❓ Ms Warr questions the Premier on regional road safety, citing a high road death toll and lack of investment in the Midwest. The Premier defends the government's record, highlighting significant investment in road upgrades and ongoing reviews of road safety measures.
AnsweredQoN 372Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Road safety—Regions372.Ms Kirrilee Warrto
thePremier:We are now
approaching the one-year anniversary of the government's much-touted road safety
round table, yet WA has recorded 124 road deaths so far this year alone, the
worst year-to-date toll on record.(1) Does the Premier accept that his government's
approach to road safety is failing?(2) Given the government's refusal to deliver a
Midwest Rescue helicopter, a Geraldton Royal Flying Doctor Service base or
upgrades to the dangerous Geraldton–Magnet Rd, why is this government
refusing to take regional road safety seriously?
thePremier:We are now
approaching the one-year anniversary of the government's much-touted road safety
round table, yet WA has recorded 124 road deaths so far this year alone, the
worst year-to-date toll on record.(1) Does the Premier accept that his government's
approach to road safety is failing?(2) Given the government's refusal to deliver a
Midwest Rescue helicopter, a Geraldton Royal Flying Doctor Service base or
upgrades to the dangerous Geraldton–Magnet Rd, why is this government
refusing to take regional road safety seriously?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
21 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr Roger Cook replied:(1)–(2) No government has done more on
road safety in regional Western Australia than this government, a WA Labor government.
A billion dollars has gone into upgrading over 10,000 kilometres of highway right
across this state, and that includes the provision of audible edging, wider shoulders
and, of course, central audible treatments. We are very proud of that program.
Members can see it everywhere they go across this great state—more
improvements to make sure that we keep Western Australians safe on the road. That
is not all. Now that we have completed that program in relation to the state highway
network, we will now extend it to high-speed roads in the local government
sector. We are working with the local government sector at the moment to
identify where we need to prioritise those works and make sure that they get
done. It is a great partnership. I thank the Western Australian Local
Government Association and all local government associations across WA for
their efforts in relation to that.The road
safety round table that we held was an important opportunity to hear from
experts, advocatesand people with lived experience of road trauma to make
sure that we continue to do everything that we can to protect people and
support them to make good decisions about their own road safety. That work will
go on. We are undertaking a review of P-plate driver restrictions and the
opportunities to make them safer. We made some immediate decisions about passengers
that P-plate drivers can have in their cars and the times that they could
drive. That review is continuing and will conclude shortly. The Minister
Assisting the Minister for Road Safety will present those findings and our
response to them.We will continue to do
everything we can as a government, but as we all know, Western Australians have
a choice to make here, too. All Western Australians have a role to play in this
as well, and that means making sure that they wear a seatbelt, do not drive at
excessive speeds, do not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, are not
distracted and are not driving tired. We will continue through the Road Safety
Council to be advised by the experts in this area and continue to make sure we
make the investments to ensure that our government is doing everything it can
to keep Western Australians safe on the road.
Road safety—Regions
road safety in regional Western Australia than this government, a WA Labor government.
A billion dollars has gone into upgrading over 10,000 kilometres of highway right
across this state, and that includes the provision of audible edging, wider shoulders
and, of course, central audible treatments. We are very proud of that program.
Members can see it everywhere they go across this great state—more
improvements to make sure that we keep Western Australians safe on the road. That
is not all. Now that we have completed that program in relation to the state highway
network, we will now extend it to high-speed roads in the local government
sector. We are working with the local government sector at the moment to
identify where we need to prioritise those works and make sure that they get
done. It is a great partnership. I thank the Western Australian Local
Government Association and all local government associations across WA for
their efforts in relation to that.The road
safety round table that we held was an important opportunity to hear from
experts, advocatesand people with lived experience of road trauma to make
sure that we continue to do everything that we can to protect people and
support them to make good decisions about their own road safety. That work will
go on. We are undertaking a review of P-plate driver restrictions and the
opportunities to make them safer. We made some immediate decisions about passengers
that P-plate drivers can have in their cars and the times that they could
drive. That review is continuing and will conclude shortly. The Minister
Assisting the Minister for Road Safety will present those findings and our
response to them.We will continue to do
everything we can as a government, but as we all know, Western Australians have
a choice to make here, too. All Western Australians have a role to play in this
as well, and that means making sure that they wear a seatbelt, do not drive at
excessive speeds, do not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, are not
distracted and are not driving tired. We will continue through the Road Safety
Council to be advised by the experts in this area and continue to make sure we
make the investments to ensure that our government is doing everything it can
to keep Western Australians safe on the road.
Road safety—Regions
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