount of money. The government made the decision to put that
money into the road trauma trust account, because it wanted to drive down
incidences of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads in Western
Australia. After five and a half years of our policies, we are starting to see
some change—and well may it continue. I hope that we can continue to
drive that rate down. It is important to make an impact and improve outcomes in
road safety for the Western Australian community. I look forward to keeping the
pressure on with a range of initiatives to drive down the road toll in Western
Australia in coming years and ensure that we achieve the outcomes of our
Towards Zero strategy, which is aiming for a 40 per cent reduction in serious
injury crashes by 2020.
of this question and for his strong advocacy for improved road safety outcomes
for his constituents in Bunbury.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you very much, member for Albany. Put your name down if you
want to ask a question. I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am really pleased to advise the house that from 2012 to the
end of the 2013–14 financial year, it is expected that we will have
spent $74 million from the road trauma trust account on regional run-off road
safety improvements. This money has been spent on improving the width of road
shoulders, audible edge lining for some of our regional roads, and wire rope
barriers that we all know act as a tremendous deflective tool in certain
sections of road where we know we have those clusters of run-off road crashes.
These are all tangible road improvements that the government can make as a
result of the expenditure of speed and red-light camera infringements going
into that road trauma trust account, which has now given us a substantial body
of money to spend on road safety improvements throughout Western Australia. Of
that money, the member for Bunbury will be pleased to know that $7 million has
been spent in the south west region; $1 million in the great southern; $5 million
across the midwest; $3.5 million in the goldfields and Esperance region; $5.5 million
in the Kimberley; nearly $11 million in the wheatbelt where we know that we
have an issue with road safety; and $3 million in the Pilbara.
Mr
P.B. Watson interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the second
time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : It is really interesting that the member for Albany is
ungrateful for the $1 million that has been spent on improving road safety
outcomes in the great southern region. On Labor's watch in 2007–08,
the entire road trauma trust account had a value of $17.5 million, and the
value of spend on safe travel speed engineering was $321 000. We have spent $1 million
just in the great southern. The previous government spent $321 000 across the
whole state; it is absolutely appalling. In the last year that the member for
Midland was Minister for Road Safety, Labor spent $545 000 on improving the
safety of our roads from a mere total of $14 million in the entire road trauma
trust account. From these figures —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The ''Member for 23 Votes'' does not like what I
said because on her watch in 2001 —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time.
Member for Girrawheen, I call you for the second time. Please talk through the
Chair, minister.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It is really important that members in this house understand that this $74 million
spend —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Midland, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The $74 million that has been spent since 2012 on these regional run-off road
improvements has had a significant impact on the road trauma outcomes for the
citizens of Western Australia, and we are proud of that. In 2001, the road
fatality rate in Western Australia was 8.7 per 100 000 of the population, and
it is now down to 6.4 per 100 000. After five and a half years of this Liberal–National
government, we have reduced the fatality rate in the state from 9.4 fatalities
per 100 000 in 2008—when the member for Midland was in charge—to
6.4 per 100 000. That is a result of the commitment of this government —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second time now.
Minister, bring this answer to a conclusion.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
That is because the government took the brave move to move 100 per cent of
red-light and speed camera infringements into the road trauma trust account,
and to use that large amount of money —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It is a large amount of money. The government made the decision to put that
money into the road trauma trust account, because it wanted to drive down
incidences of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads in Western
Australia. After five and a half years of our policies, we are starting to see
some change—and well may it continue. I hope that we can continue to
drive that rate down. It is important to make an impact and improve outcomes in
road safety for the Western Australian community. I look forward to keeping the
pressure on with a range of initiatives to drive down the road toll in Western
Australia in coming years and ensure that we achieve the outcomes of our
Towards Zero strategy, which is aiming for a 40 per cent reduction in serious
injury crashes by 2020.
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