Stewart McArthur (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to present an argument about the condition of the Princess Highway from Geelong to Colac and the strong community sentiments supporting the duplication of this stretch of road. Last week I was pleased to host the Hon. Jim Lloyd, Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, on a visit to Corangamite. The minister met with the Colac Otway and Surf Coast shires. Both shires raised with the minister the importance of the Princess Highway duplication for their communities.

Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A good shire.

Stewart McArthur (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Princess Highway from Colac—the former town of the honourable member for Corio—to Geelong is currently a state government road. It is clear to all levels of government who has responsibility for the upkeep of the road: when the road deteriorates and potholes are created, people look to the state government, not the Commonwealth, to fix those potholes.

In 1999, the former Victorian government committed to duplicate this stretch of road. When the Bracks Labor government was elected, the money to upgrade the Princess Highway was redirected to other projects of greater priority to the Victorian Labor Party. Since 1999, there has been no real plan by the Bracks government to upgrade this road.

Labor is playing political football with the road and the community. The Bracks government is avoiding its responsibility and is trying to crudely shift the blame to the Commonwealth when it is not prepared to prioritise and fund the road.

Everyone across Australia has a road that they want built or upgraded—that is only natural—but there is a limited amount of money. The Commonwealth is providing huge funding for AusLink network road projects in Victoria and generous funding to councils for local roads. It is time the Bracks government adequately funded upgrades for their own state roads.

The federal government have played their part with $186 million for the Geelong bypass and an additional $300 million for local government roads in the budget, including $3.9 million for local roads in Corangamite. The Bracks government has money to duplicate the Princess Highway if it wanted to. The budget shows that next year Victoria will receive a $298 million GST windfall. This is almost enough to duplicate the Princess Highway two times over between Colac and Geelong.

They have the money, but do Labor have the will to fix this road? Next week the Bracks government will hand down their state budget, and I call on them to provide for the duplication of this road in that budget.