Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is once again proving how out of touch it is with regional Australia. Labor is seeking feedback on a proposed reduction of speed limits on regional roads from 100 kilometres an hour to 70 kilometres an hour. Let me be clear, this is not about road safety. It is not a road safety policy; it's a productivity killer, nothing more and nothing less. Across Durack from the Pilbara to the Kimberley, the mid-west and throughout the Gascoine going to the Wheatbelt, our roads are already deteriorating at an alarming rate. Instead of properly funding maintenance upgrades, Labor's answer is simply to slow everyone down. People in Durack are already battling rising costs. They don't need a city-centric policy that hurts local jobs and makes everyday life that little bit harder.

In my electorate, long-distance travel is not just a choice; it is a necessity. Cutting speed limits by 30 kilometres an hour will not fill a single pothole or strengthen a single bridge. Labor has slashed funding for regional roads, reducing the Commonwealth contribution for regional roads projects from 80 per cent to 50 per cent, ending the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program and abolishing the Roads of Strategic Importance Initiative. Regional Australians deserve investment, not more roadblocks from Canberra, and I urge everyone to have their say on the proposed changes. Submissions close 10 November. Your voice is important, let Labor know what you think.