Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for moving this motion, and I join with him in acknowledging the $9.6 billion of funding that the Albanese Labor government has committed in the budget to deliver the infrastructure that Australia needs. Infrastructure under Labor is about improving productivity and improving safety; it's not about electoral margins. We will deliver infrastructure that puts community interest first, not political self-interest. Our budget takes an important first step in ensuring that the Commonwealth's infrastructure spending is responsible, affordable and sustainable. The total investment in transport infrastructure in every state and territory in this budget is $55 billion over the forward estimates for new and existing projects.

Investment in my home state of Tasmania—our home state, Deputy Speaker Wilkie—much of it in Lyons, which takes up half our state's landmass, includes $540 million to improve roads and highways, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway and the east and west Tamar highways; $629 million for the new Bridgewater Bridge, which I know you'd be doubly excited about, Deputy Speaker, which is finally underway after a decade of dithering; $150 million to upgrade the Hobart to Sorell transport corridor; and up to $35 million for the TRANSlink transport hub near Launceston Airport.

The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative is ensuring our key freight roads efficiently connect areas of regional and remote economic activity to ports, airports and other transport hubs. Under ROSI we are delivering projects like targeted upgrades on the Bass Highway between Deloraine and Devonport and the Northern Roads Package, which includes upgrades to Birralee Road between Westbury and Frankford. We also have the Road Safety Program, which has been extended out a year so it can reflect the road safety action plan, which is currently being negotiated. This program is part of the government's commitment to reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and it is delivering important safety upgrades to Tasmanian roads, including Colebrook Road, Tea Tree Road, Upper Scamander Road and Lake Leake Road. As announced in the budget, the Priority Community Infrastructure Program will provide $1.4 billion for local community sport and transport projects across Australia.

There have been several events recently in Tasmania that have highlighted the importance of good roads and investment in transport infrastructure. Last year, for example, Tasman Highway was closed for six weeks at Paradise Gorge. It's a picturesque but narrow section next to the Prosser River and just west of Orford. A large rock had loomed over the highway for decades, and, after it showed recent sign of movement, the decision was made to remove and remediate. This meant that people traveling from Hobart to the east coast had to detour south-east through Wielangta Road, a long and winding gravel road, or they had to go north via Lake Leake, which is miles out of the way. It was all a massive disruption for residents and businesses, but, as is always the case in Tasmania, the community came together and made it work as well as could be expected. A quick aside: I look forward to an announcement any day now from the Liberal state government about the sealing of Wielangta Road, something I've been calling for for years, because it's a terrific alternative coastal route. Back in June last year, the Tasmanian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport said it was his intention to progress with sealing, but I haven't heard much from him since.

More recently, as in many parts of the country, floods and storms across my electorate have damaged roads, forcing closures and causing delays. Both roads in and out of St Marys in Tasmania's north-east were flooded, causing difficulties for residents and emergency services. St Marys Pass, a winding section of Esk Highway between the town of St Marys and the east coast, remains closed due to rockfall and landslip, with no ETA for reopening. The alternative route, Elephant Pass, has limited access. I'm informed that school bus drivers are reluctant to use it and that alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate students who would normally travel between St Marys and the coast. With travel between St Marys and St Helens on the coast so important for tourism, shopping and commerce, there's a growing call for an alternative route to be created, and I look forward to working with the St Marys community and other stakeholders on how best to progress their concerns.

What we know for sure is that access is too important to leave to the caprice of the weather gods. As Minister Catherine King has previously said:

Good roads are the lifeblood of communities across Tasmania—and improving safety and travel time is really important for local families and the economy.

I thank the minister for her commitment to improving Tasmania's infrastructure and look forward to working with her over this term to deliver on Labor's commitments to my state and my electorate. We will deliver our commitments, unlike the other side, which dithered for over a decade.

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