Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to raise the issue of the Pinjarra bypass in my electorate. Pinjarra is a town where there is an enormous amount of growth going on, particularly the expansion of the Alcoa mining activities in that region, the expansion of the Wagerup refinery and also the Boddington goldmine, which is coming on stream. It puts thousands of trucks a day through the centre of the Pinjarra town. I have, as a result, had a delegation from the Pinjarra shire, led by Neil Leach, and the Peel Development Commission, led by Maree De Lacey, asking that I support their application for AusLink strategic funds to help build a bypass, which would go from Greenlands Road around Pinjarra to save the congestion through the middle of this town. In fact, there are a number of towns in my area that have looked for bypasses. Byford is another one and so is the town of Waroona, but Pinjarra at the moment is quite vital in that the traffic is choking the middle of the town.

I supported their application, as I supported an application for Ranford Road, which is in the shire of both Gosnells and Armadale in my electorate. That was supported by the shires and, to a small extent, by the state government. I am confident that that funding, because of the way it has been supported, will come for Ranford Road.

However, in an absolutely bizarre turn of events, when I inquired as to the prospects of the Pinjarra bypass I was told that the feedback from the federal department was that they had not recommended it as a high priority. I asked why. When the state government were asked if they would support it in matching funding through the AusLink strategic road funding program, they said, ‘Yes, we’re happy to support it but the funds will have to come from the Perth to Bunbury highway funds that the state government are putting into.’ This is just absolute chicanery by the state minister—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

They are saying: ‘Pull the money out of the Perth to Bunbury highway. We are not going to put any additional new money into this bypass.’ As a result, the much needed vital bypass in Pinjarra will not go ahead and, because of the stunt of the state minister, Alannah MacTiernan, and her department, the people who will miss out will be the people of my electorate. (Time expired)