Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) funding is available in the 2018-19 federal budget for the Australian Government’s contribution to the construction of the Roe 8 and 9 extensions to complete the Perth Freight Link (PFL), despite the decision of the Western Australian Government to not proceed with the project; and

(b) the Australian Government will provide $1.2 billion to the first Western Australian Government willing to build the PFL by constructing the Roe 8 and 9 extensions and is therefore recording this commitment as a contingent liability in the federal budget;

(2) acknowledges the real benefits of these projects including 15 sets of traffic lights bypassed, 7,000 trucks and 74,000 cars off local roads each day, freeway access and travel time savings and a reduction of 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions;

(3) welcomes strong community support for Roe 8 and 9;

(4) condemns the Western Australian Government for not accessing the federal funding and building this critical infrastructure that will improve freight efficiency, make local roads safer and create local jobs in Western Australia;

(5) calls on the Western Australian Government to:

(a) consider all options that allow Roe 8 and 9 to proceed, like a longer bridge over the wetlands or a longer tunnel; and

(b) immediately access the $1.2 billion available in the federal budget and build this critical infrastructure; and

(6) calls on the federal Opposition to explain if it will keep or remove this critical funding from the federal budget if elected.

Members of this house will be familiar with my passion and my commitment to ensuring that this road link is built. It is an important road project for my electorate. It is an important road project for the people of Western Australia. But it is important to note that the funding from the Commonwealth government remains there and is available for the state government to spend to construct this very important road project. The funding is available, as mentioned, as outlined, in the federal budget. It is there and recorded as a contingent liability in the federal budget. In fact, the Australian government has made it very clear in the budget that they will provide $1.2 billion to the first WA government willing to build the Perth Freight Link by constructing the Roe 8 and 9 extensions.

You'll hear all sorts of suggestions that the money is not there. You will have all sorts of weasel words from those opposite suggesting it's all smoke and mirrors. But the reason why that funding is recorded as a contingent liability is because the WA Labor state government is refusing to get on and access those funds that are needed to take 7,000 trucks a day and 74,000 cars a day off local roads in my electorate. That commitment isn't just recorded in the budget. A letter from the Treasurer to me, which has been provided to the state government, makes it very clear that the Treasurer says there is nothing preventing the current WA government from accessing the funding should they choose to construct this very important road link. On the weekend, the Prime Minister, speaking at the WA Liberal Party state conference, said: 'We remain committed to the Perth Freight Link. Our offer of $1.2 billion to build it still stands.' So there you have it, $1.2 billion is available to the WA government to build a very important piece of infrastructure.

Why is it important? It will take 7,000 trucks off local roads, it will take 74,000 cars off local roads, it will create thousands of local jobs, it will bypass 15 sets of traffic lights, it will improve freeway access east and west across Perth, it will save travel time and it will save 450,000 tonnes of CO2 gases as well. And, if you don't think there is support to keep the Fremantle Harbour as a working harbour and to improve connectivity to that harbour, just ask the people at the MUA in WA.

You will have people say that there was an election fought on this issue. When I have raised this point in relation to the strong support in local communities, it's been laughed at, and incorrectly so. The people of the southern suburbs strongly support this road project. They are the ones who have to put up with the traffic congestion that this road project will fix. What members opposite don't realise is that the simple mathematics is that there was no smashing of the Liberal Party in those southern suburbs. What those opposite fail to recognise is that the swing to the Labor Party in the suburbs where this road would be built was less than the average swing to Labor across the state.

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