Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last night's budget provided $24 million to upgrade major safety hotspots on Bagot Road in Darwin, in my electorate. This issue is very close to my heart, as someone who's very well aware that a road user is four times more likely to die in a road incident in the Northern Territory than in other parts of Australia, and I'm also the chair of our local blackspots committee. It's a very important issue.

We all know the physical, mental and social impacts of road injuries and deaths, not only on the individual themselves but on their families and the whole community. Improving road safety is a challenging issue, particularly when it comes to pedestrians, as well, as is the case on Bagot Road. There are Aboriginal communities that are located close to that road, with little public transport and safety infrastructure, so it's both the pedestrians and the drivers that become vulnerable.

I met with the Menzies School of Health Research team last week to hear about the Roadmaps for NT project, funded by our government, which talks to Aboriginal community members in Darwin, service providers, policymakers and researchers to get more effective local road strategies, and I thank them for that work.

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