Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today because at the end of this address I will be seeking leave to table a petition on behalf of the Derrinallum Progress Association calling on VicRoads to promptly maintain the Hamilton Highway between Darlington, Derrinallum and Lismore and to reduce the speed limit to 50 kilometres in the townships of Derrinallum and Lismore.

The Derrinallum Progress Association is a very active group. They are deeply concerned about the state of the Hamilton Highway, which runs between Derrinallum, Lismore and Darlington. They want to ensure that part of the Hamilton Highway is properly maintained and that proper attention is given to public safety. They are deeply concerned that the maintenance is not occurring when it comes to this section of road. They are deeply concerned that VicRoads isn't paying attention to what is happening with the speed limit. They're deeply concerned that people are driving through these towns unaware that these are important towns, that there are young children who go to and from school and sport and that it's absolutely vital that these people and families going to and from work can drive safely in these communities and not have to worry about people speeding or about the conditions of the road. That is why they called a public meeting to put these concerns on the table. At that public meeting it was decided to put a petition together to send to VicRoads and say: 'Please do your job properly when it comes to the Hamilton Highway, a state road. Make sure you maintain it properly, make sure you're upgrading it properly, and make sure you're paying attention to what is happening with regard to the level of traffic and the speed in which people are travelling through these three marvellous towns.'

The Derrinallum Progress Association has now called on VicRoads to properly maintain the Hamilton Highway between Darlington, Derrinallum and Lismore and to reduce the speed limit to 50 kilometres in the townships of Derrinallum and Lismore. I say to the Victorian state government and to VicRoads: please pay attention to this petition. Not only will I be tabling it here in the federal parliament, but I will also be sending it to the state minister and to VicRoads. There are over 200 signatures on this petition from these three wonderful communities. All they are asking of VicRoads and the Victorian state Labor government is to be listened to, to be heard and for action to be taken. I call on VicRoads to take that action. There are two ways they can do that immediately.

The first way is to immediately address maintenance issues with regard to the part of the Hamilton Highway between Darlington, Derrinallum and Lismore. They must make sure they're looking at these maintenance issues and putting in the funding that is necessary to take the Hamilton Highway to a place where it's safe to travel on, where it's not full of potholes and where the edges are not eroding away. That is the first thing we want VicRoads to do.

The second thing we want VicRoads to do is look at the 50-kay speed limits in two of the towns on the Hamilton Highway. That is what the community is calling for, and I ask VicRoads and the Victorian state Labor government to listen and to act. I seek leave to table this petition.

See this speech in context