Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Cowper at the outset for this motion, because it's a very good story that we as a government have to tell about the record funding we are providing for road safety right across the country. Road safety affects each and every one of us. For many of us it has affected family and friends at very personal levels. Each and every one of us at each level of government, and every Australian, plays an important role in ensuring the safety of our people on our roads.

I'm pleased to note that the Morrison government has made significant investments in road safety policy and infrastructure upgrades since 2019. But it's also worth reflecting on the value of these investments over a long period of time, under successive governments of all political persuasions. Between 1980 and 2019 Australia's annual road fatality rate reduced from 22.3 deaths per 100,000 people to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 people. A major contributor to this was a halving in the number of fatalities on the Pacific Highway since the commencement of the Pacific Highway upgrades, in particular between Sydney and the Gold Coast. But I'd say the upgrades between Brisbane and the Gold Coast contributed to that as well. Under its upgrade program there have been 49 per cent fewer fatalities on the Bruce Highway and 30 per cent fewer fatal and serious injury crashes at Black Spot Program sites.

One of the important things that I see in representing my electorate of Forde is continuing to work to secure funding for road upgrades across my electorate. I believe that's been one of my most important achievements to date. We know that people want to get home safely to their friends and family. They don't want to have to worry about their children or loved ones driving on dangerous roads.

Just last week, I was very pleased to go and check out some of the new safety works on Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road between Tamborine and Wolffdene. These works are part of a $13.2 million commitment by the Australian government for road safety works between Tamborine and Wolffdene. The works on this part of the road include drainage upgrades, kerb realignment, road and shoulder widening, installation of guard rails and motorcyclist under-run protection, vegetation trimming and tree clearing. In addition to Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road upgrades we are also doing the same road safety upgrades on Beenleigh–Redland Bay Road, which is an increasingly busy subarterial road.

Other federal government road safety contributions in my electorate include $37.5 million, matched by the Queensland government, to upgrade the Mount Lindesay Highway at Munruben. This will make the highway safer by widening it from two to four lanes, the installation of safety barriers, the provision of new northbound and southbound bridges over Norris Creek.

There's $20,000 to the Ormeau driver reviver program, which is run by the Ormeau lions, who do a terrific job. There's $900,000 in road safety upgrades in Bethania. This joint project with Logan City County will see the signalisation and traffic safety improvements at the Albert Street and Station Road Logan River off ramp at Bethania. This is a very dangerous intersection. I visited there a couple of weeks ago. It was quite obvious from the damage on the fences around that intersection how dangerous it is. It is extraordinarily difficult to cross from either side of the road on both car and foot.

There's $96.3 million for the M1 motorway exit upgrades of exists 41 and 49, matched by the Queensland government. These will see duplication of these overpasses. I'm sure the member fro Moreton, who is here in the chamber with me, will be very pleased on the upgrades to the M1 occurring at Eight Mile Plains, Springwood and Underwood—jointly funded I might add by the Commonwealth government and the state government. Those works are progressing at a pace.

Our government is committed to $30 million under the Urban Congestion Fund to upgrade the Beenleigh park and ride commuter car park. This will make it easier for people to use our rail network and will help ease congestion and ensure consumers get home sooner.

Across the country, this government is investing over $2 billion in road safety. Together with our Local Roads and Community Infrastructure plan, it is expected to support some 10,000 jobs. These infrastructure upgrades and the Australian government's commitment to $500 million of targeted road safety upgrades will continue to deliver for our communities right across the country—just another example of the Morrison government delivering for you.

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