Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support my colleague the member for Tangney and his motion. The efficient movement of freight and people is essential to promoting the growth of industry and productivity within our region. For the local economy to develop, efficient supply chains must be implemented for efficient transport, materials handling and logistics. Exporters require the means of dispatching goods, including perishable products, by road, air and sea freight. Conversely, importers require the channels to bring in bulky goods, construction materials and supplies. The efficient handling of freight in my electorate, which is located in the northern suburbs, first requires it to arrive at Fremantle and then be transported into the Kewdale-Welshpool area and up the Tonkin Highway to where the NorthLink project is being constructed at the moment. This will create an integrated transport and logistics highway from Fremantle all the way up to the northern part of Australia, through the Perth to Darwin highway.

We call upon Premier Mark McGowan, the WA transport minister, Rita Saffioti, and the state government to support moves to build the Roe 8 and 9 projects, to access the $1.2 billion in funding that the federal government has set aside for this project in the balance sheet and to support the project proceeding. The government has taken a very strategic approach to economic development, which goes beyond electoral boundaries. It will benefit not only the electors of one particular electorate but all Western Australians. We encourage the government to participate in this very important project.

It will reduce travel times and congestion and provide sufficient productivity benefits to the economy and industry, and motorists and local communities will be serviced by the regional traffic movements to commercial industrial areas, such as Malaga, Kewdale and Welshpool, by goods travelling all along this corridor. It will provide sufficient capacity to handle the expected growth in transport demand and improve the operational efficiency of freight vehicles servicing the nationally significant intermodal terminals based at Kewdale and Forrestfield. Between now and 2031 there will be an expected doubling of freight and passenger air travel. A long-term vision is to cater for the traffic volumes associated with the projected future Perth population of 3.5 million residents, to accommodate this extra growth in population. I commend the motion to the House.

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