❓ Opposition questions the Premier about the necessity of Roe 8 and 9 in light of freight traffic projections, referencing a Main Roads study. The Premier deflects, questioning the study's validity and reiterating the government's focus on the Westport Taskforce and freight rail.
AnsweredQoN 1075Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROE 8 AND 9
1075. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I refer to a Main Roads Western Australia
feasibility study for Leach Highway and Stock Road that was ordered by the
Minister for Transport. Main Roads states that even with the outer harbour
development, considerable freight traffic is still anticipated to be maintained
and to continually increase for the foreseeable future at the Fremantle port
facility. Can the Premier confirm that this is proof that the construction of
Roe 8 and 9 is required with or without the outer harbour?
1075. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I refer to a Main Roads Western Australia
feasibility study for Leach Highway and Stock Road that was ordered by the
Minister for Transport. Main Roads states that even with the outer harbour
development, considerable freight traffic is still anticipated to be maintained
and to continually increase for the foreseeable future at the Fremantle port
facility. Can the Premier confirm that this is proof that the construction of
Roe 8 and 9 is required with or without the outer harbour?
AnswerView source ↗
I am unaware of the report to which
the Leader of the Opposition refers. If she has a specific report, I suggest
she asks a question of the Minister for Transport.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I thought you were going to be quiet, but you were not. I call you to
order.
Mr M. McGOWAN : This issue has
been ventilated on many occasions. Our view as a government is that we need to
have long-term planning in place to ensure that the freight and trade needs of Western
Australia are met for the long term. That is why we set up the Westport
Taskforce. Spending billions upon billions upon billions on a road to a port
that is going to fill does not seem to me to be a sensible use of public money,
particularly when the billions to be spent stop three kilometres or thereabouts
short of the port in question. The Leader of the Opposition does not seem to
have worked out that therein is one of the issues.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman, I call you to order
for the second time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : On top of
that, the Leader of the Opposition wants to apply a toll to the road. The only
toll road in Western Australia is the Leader of the Opposition's
plan. Since coming to government, we have put enormous effort into getting more
freight on rail and we have had enormous success in getting more freight on
rail. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, do you want to go home early?
Mr M. McGOWAN : We will
continue to have long-term planning by the Westport Taskforce for an outer
harbour in Kwinana to meet the long-term needs of the state. If it was so
important to the Leader of the Opposition and if she knew so much about this
matter, and if it was so important to the member for Bateman sitting next to
her, why did they not build it when they were in government? They had eight and
a half years to do it. Why did they not do it? They sat there for eight and a half
years doing nothing about this issue. They did not encourage freight on rail.
They did not come up with any alternative solutions. They just sat there,
sloth-like, doing nothing about this issue that has been building now for
decades.
This government is thinking long
term about the issue, which I think is what Western Australia needs—some
long-term thinking about an issue. Our view on the $1.2 billion worth of money
that the commonwealth apparently has in a contingency account is that it should
put it into regional roads. If it wants to spend money and create jobs, and if
it wants to save lives, it should put it into regional roads.
Mr D.C. Nalder : I thought it
was.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We are doing
that, jointly with the commonwealth. I am glad the member for Bateman raised that.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the third and last time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker,
he is very frustrated; he is a very frustrated person.
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road, the
Tom Price–Karratha road, the Albany ring-road and numerous other
projects across Western Australia are jointly funded by the state and
commonwealth. However, if the commonwealth has $1.2 billion of lazy money
sitting around, it should put it into regional roads. It should get out there
and help us save more lives across the regions as we are currently doing with
numerous projects across regional WA.
the Leader of the Opposition refers. If she has a specific report, I suggest
she asks a question of the Minister for Transport.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I thought you were going to be quiet, but you were not. I call you to
order.
Mr M. McGOWAN : This issue has
been ventilated on many occasions. Our view as a government is that we need to
have long-term planning in place to ensure that the freight and trade needs of Western
Australia are met for the long term. That is why we set up the Westport
Taskforce. Spending billions upon billions upon billions on a road to a port
that is going to fill does not seem to me to be a sensible use of public money,
particularly when the billions to be spent stop three kilometres or thereabouts
short of the port in question. The Leader of the Opposition does not seem to
have worked out that therein is one of the issues.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman, I call you to order
for the second time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : On top of
that, the Leader of the Opposition wants to apply a toll to the road. The only
toll road in Western Australia is the Leader of the Opposition's
plan. Since coming to government, we have put enormous effort into getting more
freight on rail and we have had enormous success in getting more freight on
rail. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, do you want to go home early?
Mr M. McGOWAN : We will
continue to have long-term planning by the Westport Taskforce for an outer
harbour in Kwinana to meet the long-term needs of the state. If it was so
important to the Leader of the Opposition and if she knew so much about this
matter, and if it was so important to the member for Bateman sitting next to
her, why did they not build it when they were in government? They had eight and
a half years to do it. Why did they not do it? They sat there for eight and a half
years doing nothing about this issue. They did not encourage freight on rail.
They did not come up with any alternative solutions. They just sat there,
sloth-like, doing nothing about this issue that has been building now for
decades.
This government is thinking long
term about the issue, which I think is what Western Australia needs—some
long-term thinking about an issue. Our view on the $1.2 billion worth of money
that the commonwealth apparently has in a contingency account is that it should
put it into regional roads. If it wants to spend money and create jobs, and if
it wants to save lives, it should put it into regional roads.
Mr D.C. Nalder : I thought it
was.
Mr M. McGOWAN : We are doing
that, jointly with the commonwealth. I am glad the member for Bateman raised that.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the third and last time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker,
he is very frustrated; he is a very frustrated person.
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road, the
Tom Price–Karratha road, the Albany ring-road and numerous other
projects across Western Australia are jointly funded by the state and
commonwealth. However, if the commonwealth has $1.2 billion of lazy money
sitting around, it should put it into regional roads. It should get out there
and help us save more lives across the regions as we are currently doing with
numerous projects across regional WA.
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