Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Barker for raising this motion on the very important subject of road safety and the horrendous road toll we have currently. Every year, hundreds of Australians lose their lives or are seriously injured in road crashes, and the devastating road toll calls for action on both sides of this place. It is something that we must all do together, across jurisdictions and across levels of government. Surely that's something we all can agree on—that we must lower our road toll. We must aim for zero deaths on our roads.

I don't need to tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, given you're from the Territory as well, where we had a really bad year on our roads last year, that it's devastating to see the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and children and grandchildren that have been killed on our roads or have otherwise been left with a big gaping hole in their families through road trauma and road deaths—those who leave home with no expectation that they won't make it to their destination.

It truly is not just in the Territory; it is a national tragedy. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and Northern Australia, our roads in the north are a key focus of mine. They provide the vital links across the north but also between the north and our southern hubs, providing a key supply chain for economic prosperity and for the defence of our nation. But, in all of this—the importance of our industry and the importance of our Defence—we must do everything we can to make sure that all road users are safe. I know it's something the ADF takes seriously and that industry continues to look at. We implore visitors, when they're touring to the north, to slow down and not be in a rush. Don't think that you've got to overtake on every overtaking lane, because we see that impatience on our roads causes crashes, injury and death.

Last year, 60 Territorians lost their lives on Territory roads. That is nearly double the 31 lives lost the year prior, 2023. As the AANT or the Australian Automobile Association reported, this 87.1 per cent increase in only one year made 2024 the deadliest calendar year on Territory roads since 2008. Already, four Territorians have lost their lives in 2025, and we're only in early February.

These lives are not just a statistic, of course. As I said, Deputy Speaker, and as you know well, they're someone's loved ones. Just this year, there are four loved ones who won't come home, which is why it is absolutely essential that the Australian government does its utmost to reduce the road toll. We are implementing the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. This is underpinned by the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025, in collaboration with all states and territories and all local governments, because road safety is a shared responsibility across all levels of government. We are doubling the Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion a year. We're on that path. I know, because I'm the chair of the black-spots NT committee, that we've substantially increased funding for the Black Spot Program, which is rising from $110 million to $150 million per year, and I think we can do more. As a government we know there is more to be done, and that's why our Labor government is continuing to work with the states to get the road toll to zero. We understand the importance of investing in our infrastructure and for making our roads safer.

I want to end with a message to all road users. Please think about how your actions today are impacting tomorrow's drivers. Your behaviour behind the wheel and on our roads is influencing that next generation of drivers every day. It's up to all of us to teach our kids how to be safe on the roads.

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