Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Monday, 3 May, I attended a forum hosted by the East Metropolitan Regional Council to discuss putting the Perth-Darwin Highway and, more particularly, the Swan Valley bypass section of that highway on the Western Australian and national agendas. The forum was organised by the East Metropolitan Regional Council’s Director of Regional Services, Rhonda Hardy, and her staff. It was well supported by local and state governments, community action groups, progress associations and road transport organisations. All agreed that construction of the Perth-Darwin National Highway bypass is essential to advance individual safety, to safeguard the integrity of the Swan Valley and to ensure the efficient transport of goods. All who attended the forum agree that this project is urgently needed and will require a concerted effort by all parties to get it started.

Since my election to federal parliament in 1993, national highways in Pearce have been a major focus of my work, and none is more important than this bypass. I have made numerous representations to government over the years and continue to get the answer that it is 10 to 20 years away. Initially, there was some community disagreement about the route it would take, but this argument has long been settled and it is unacceptable for the public to continue to be told that the project is still years away from commencement—indeed, on the never-never plan.

While the state government needs to give this work priority, the federal government provides the funding for highways of national importance, such as the Perth-Darwin National Highway. There was nothing in the budget delivered by the government last night to reassure the people of Pearce that this project will be funded any time soon. In fact, despite the public statements by the government that a third or $3 billion of the $9 billion to be raised annually by the application of a royalty tax on the mining industry for infrastructure, only $700 million appears to have been allocated in the budget papers for infrastructure in 2012-13. This is a mere drop in the ocean when considered on a national scale and is unlikely to fund even one major project such as the Perth-Darwin bypass. I know that there are many competing projects nationally.

The funding of the bypass is critical because the southern end of the Great Eastern Highway is currently the major arterial road carrying goods between the eastern states, the airport, the port of Fremantle and the rapidly expanding development of the north-west of Western Australia. This route carries heavy haulage trucks and general traffic through the heart of the beautiful Swan Valley. This is the oldest wine growing region in Western Australia. It has great heritage value and it is a major tourist precinct, just 20 minutes from airport.

The current road, although being upgraded, was never meant to carry heavy traffic, including extra long and extra wide haulage vehicles. They are using this stretch of road in vastly increasing numbers. In fact, 4,744 heavy haulage vehicles now take this route Monday to Friday, and it does not take much imagination to realise that this number will increase hugely as the new north-west projects come on stream. These are just the big, heavy haulage trucks—that is, double- and triple-load and wide-load trucks. That number does not take into account other trucking movements on the road or the vast amount of domestic traffic, including tourist traffic, that travels to the Swan Valley and beyond into the great north-west of Western Australia.

In 2011, work will commence on the giant $4 billion Oakajee Port and Rail project, which will in time include a 1,134 hectare industrial estate. The billions of dollars of raw materials, building supplies and equipment necessary to complete this infrastructure will largely be transported on the Great Northern Highway. Further into the future is the Browse Basin LNG project—a giant project—which will provide impetus for rapid growth and development of the north-west, thereby putting further pressure on the highway.

Work on this highway and, in particular, the bypass needs to be scheduled and funded without further delay. I call on the federal government to ensure on behalf of the people of Pearce and other road users that, if they are going to tax the mining sector, they stick to their public statement about delivering a third of the $9 billion tax to infrastructure and allocate some of that to the Swan Valley bypass and the Perth-Darwin National Highway immediately. I thank Mayor Charlie Gregorini, and his crew in the City of Swan for their advocacy for this bypass and congratulate Rhonda Hardy for her initiative. (Time expired)