Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to seek matched federal and state government support for the Koo Wee Rup bypass. Prior to the election, the then Prime Minister, Mr Howard, made a clear and absolute commitment of $5 million to the Koo Wee Rup bypass. This is a project which is deserving of both state and federal government support for very clear reasons. Firstly, Cardinia council, which is the council responsible, containing within its boundaries the wonderful people and township of Koo Wee Rup, has made the bypass their No. 1 priority for state and federal funding.

The reason is clear: with the opening of the Pakenham bypass, Koo Wee Rup has now become the main north-south link between the South Gippsland Highway and the Princes Highway. As many locals have said, it has become a rat run. Residents in particular are saying that the road right through the heart of the town is not just congested but dangerous—dangerous for seniors and for families with small children. So it is a real matter of concern, it is an important issue and there is an enormous amount of work which has to be done. I am told B-double trucks are now banked up for hundreds of metres on occasions down the town’s main street, there have been several near misses and this is a human catastrophe that is waiting to happen.

My request on behalf of the people of Koo Wee Rup is very simple. This township needs a bypass. It needs a coronary bypass. It needs to have its heart given back to it in clean, working order. I would therefore respectfully request that both the federal and state governments agree to do that which Mr Howard proposed—provide $5 million from the federal tier and $5 million from the state tier. This bypass is important in economic terms to the region and it is important in health and social terms to the members of the Koo Wee Rup township and nearby residents. I hope that these words will be taken seriously. I will again be writing to the Prime Minister to this effect and asking him to match the proposal and the commitment made by Mr Howard. Please support the Koo Wee Rup bypass.

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