Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to address some of the issues raised for my electorate in the federal budget last night. In particular, some months ago I spoke to this chamber about road priorities in the electorate of Flinders. I am delighted that there will be an immediate payment to each of the councils within or bordering my electorate, in the following amounts. There will be $1,045,000 for the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council under the Roads to Recovery program, paid by 30 June for road projects in the coming year. That money will be available immediately and will double the funds which would otherwise have been available. Similarly, to Bass Coast Shire Council, there will be $560,000; to the Cardinia Shire Council, $972,000; and to the Casey City Council, $851,000. What that means is that the very road projects which we set out as priorities in this chamber in recent months can now, in part, be addressed.

I have spoken this morning with one of the senior officials at the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and outlined my view that the No. 1 project, the No. 1 priority, in the Mornington Peninsula shire is resolution of the Baxter Tavern intersection in Baxter. This road, which borders the Baxter-Tooradin Road, Fultons Road and the Baxter Tavern intersection, is desperately in need of an upgrade. It is one of Melbourne’s great blackspots. The road needs work, and there is an enormous bottleneck which is a great danger to children and families every day of the working week. My view is that the Baxter Tavern intersection is the No. 1 priority on the Mornington Peninsula.

Other roads which could also be addressed include the Stony Point Road intersection at Cribb Point with the Frankston-Flinders Road. In addition to that, there is the Bentons Road and Nepean Highway intersection and also the Queens Road and Western Port Highway intersection on the Mornington Peninsula. Those four roads represent an overwhelming priority.

In the city of Casey in the southern part, I think it is critical that we address Manks Road. In the Cardinia shire there is a considerable amount of work which can be done on Westernport Road at Lang Lang. In terms of the Bass Coast shire, the Nyora-St Helier Road is again a priority. Those, I believe, are projects which can now be addressed. The funding is on the table, it is available immediately and there are no strings attached. It is a wonderful opportunity to address the projects which were previously identified. I am delighted to be able to work with my local shires to that effect. (Time expired)