Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to join my colleagues the member for Solomon and the member for Macarthur in speaking on this motion moved by the member for Barker. Every day, Australians set out on their daily commutes to work, on school runs and on long-haul drives, trusting that they will reach their destination safely, while many people set off on holidays across the country, travelling in caravans and motorhomes. This past 12 months, we have lost 1,300 lives. This is the highest road toll since 2012. The road toll has risen each year for the past four years. This increase has not been seen since 1966 or before the introduction of compulsory seatbelts. The road safety crisis is now killing more than a hundred Australians every month and hospitalising a hundred Australians every day.

As the mother of an 18-year-old young man who just got his licence, along with many of his friends, this is of deep concern. We know young men, in particular, take risks when driving. Ensuring they keep their speed down is critical. You will often hear me say, when I'm Flynn's passenger in the car, 'Slow down.'

The other issue that impacts the road toll, which I hear about in my electorate of Dunkley when I'm out and about on the doors, is the state of the roads—the potholes that create damage to cars and tires and that have people veering off in the wrong direction when they hit the holes or try to dodge them. Potholes make driving dangerous, particularly when excessive speed is involved at night and in the rain.

Behind these numbers we hear about are devastated families, communities grieving and an economic toll that stretches into the billions. Every one of us has a role to play in reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roads. The safety of drivers on our roads is a priority for the Albanese government, and this government has done an immense amount of work to address this issue, more so than the opposition. On a very practical level, we have more than doubled the Roads to Recovery Program funding, from $500 million to $1 billion per year. This is funding that will go to local councils, like Frankston City Council, to deliver road safety projects across the country. In Dunkley alone, the federal government will spend more than $6.5 million to fix roads in the next five years. The $6.5 million given to Frankston City Council by the federal government includes a $2.8 million increase from the prior five years. On a national level, we have also increased funding under the Black Spot Program from $110 million to $150 million per year and created the new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program. That will increase over time to $200 million per year.

The government is also committed to improving data collection and using it to increase road safety, including ensuring there are improved data-sharing requirements for state and territories. This was something the Liberals and Nationals refused to do when they were in government. For the first time, it creates a requirement for the provision of a nationally consistent dataset on roads to help address the issue.

The road toll is an issue, particularly in big cities like Melbourne and in communities like Dunkley, with people driving far too fast on local roads. Lowering speed limits in high-risk areas, building more speed humps—a recommendation from Dunkley locals when I'm on the doors—and enforcing stricter penalties for speeding offenders will significantly reduce fatalities, because excessive speed is a major factor in fatal crashes and the road toll. Road crashes remain one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in our country, and my family knows that far too well. I urge everyone to watch their speed, particularly our newest P-platers on the road. The road toll is just far too high. Any death on Australian roads is one death too many.

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