Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

I am shooketh, President! My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Senator McAllister. The government has issued its Consultation Regulatory Impact Analysis on a proposal to reduce speed limits to as low as 70 kilometres per hour on rural roads. The government's consultation cost benefit analysis says:

There is evidence to suggest increased speed can increase fuel consumption and therefore increase CO2 emissions.

It also says:

The value of GHG emissions, therefore, is not internalised in the market, which means individuals do not make decisions based on the overall impact. This is a classic market failure, making the value of emissions difficult to estimate accurately.

Is government reducing speed limits on rural roads so that it can reach its net zero goals, and why are people only in rural areas being asked to reduce their speeds to reach Labor's net zero target?