Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare. I know that his community is highly concerned about this, and I respect that that's the spirit in which he's raised it. As you're aware, the Great Western Highway does remain closed at Mitchell's Causeway, following what has been a major geotechnical failure. I remain in contact with Minister Aitchison's office—the New South Wales roads minister—and I continue to seek the latest updates about the situation. I continue to be advised by the NSW government that the road is simply not safe and cannot reopen until it is. There can't be any shortcuts on that.

The New South Wales roads minister has made it clear there is currently no firm timetable for reopening, with the closure expected to extend beyond the three-month estimate that was originally given. It does reflect the seriousness and the complexity of the failure and the need to get the solution right. Significant cracking and movement have been detected in the substructure of the Mitchell's Causeway, and detailed geotechnical investigations have confirmed that the underlying fill has deteriorated, creating voids and instability within that structure. Transport for NSW has completed extensive testing and is now moving into the next phase, working with industry to identify and finalise an engineering solution to safely reopen the road.

A competitive process is underway with multiple engineering proposals shortlisted and a final solution expected to be selected shortly. I don't underestimate. This is a very serious situation, and it is not a quick or simple fix. The work required will involve substantial reconstruction to modern standards. There are a number of actions the New South Wales government has already taken in response to the closure, as you're aware: establishing the Great Western Highway Community Coordination Taskforce; delivering extra public transport services to support connectivity; boosting maintenance and resilience works on key detour routes including Bells Line of Road, Darling Causeway and Chifley Road; and committing $50 million to strengthen and upgrade all of the detour routes as well. Transport for NSW continues to engage.

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