Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a young child I recall driving with the family of seven in the old Valiant from Kempsey to Sydney to visit our relatives once a year. That trip took on average about 10 hours, not the mention the psychological damage to my parents. These days the trip takes about 4½ hours, thanks to a vision and commitment by both sides of government since the 1970s. Similarly, the train trip from Kempsey on the Rattler would take 14 to 16 hours; thankfully, now on the XPT it takes approximately six to seven hours.

From 1993 to 2012 I lived in various parts of Sydney before returning home to the mid-north coast. In 1993 Sydney's population was 3.7 million. By 2012 it had grown to 4.5 million. Just under two-thirds of New South Wales's state population resides in Greater Sydney. The population growth accounted for 78 per cent of the state's total growth. From personal experience, whether it was by public transport or private vehicle, it was not uncommon to travel up to and sometimes over two hours a day travelling to and from work. This equates to 20 days per year simply travelling—unproductive time that has had an effect on economic output but also an indirect impact on mental health, families and communities.

According to a study held by the Australia Institute, commuting has negative impacts on at least three dimensions of Australian life: people's psychological, emotional and physiological wellbeing; their relationships and interactions with their families, neighbourhoods, communities and work places; and the physical and social environment. These impacts are at the worst when commuting journeys are lengthy, unpredictable or congested. Lengthy and unpredictable commuting journeys take a toll on individuals both physically and emotionally.

Employees whose journeys to and from work are longer show greater levels of bodily stress and perceived stress. Commuting strain is associated with feelings of nervousness, tension, pain and stiffness and with poorer performance and satisfaction at work.

Commuters travelling by car in some Australian cities are travelling for longer periods than they did a decade ago. Australia's roads are becoming more crowded. Commuters are becoming more stressed and they are increasingly likely to suffer road rage. Therefore this government's $100 billion infrastructure investment for critical road and rail projects aimed at busting congesting, better connecting our regions and improving safety on our roads should be commended. So too should its additional funding across urban and regional Australia, and in particular the additional $3 billion to the Urban Congestion Fund, so that $4 billion is now available through the fund to target pinch points in major cities to reduce congestion in urban areas. This includes $3 billion of additional funding committed in the 2019-20 budget, which will support upgrades to urban road networks to reduce congestion and ensure commuters get home sooner and safer by reducing travel times, reducing vehicle operating costs, delivering more reliable road networks for commuters and freight, and addressing local bottlenecks.

Through the 2019-20 budget, the government has committed to over 30 additional major projects to address the needs of our regional areas and major cities. This includes $1 billion for the Princes Highway between Wollongong and Port Augusta, through Victoria; $400 million for the Newell Highway upgrades; $1.6 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway; and $1.5 million towards Raymond Terrace in New South Wales.

On top of these significant commitments by the Morrison-McCormack government is a significant one to my electorate of Cowper in the form of the Coffs Harbour bypass—a commitment for the long-awaited bypass for the residents of Coffs Harbour—a 14-kilometre bypass, containing three tunnels and reduced road gradient, improving safety, reducing noise and returning the streets of Coffs Harbour back to its residents, whilst at the same time reducing commute time for tourists passing through and those travelling into town.

It is not just the responsibility of the federal government to commit to congestion busting throughout urban and regional Australia; however, I note the significant contribution and commend them for doing so.

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