David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak of a major issue of concern in my home state of Tasmania: the severe neglect and abject state of Tasmanian roads and the consequent impact on Tasmanian commerce and the safety of Tasmanian motorists. The fact is that Tasmanians now have to suffer under the dual yoke of a Tasmanian Labor government that has neglected Tasmanian roads for over 10 years and now a federal Labor government that, regrettably, is doing the same.

The facts are that the Tasmanian government has for years failed to deliver road infrastructure to the state. During that period, time and time again the previous, federal, Liberal-led government has stepped in to deliver safe roads to local Tasmanian communities. Why? Because the state government refused to meet its obligation to the Tasmanian people to deliver roads of a sufficient standard to enable Tasmanians and Tasmanian businesses to safely move around our state. Fortunately, in the absence of action by the state Labor government, the previous, Liberal-led coalition government was good to Tasmania. Examples of its investment in Tasmanian roads include the upgrade of the Arthur Highway to Port Arthur; the $7.8 million upgrading of the dangerous Sisters Hills section of the Bass Highway; the sealing of the Esperance Road in the Huon Valley; duplications and upgrades on the Bass Highway, including the Penguin to Ulverstone and Port Sorrell Road to Devonport sections; the Westbury-Hagley Bypass on the Bass Highway; an accelerated East Tamar Highway upgrade package; Midland Highway upgrades; and the very much needed but state Labor government ignored—despite many protestations over many years—Lilydale to Scottsdale Road upgrade.

It is illuminating indeed to contrast the Liberal-led federal coalition government’s investment with that of that federal and state Labor parties. The Tasmanian Labor government is the only state government which regularly spends less on roads in its own state than the federal government. And what of the new federal Labor government? It has yet to deliver to Tasmania even one of its election promises about roads. Twelve months in, no work has started anywhere in the state on any of the road works promised. A clear and high-profile example—in Tasmania, at least—of both federal and state Labor failing to deliver on the issues of Tasmanian roads is the great need for the Kingston Bypass, which would solve major traffic problems in the fastest growing municipality in Tasmania: Kingborough.